J. GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PAPER

Overview: This assignment is, in essence, a short research proposal. As part of the Honors Program in Biological Sciences you are expected to undertake research during the summer recess with a declared faculty adviser. This research paper assignment is in anticipation of that research and will provide you with a strong background and understanding of the studies you will be undertaking. 

For the assignment, you are required to discuss your project with your declared mentor who will help identify and phrase an important unanswered question in their area of research that you will be asked to address as part of your summer program. Within this topic area you must propose a testable hypothesis and a series of experiments designed to answer the investigatory question. The materials, methods and experiments you describe in your paper should be designed by YOURSELF and NOT YOUR MENTOR and should aim to help clarify or further improve your conceptual understanding of the subject and your specific area of research. Please note that you will receive no credit for simply making a précis of work or experiments done by others. Clearly, the investigative approach that you choose for your assignment may differ from the one you actually adopt while empirically undertaking the study. Certain techniques may not be available for your investigation and others will be too complex, intricate or time consuming to fit within the allocated time and framework of your summer research program. 

Format and Deadlines: Each student is expected to independently write a research paper as described below. Submitting the research paper is a five-step process, involving the submission of an abstract, a literature review, the submission of a draft copy, the submission of a critique and then the submission of a final copy. The draft copy will be critiqued by a student in your class as well as the instructor. 

Each report must be prepared according to the following guidelines: 

a. Typed and preferably "word-processed". 
b. Graphs must be prepared on graph paper, with axes, labels, headings data points and lines in black or colored ink. Graphs may be computer 
generated and, if appropriate, curve fitting and statistical modules can be applied to the data sets. 
c. Collated and stapled in upper left-hand corner. 

Two copies of the draft report must be handed in at the beginning of your scheduled lecture on April 4th. One copy will be critiqued by a student in the class. The other copy of the draft will be graded and critiqued by the instructor and returned with comments. The first draft is worth a total of 200 points and will be returned, together with a copy of the student critique on the 16th April. You have until the 23rd May to rewrite and resubmit a final copy of the paper. Your critiqued draft must be submitted along with your final copy. The final copy is worth 100 points. 

All reports not submitted on time (at the beginning of your scheduled lecture) will be considered as late. If your draft is up to one week late, there will be a penalty of 50% off the total points allocated; if it is more than one week late, there will be absolutely no credit. Late final copies will be subject to the same penalties as for drafts. 

Review of Deadlines and Points allocation for Research Paper. 

Abstract due March 5th and returned March 12th. 
Two copies of 1st draft due April 4th (200 pts). 
Paper to be critiqued and two copies of the critique to be returned on April 16th (100 pts). 
Final paper due on May 23rd (100 pts). 

STEP 1: INITIAL ABSTRACT. 

Once you and your adviser have decided upon your topic, write a short abstract of the proposed study. The abstract should consist of a title and a 100-200 word synopsis of your proposed study. It should introduce the subject matter and inform the reader of the current status of the field. It should also introduce the major issues that remain unanswered in the field and serve to forward the particular question that you have chosen to tackle. The relevance of your question to the field should be made clear. These abstracts, which are due by March 5th, will provide the instructors an opportunity to assess whether the subject materials you have chosen are appropriate for the assignment. To help assess suitability, you should include with your abstract a photocopy of a key
manuscript that will be central to the theme of your paper. The abstract and the photocopied article, with comments, will be returned by March 12th. It is important that you wait for this feedback before you embark on the project. Please do not hesitate to contact the instructor if you have any queries concerning the comments on the initial abstract. 

STEP 2: LITERATURE SEARCH AND COLLATION. 

Upon approval of your topic matter, you should select a number of current articles pertinent to the topic (10-15 primary articles). Various databases and the Internet are available in the Library for you to search the literature and collate a reference base. You should consult the University Reference Librarian if you have problems using these databases. Occasionally, the Library runs student workshops on how to use search engines and reference databases. Ask the librarian if any are being offered. 

STEP 3: FIRST DRAFT OF RESEARCH PAPER. 

After having read the articles, you should prepare the first draft of your research paper. Each report must contain the following sections outlined below. Note the statements indicating what each section should contain. The % value of total points allocated for each section of the draft and final version are given in parentheses. 

TITLE PAGE:  Select a short, specific title, not some general statement. What did you specifically investigate? What parameter(s) did you alter? If appropriate, indicate the organism used and the specific aspect of that organism you investigated. Below the title, list your name and affiliation. Near the bottom of the page list the course and your research adviser. 

ABSTRACT (10%):  Write a concise summary of your paper. It must include a statement of the research problem, a brief description of what was done, the results obtained and the conclusions drawn from the study. The abstract should be capable of conveying the purpose and essence of your work to the reader if published independently from the rest of your report. 

INTRODUCTION (15%):  Introduce the main subject of the experiment with some background statements. Refer to, and cite, any references used.. State the hypothesis. How does this study fill gaps in our knowledge? What results are expected in this experiment? 

MATERIALS AND METHODS (30%):  From the perspective of this class, this is the most important section of the paper. Write a description of the equipment, organisms (including scientific names, age, and culture condition), chemicals, and procedures (protocols) used. You should refer to the detailed research design, statistical parameters and tests and the procedures to be used in the study. This section should not be a list, but should be presented in a narrative form that is sufficiently detailed for others to duplicate. 

RESULTS (20%):  Summary Tables and Figures (graphic presentations of your data) of your predicted results are expected. Some narrative description of the data must be included. All Tables and Figures must have titles (captions for Tables and legends for Figures). Captions of Tables are placed above the Tables, and legends of Figures are placed below the Figures. If in doubt, review the articles you have cited in your bibliography. 

DISCUSSION (20%):  Give interpretations and explanations of the results of this experiment. Did the results confirm or contradict the hypothesis? What were possible sources of error? What conclusions can you draw from your results? 

LITERATURE CITED (5%):  Your references must be cited according to conventional scientific format. 

Two copies of the draft of your paper are due April 4th. Your assignment must be typed and should not exceed 10 pages of doubly spaced text when complete. Please supply two copies. It is critical that you submit your manuscript on time since it has to be critiqued by a colleague in class and the exchange of assignments has to be synchronous. Students handing in their assignments 1 day late will forfeit 50% of their grade for the draft. It is therefore in your interest to meet this deadline. 

STEP 4: CRITIQUE OF RESEARCH PAPER. 

One of two copies of your draft paper will be forwarded to a fellow student for critical peer review. The instructors will attempt to match up the topics so that you are critiquing a paper comparable to your own. This critique assignment will provide everyone with an opportunity to evaluate another paper and to have feedback on their own paper prior to submitting their final version on May 23rd. You will be graded on the thoughtfulness and rigor of your critique of your colleague's paper. Please prepare two copies of your critique and return the copy of your colleagues paper to the instructor by April 16th. 

STEP 5: FINAL VERSION OF PAPER. 

The final version of your paper should be handed to me in class on the May 23rd. It should be double spaced and must not exceed 10 pages in length. Diagrams, photographs, graphs and tables are strongly encouraged if they help to exemplify, simplify or clarify particular aspects of the project. 

Please be sure to take advantage of our office hours if you have questions concerning the research paper or any other aspect of the course.