Scientific writing differs in several ways from writing in the popular press.

• It is considerably more "dense" than typical writing in the sense that what is to be communicated is reduced to the clearest and most succinct wording.
• Citations within the text refer to previous work related to the particular item being discussed.
• Finally, the text is generally divided into standardized sections, each with a particular purpose. 

Source:Vanderbilt University Libraries ResearchGuides: http://researchguides.library.vanderbilt.edu/c.php?g=69346&p=831718