Bc2/Critique guide



Guidelines for Research Papers

Biochemistry II CHE 4320 Spring 2012

Course Website:

Due Dates

Review Article

Model your paper after a review article. The journals NATURE and SCIENCE, for example, have various types of review articles that serve as good models. The attached paper by Perutz ("Electrostatic..." Science 201, 1187 - 1191 (1978)) is an example.

Audience

Assume your audience is educated in science, but not necessarily in your topic. Don‘t write to me specifically. Cover basic concepts, but don't dwell on them. Write so that you'll understand the paper 3 years from now.

Depth And Clarity

The content of your paper should go significantly beyond what is offered in your textbook. How far beyond depends on your topic and the extent of your textbook’s coverage. Avoid vague, descriptive ramblings. Be specific and clear.

Organization

(according to the principle: "Say what you are going to say; say it; say what you said").

Divide your paper into four major parts: Abstract, Introduction, Body of Paper, and Summary

Abstract

The abstract should be compact (1/2 to 3/4 of a page) and informative as to important facts and conclusions, without regard for explanations or supporting evidence. The intent is to provide the factual essence of the paper for the reader who may not read the body of your paper. The summary block at the front of Perutz's paper is his abstract. (See Summary below for distinctions between the Abstract and the Summary.)

Introduction

In your introduction, create an active, directed curiosity in the mind of the reader about your topic. Place your subject in the overall context of current science and state why the topic is important, interesting, and exciting. A brief historical sketch of the field is appropriate. Whereas a summary of the paper should not be your focus in the introduction (that would only duplicate your abstract and concluding summary), you will undoubtedly pick some key fact or concept or question to describe briefly as a means of attracting the reader's interest. In the first paragraph of Perutz’s paper, he places his topic in context. His second paragraph summarizes what he will cover in the article. 1 would probably give Perutz a "B" for his introduction (particularly the second paragraph) because it is a little dry, somewhat brief and does not impart to me a unavoidably compelling desire to read the rest of the paper (unless I happen to already be captivated by the subject in advance).

Body of Paper

This is the content essence of your paper. Please use topic headings liberally. Notice Perutz uses topic heading effectively throughout his article. Your overall organization will depend in large part on your decisions about how to label the various sections of your paper. Be mindful of what material you choose to emphasize. Include illustrations and tables whenever they would help the reader. It may be appropriate to discuss key experiments. Discuss the experimental techniques if they are essential to your arguments. Outline these, but don‘t cover their theoretical foundations unless it is central to your topic. For example, if some experiment uses paper chromatography, you need not state the theory of mobile and stationary phases, but it might be appropriate to state what the solvent system was.

Summary

Briefly (shorter than the Abstract), summarize what you have covered. This concluding section has less detailed facts than the abstract and more overall, generalizing statements: the abstract presents specific details, whereas the summary states generalities. The detailed facts in the abstract need not be explained, nor are their relationships usually given. The summary concentrates on relationships and general conclusions. See Perutz‘s penultimate paragraph for his summary.

Title: Give your paper a title

Pagination: Number all pages of your paper consecutively, including pages with figures, tables, references, appendices (if any) as well as text.

Name: Make sure your name appears only once, on the cover page of your paper. This request serves the purpose of anonymity when your paper is being evaluated.

Abbreviations & Acronyms

List any abbreviations and acronyms in alphabetic order with their definitions and the first page of your paper on which each is used. For example,

ATP adenosine triphosphate, p.3

DIABLO direct IAP-binding protein with low pI, p. 10

EcoRI Escherichia coli restriction endonuclease I, p.2

IAPS inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (family of proteins), p.5

Note that in addition to its definition in this list, each abbreviation or acronym must also be defined in the text of your paper the first time it is used.

References

Identify references in the text by numbers rather than by authors; list references at the end of the paper in numerical order of appearance in your text. See examples below and Perutz's paper. If you have a footnote, rather than a journal reference, give it a number also, and treat it simply as another reference. (See Perutz, reference #34.)

Do not use textbooks, newspaper or popular science-type articles as your main sources of information.

The object of this paper is for you to experience the work involved in collecting and organizing information from the primary literature (including review articles). However, textbooks, newspaper and popular science articles can be very informative and can serve as a good starting point for your research. Reference them whenever appropriate; simply avoid them as man sources.

For all references, include the title of the article or book. (Note that Perutz does not do this.)

The appropriate number of references will vary according to the nature of your topic. As a guide, avoid using a single paper or single author as your main source.

However short or long, try to include in your list at least one reference dated within the last 2 years and one reference dated within the last year. More than that is fine. If you find this restriction to current literature inappropriate for your topic, consult with me before hand and append a note of explanation to your paper.

Use the following format for quoting references.

(l) For a journal article:

Author(s), "Title of Article," Journal Name. Volume, Pages (year).

Example: R.J. Cook, J. C. Barron, R. I. Papendick, and GJ. Williams, II, "Impact on Agriculture of the Mount St. Helens Eruptions," Science 211, 16-22 (1981).

