The purpose of this report is to introduce you to scientific communications from actualresearchers.You may report on one of two types of materials: journals and seminars.
1. Papers from Scientific Journals:
Scientists publish thousands of articles every week. These publications make up the‘primary literature’ of science. They include much jargon, however, and may beinappropriate for our purposes. Other journals present similar work at a level meant fora general science audience.
American Scientist
is the preferred source for thisassignment. It is available online at our library. Other sources may be used, but thearticles should be at least 7 pages in length and must contain a tested hypothesis.Articles fromScientific Americanare NOT suitable for this assignment.
These articles from
American Scientist
contain the necessary information to satisfy requirements. You will need to read these articles carefully; the hypothesis may be implied. For your assignment, you only need to write about one hypothesis and one test of that hypothesis per assignment, even if the article contains several hypotheses and tests.
TheGCC Libraryreceives both print and electronic copies of
American Scientist
. To access electronically, you must use a GCC computer link. This can be done at home on your own computer, in the library, either HiTec center, Biology Computer lab, etc. Follow these directions to the
American Scientist
site and then enter the author or title of the article desired or browse
American Scientist
and select one.
Go to the GCC Library Web Page(Links to an external site.)
- Click on the 'Find Articles' tab to search for a specific article or the 'Journal Finder' tab to search for a specific journal (search 'American Scientist', for example)
- Use subject words from the title
- These steps should bring you to various articles, although a little sifting might be needed
Another recommended source:Online Journal on Evolutionary Biology(Links to an external site.). You might find interesting articles here.
-OR-
2. Seminars: On or Off Campus:
Local universities often sponsor seminars. Seminar schedules will be provided as available. To receive credit for seminar reports, you must attend the seminar.
Instructions for the Summary Report:
You are to writeone report(a second may be written for extra credit, but remember... extra credit is capped at a maximum of 20 points). The exact topics can be chosen at your discretion and you may choose an article or seminar. Regardless of your source,use full articles, not summaries. Your report should summarize the article/seminar inyour own words -avoid direct quotes. Each of the items below should require only one or afew sentences.It is your responsibility to find an appropriate article to fulfill all partsof this assignment and summarize the article in your own words. Your instructor mayhave several suggestions for articles (see Pages in our Canvas classroom).
Be sure to include:
the initial observation or earlier studythat stimulated the research
the hypothesis testedand specific predictions of the hypothesis
basic methods/experimental designof the study; how was the hypothesis tested? compare the experimental vs. control groups. You are not expected to describe detailed methods. However, if you cannot understand the methods, you should choose a different topic.
results: what did the authors find from their experiment (the facts or measurements)?
the author’s conclusion; state clearly the author’s conclusion about the hypothesis. For example, ‘Dr. Seymour concluded that the results supported (rejected?) her hypothesis.’
your critique: do you agree with author’s conclusion? why or why not? apply logic and your knowledge of the scientific method to critique the study’s design, controls, etc. You are not expected to bring in your own experience or other data.
the complete reference of the article or lecture(author, date, title, publication and pages, or ‘Lecture at . . . ’ etc.)
Style:
You are expected to describe the work and explain your conclusions in language that otherstudents (family, friends) can understand. Avoid jargon and write in a clear, direct format. Manyarticles include multiple hypotheses and experiments. Limit your report to one hypothesis and asingle test of that hypothesis. Papers should be typed, double-spaced, and grammaticallycorrect. Spell check and ask a fellow student, friend or family member to proof read it (can theyunderstand your summary?).Maximum: 2 pages. NO cover sheet.Each student must write his or her own paper(see information about plagiarism in our syllabus and its online references). You are encouraged to submit your paper electronically via Canvas as a Word document (e.g. Word.doc or Word.docx) or pdf and properly formatted (e.g. double-spaced). Please include your name in the title of the document. Submit yours electronically before the well before the deadline to ensure a timely submission!