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SELECTING THE BIO 1407 REVIEW PAPER TOPIC

THIS ASSIGNMENT
General Info      Paper Length    Reference Book    Goals

PICKING A TOPIC
Pick a Topic     Get Background Information     Library Suggestions     Organize Your Information
References Cited     Turn in Your Topic    Topic Sheet (form)

THE OUTLINE
General Information     Sample Outline

THE FINISHED PAPER
DEADLINES INSTRUCTIONS     WRITE A DRAFT AND REVISE IT     FINAL PAPER FORMAT
 IN-TEXT CITATIONS     QUOTATIONS    REFERENCES CITED    FINISH YOUR PAPER


 






All students in BIO 1407 are required to turn in a review paper. This document provides the details of all the aspects of writing your review paper. Please ask for help if you have questions. The "Review Paper Topic" page must be completed and turned in by 9:00 a.m., MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2001. You are encouraged to finish and turn in your work early, thereby avoiding many possible problems.

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Paper Length

The finished review paper that you will turn in should be 1,700-2,500 words, which are usually 7-10 pages with normal margins, not counting graphs, diagrams, and charts.
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Reference Book

See the book by V.E. McMillan, Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences 2nd edition, for many of the details concerning the writing of this paper. According to her terminology, you are writing a "review paper" (see Chapter 5). Chapters 5-8 of McMillan will be the most useful.
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Goals

This assignment is designed to accomplish the following:
A. Help you learn how to use a library to do research.
B. Show you how to design and complete a review paper.
C. Allow you to learn some biology by exploring a narrow topic in depth and writing about it.
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Pick a Topic

A. Read the beginning of chapter 5 in McMillan.
B. Write about something which interests you.
C. Choose a topic that relates to BIO 1407 material.
D. Emphasize the biological aspects of your topic (as opposed to the economic or social view), such as, adaptive strategies/natural history, evolutionary relationships, symbiosis, behavior, or biotechnology. Do not choose medical topics. Do not focus on humans. DO NOT TAKE A DESCRIPTIVE APPROACH TO YOUR TOPIC. Focus on interactions or relationships.
E. Pick a subject that is neither too broad nor too general (narrow down the topic).
F. Dr. Muzos may have suggestions.
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Get Background Information

A. Read Chapter 1 in McMillan.
B. Encyclopedia articles do not count as references, but they will help to give you the "big picture" of your topic when you are doing your initial reading.
  • C. Ask the Reference Librarian for help, such as finding:
    • D. Browse through your text.
    E. Look at Web resources. Use search engines to get information about topics. Consider the following search engines. F. All of this may help you to find which area of some subject interests you.
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    LIBRARY SUGGESTIONS

    Start this paper early in order to insure that you will be able to find the resources you will need. The ACC reference librarians are very willing to help you.

    For on-line resources see the ACC LRS site which includes full-text versions of articles are from periodical indexes and reference databases. From there you can got to the Search Reference Sources area, where you will find many options. All of the sites are available from on-campus student-accessible computers.

    If you are using this source from an off -campus computer, click here to register and set up your computer for off-campus access. Once you have done that you can go directly to the Off Campus access page.

    Especially consider the following sites (listed alphabetically).


    It is common for students in this course to uselibraries at The University of Texas at Austin, such as the Science Library in the Main Building of UT, as well as the Austin Public Library and other local college and university libraries. In order to check out materials from many such selected libraries around Texas, you should get a free TEXSHARE library card from the ACC reference librarian.

    Learn how to use ACC's electronic resources by attending one of the Smart Search sessions held by the ACC LRS, bring Dr. Muzos a certificate that you completed the session, and receive a 5-point bonus on your paper.

    Th ACC LRC's also have several free handouts with excellent information about finding the and organizing the materials you may need for this assignment. They are available on the web under the heading Study Guides.

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    Organize Your Information

    A. Read Chapter 1 in McMillan.
    B. Keep complete bibliographic information on all your resources, including call letters/numbers.
    C. Take notes from all your sources. You will need them later.
    D. Except for quotes, put all notes in your own words.
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    References Cited

    Use the Name-Year (Harvard)system that is described in the ACC handout: CBE Documentation, Name-Year Method. It is available free, in the ACC LRC (library) and on the web .

    Also see McMillan's Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences 2nd edition, in Chapter 6, pp. 113-119.

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    Turn in Your Topic

    A. Use the Review Paper Topic sheet provided.
    B. Fill it out completely.
    C. Turn it in on time, and have it stamped with the time and date.
    D. Late topics will receive a penalty of one (1) point per calendar day (or part thereof) including weekends and holidays, with a maximum penalty of 10 points. All penalty points are deducted from the score on the final review paper
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    THE REVIEW PAPER OUTLINE

    The outline is DUE BY 9:45 p.m., TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2001. Feel free to turn it in any time before then. Be sure your outline is stamped with the time and date when you turn it in.

    Staple your review paper topic sheet (the one with Dr. Muzos' comments written on it) behind the outline and turn it all in. Do not turn in this sheet of instructions. Late outlines will receive a penalty of two (2) points per calendar day (or part thereof) including weekends and holidays, with a maximum penalty of 14 points. All penalty points are deducted from the score on the final review paper

    Type your outline, double spaced, using a formal outline style such as is used in the example below. Refer to McMillan, pp.87-96, for ideas on what to include. Your outline will not have all the details of a first draft of the paper, but you do need to include the main topics and ideas, and put them in the sequence which you think will make a well-developed paper. Feel free to add more detail than is found in the example below. You may find useful ideas in McMillan, pp. 120-122. The following example of an outline is presented here only as a general guide.