(2) For a book:

Author(s), Title of book, Publisher, where published, year, pages.

Example: T. C. Bruice and S. Benkovic, Bioorvanic Mechanisms Vol. II Benjamin, New York, 1966, pp. 227-300.

(3) For an article within a book of a collection of articles:

Author(s), "Title of Article," in Title of Book, Editors of Book, (Publisher, City Published, Year) pages.

Example: R.G. Hansen and R. Gitzelmann, "The Metabolism of Lactose and Galactose," in Physiological Effects of Food Carbohydrates, A. Jeanes and J. Hodge, eds., (American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 1975) pp. l00-122.

"eds." identifies the previous names as the editors of the book.

Length

This is up to you in part. Aim for l0 to 20 pages from Abstract to Summary (not counting the cover page and references). To some extent, greater length earns more points.

However, quality has as much value: a good short paper will earn as many or more points as a rambling long paper. In general, strive for simplicity and clarity.

Layout

The first page of your paper should be a cover page with the following information:

(1) Course Title, Course Number (e. g., Biochemistry II, CHE 4320);

(2) Title of your paper;

(3) Date when paper is submitted; and

(4) Your name.

The second page should have your Abstract only.

The third page should begin with your Introduction.

Your Summary, list of Abbreviations, and list of References should each start at the top of a new page.

Use these section titles (Abstract, Introduction, etc.) as your first level of topic headings.

Your final paper must be typewritten. Don't forget pagination: number all pages.

Grading

l will use the criteria described in the separate handout entitled Evaluation Categories to evaluate your paper. In addition, 5% will be allotted to how closely you follow the instructions in these Guidelines.

Final Product

Make Two copies of your paper. Hand in 1 copy and keep l for insurance against catastrophe.

No Covers: Please do not put your paper in a fancy folder or other type of cover – I find them a nuisance. Simply staple the pages at the upper left hand corner.

Computers And Backup Copies

Do yourself a favor and backup your document at least every 15 minutes. At the end of each day, don't be content with your one backup: when you finish at the keyboard, make two backup copies. Store them on separate disks in separate physical locations. It won't do you much good if you keep all your disks in the same backpack that gets stolen or in the same building that floods or bums.

Spelling And Language

In this era of sophisticated word processing, grammatical and spelling errors are completely avoidable. If English is not your first language, I expect you to take responsibility for this inherent disadvantage by making time to find someone to read and correct your writing. Even if English is your mother tongue, find a literate friend to read and edit your paper.

Your Own Voice

An important part of becoming a good writer, even in technical areas, is to "find your own voice." It is a process that takes time and practice. This process spans a spectrum from using direct quotes (someone else‘s words and voice entirely) to paraphrasing (changing someone else‘s words, but still using their voice)

to putting it into your own words (moving away from someone else‘s voice, but still not your own) to fully digesting the material and expressing it in your unique style, approaching your own voice.

You don't have to finish discovering your own voice this semester to get a good grade on this assignment.

In fact, some instructors might consider the concept of “voice” in technical writing moot: scientific papers can often be so dry that you can't find any voice at all. I have described this literary goal of voice partly to illustrate what is not acceptable, starting with plagiarism.

Plagiarism is the academic sin of sins. To plagiarize is "1. To steal and use (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own. 2. To appropriate passages or ideas from (another) and use them as one's own." --The American Heritage Dictionary, 1981. Plagiarism will earn you a zero on this (and any other) assignment.

If you use someone else‘s wording (paragraphs, sentences, clauses or complex phrasings {but not individual words or common simple phrasings}), you must use quotation marks and cite the author by giving the full reference (see guidelines on previous page). However, unlike an essay in history or English, a scientific review rarely employs direct quotes. In a scientific paper the factual results are more important than the author‘s artistic attitude, opinion, or philosophical style as revealed in a quote. Therefore, avoid using direct quotes from your sources to give information. Instead, summarize the material in your own words.

Paraphrasing is not an academic sin but it won't earn you many points either, especially if you rely on it often and use it to avoid resynthesizing the material from your own understanding. "What if 1 don’t really understand some segment of the topic 1'm researching?" you ask. If that is the case, there are three options: (1) don't include it; (2) take time to gain understanding; or (3) use a footnote and write me a note explaining that you are paraphrasing (or even quoting) and that you don't fully understand the material but feel it is somehow important to your paper. Clearly option (2) is preferred: consult with me during office hours or with other scholars to get a handle on areas you don't understand.

Advice: Practice! as follows. Gather information on a subsection of your topic by reading and taking notes. Put the material aside for a day. Then summarize by writing from memory what you read and took notes on. Imagine that you are telling a story in words. Go back to your notes and check for accuracy and completeness. Edit what you wrote, but don't change the style or "voice" back to that belonging to the original author. Do this exercise repeatedly, progressively increasing the amount of information you write in one sitting until you find the optimal chunk of information that is comfortable for you to handle in one session.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download