Biology 440 Microbiology Meyer Fall 2013 Original Review Paper Assignment As a professional, whether nurse, dental hygienist,

st, physical therapist, physicians assistant, pharmacist, microbiologist, or ecologist, you will need to know how to find and interpret credible sources of information about scientific topics. Thus, the first objective of this assignment is to give you experience in searching for and interpreting credible scientific information. The second objective is for you to gain practice in organizing and presenting scientific information in a written work. Topic: You may choose any subject relevant to microbiology, including, but NOT limited to, a type of infectious disease agent. You may wish to research how viruses originated; the roles of certain blood cells in protecting the body from pathogens; the roles of microbes in particular ecosystems, such as wetlands; or other subject of microbiology that interests you. If you are unsure about whether your topic idea is suitable, just ask me. Requirements: 1. Originality: You are to conduct your own literature research and write your paper in your own words. You may, of course, paraphrase information you obtain, or quote from another work. However, limit the use of quotations to those instances when an authors exact words are crucial to the point you are making. Use very few direct quotes. Your literature sources must also be correctly cited (More on proper citation below.) Any form of plagiarism will result in no credit (no points) for this assignment. More information on cheating and plagiarism is available in the course syllabus and in the SCC Student Guide: (http://www.scc.losrios.edu/~matric/guide/stuconduct.html). 2. Format: Your paper is to be written as a scientific review paper. A review paper is one in which current understanding of a subject is summarized, research being conducted at present is discussed, and the questions that future research should address are presented.

Biology 440 Microbiology Meyer Fall 2013

Include the following sections (including these headings) in your paper: Introduction A brief overview and description of the subject of the paper, and how it is significant to those studying microbiology. Current Understanding What is known about the subject by scientists studying the subject of the paper? This section should contain a description of the current scientific knowledge about the subject. Research What research is currently being conducted in order to gain greater understanding of the subject? Describe at least one area of research that is currently being conducted. What are scientists hoping to learn about the subject through their research? Summary and Outlook for the Future The section should summarize the paper and draw a conclusion about the subject. The section should also list questions about the subject that still need to be answered with further research, and the outlook for the future of the subject. Literature Cited/Bibliography See below. Use the CSE guidelines for the literature cited section of your paper. Use a separate paper for your literature cited list. 3. References/Sources: At least five (5) sources of information must be used, cited within the body of the paper AND listed in your bibliography/literature cited. You may use your Tortora et al. text as a reference, but as an additional source. The sources must be current, that is, published within the last ten (10) years. You are to find and use references for the current understanding of, and research being conducted on, your topic. Your references should give you credible, scientific information. Sources may include books and journals or other periodicals, including online journals and periodicals, as long as they are sources of scientific information that you can trust for credibility. Generally, this means that they have been reviewed by scientists, such as occurs with peer-review for a journal or text. (Note: Wikipedia is not peerreviewed. However, often Wikipedia pages have references that ARE peer-reviewed that you could find, read, and use a sources of credible information.) For tips on determining the credibility of online resources, see the SCC Library Online Research page (http://www.scc.losrios.edu/~library/online/evaluating_citing.htm). 4. Citation: As a scientific paper, the citation should be that used in scientific publications. Different journals require different citation styles (as youll see when you scan the references at the ends of journal articles), but Id like you to use the CBE style (Council of Biology Editors, now the Council of Science Editors). For how to cite sources of information within the body of your paper and in the bibliography/literature cited section of your paper, see the Ohio State University guidelines at http://library.osu.edu/help/research-strategies/cite-references/cse. 5. Length: Your paper should be at least four (4) and no more than eight (8)full written pages in length, and typed double-spaced, with 12-pitch or 10-pitch font, and no greater than 1-inch

Biology 440 Microbiology Meyer Fall 2013

margins. The minimum four-page length requirement does not include the bibliography/literature cited, or any figures, tables, or graphs that you might choose to include. Due Dates: 1. Required: Turn in your review paper outline and literature cited list no later than Wednesday, October 23, 2013. 2. Optional: Turn in your draft review paper for comments and suggestions no later than Wednesday, November 6, 2013. 3. Required: Turn in your final review paper no later than Wednesday, December 4, 2013. NOTE:Late papers: 5 points will be deducted for each school day after the due date. No papers will be accepted after 5:30 PM, Friday, December 6, 2013.

Suggestions: 1. Read a few papers in scientific journals or periodicals reviewed and edited by scientists, such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Science, Nature, Scientific American, etc. You may not understand all the terms and concepts used in these articles. Dont worry about that. Just try to get the basic ideas that are being presented, and notice how the authors points are organized and discussed. 2. If you are new to college paper writing, there are many sources of help available to you at the SCC Library, including how to find current references. The library has orientation sessions for how to use the library resources (www.scc.losrios.edu/~library/instruction/or_sched.htm). 3. Pick a topic that is fairly narrow in scope. You wont have enough space to adequately cover a broad topic such as animal viruses. Instead, you might research one of the diseases caused by a particular animal virus, such as HPV Human Papilloma Virus. 4. See me if you would like to make sure that your topic is appropriate and if you have questions about how to develop your paper. 5. Have me read your draft paper early in the semester for suggestions and improvements. Turn your draft in no later thanWednesday, November 6, 2013. See the separate handout on evaluation of this assignment for information on how your paper will be graded.

Biology 440 Microbiology Meyer Fall 2013