    On the outline you turn in, include a title for you paper, your name, the date, the course number, and the days and time which your lecture meets.

    The outline must contain the headings for Abstract and Conclusions, as in the sample.

    At the end of your outline, on a separate page, include an updated References Cited section, with at least five (5) references for materials you have examined and plan to use. Include at least one book (other than a text or an encyclopedia), two scientific periodical references, and one on-line reference.

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    SAMPLE OUTLINE:

    The Interactions of HIV and Human Cells
    I. Abstract
    II. HIV and other related viruses
    A. Structure of HIV
    B. Reproduction of HIV
    II. How HIV interacts with the human immune system
    A. Cells of the immune system which are involved
    B. How HIV and cells interact
    C. Replication of HIV and the responses of cells
    D. Antibodies
    1. How they interact with the virus
    2. Why they don't control the virus
    IV. Medical treatments
    A. How they affect viral reproduction
    B. Viral/cell interactions
    C. Other effects on cells
    V. Future Projections
    VI. Conclusions
    *******************************************************************************

    REFERENCES CITED

    (NOTE: Put the References Cited on a separate page.)

    (Follow the proper format guidelines.)
     


    *******************************************************************************

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    THE FINISHED REVIEW PAPER

    DEADLINES (all are due by 9:45 p.m.)

    For a 10-point bonus: Tuesday, April 24, 2001
    For the regular deadline: Tuesday, May 1, 2001
    Last day for any papers to be accepted: Tuesday, May 8

    Late papers will receive a penalty of five (5) points per calendar day (or part thereof) including weekends and holidays, with a maximum penalty of 30 points. All penalty points are deducted from the score on the final review paper. Papers will not be accepted after Tuesday, May 8, 2001.

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    INSTRUCTIONS

    You must refer to Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences 2nd edition by Victoria E. McMillan. Chapters 5-8 provide the details about writing your review paper. The rest of this handout is intended to supplement the material found in McMillan.
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    WRITE A DRAFT AND REVISE IT

    Chapter 7 of McMillan has many good ideas for this.

    Be sure that your paper includes a synthesis of the information which you have gathered from all your sources. Do not write a paper which only repeats what other authors have said.

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    FINAL PAPER FORMAT

    Use a 12 or a 14-point font for the text, nothing smaller.

    Set your word processing program for a ragged right margin (left justified), not a justified right margin.

    The title page must include what McMillan suggests as well as the day and time of your lecture, and Dr. Muzos' name.

    The body of the paper should contain 1,700-2,500 words (usually 7-10 pages) of text.

    Be sure to include headings in your paper. These should correspond to the main items that would be found in an outline.

    Do not start the abstract, or any part of the paper with a question. Use the third person (This paper describes ...) rather than first person (I will explain ...) throughout the paper. See McMillan pp. 57-60, 79, and 98 information.

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    IN-TEXT CITATIONS

    Chapter 6 of McMillan explains the need to document your paper by citing sources in the text. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR PAPER. Follow the Name-Year (Harvard) system, not the Number Method. This format is used in place of footnotes, so do not use footnotes. All in-text citations must have a reference in the References Cited section of your paper.
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    QUOTATIONS

    See McMillan, pp. 93-95 for details.

    Quotations that are longer than four typed lines must be indented on the left margin.

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    REFERENCES CITED

    Put the References Cited (not a bibliography) on a separate sheet of paper after the body of the paper. Include at least five (5) references, including at least two (2) scientific periodical articles, one (1) electronic resource, and one (1) book. See the References Cited section in "Selecting the Review Paper Topic."

    Be sure that each web URL that you include actually works, as written by you.

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    FINISH YOUR PAPER

    Read pp. 123-124 of McMillan: "Revising With a Word Processor."

    Use the "checklist" on the inside front cover of McMillan.

    Staple your previously approved outline and review paper topic sheet behind the final paper and turn it all in.

    Please do not put your paper in a folder or cover of any type.

    Do not turn in any of these sheets of instructions.
    Turn your paper in on time (have it stamped with the time and date) and go celebrate ... you are done!

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    ***********************************************************************************************
     

    The following is what must be turned in (on paper) as your topic selection.

    BIO 1407 REVIEW PAPER TOPIC

    NAME ______________________________ LECTURE DAY & TIME _____________

    Fill out this page completely or it will not be accepted. It is due by 9:00 a.m., MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2001. Feel free to turn it in any time before then. Late papers will receive a penalty of one (1) point per calendar day (or part thereof) including weekends and holidays, with a maximum penalty of 10 points. Have this sheet stamped with the time and date when you turn it in.

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    In order to help you identify your focus, it is useful to have: 1) a main question (i.e., "Why do...?", as well as "How does...?") that you intend to answer, or 2) a point of view that you intend to defend. Write down your question or point of view. Be sure that the focus is biological. Be sure that you do not take just a descriptive approach to the topic.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    List the main ideas that you plan to cover in the paper. Describe how you think these main ideas are going to help you answer your question, or solve your problem.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    REFERENCES CITED

     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Write at least three (3) references, including at least one book (not a text or an encyclopedia), one on-line reference, and one scientific periodical article. Follow your instructions for proper format.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Which libraries have you used?

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    Last Updated February 19, 2001 by Steve Muzos

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