Visit
some
Cell Biology Internet sites. Position Paper
Now that you have thoroughly immersed yourself in the literature of your topic, it is time to put together a position paper about the state of the research on your topic. Among the resources (references) for this position paper, there are to be a minimum of two electronic resources (web pages, e-mail contacts with researchers currently working within the topic you have chosen).
The position paper should be thought of as a mini-review of the state of knowledge about the topic which you have chosen for the semester. The paper will consist of five parts, labeled as follows: Background, Principal Approaches, Present Knowledge, Future Directions, and Conclusions. You may use subheadings as you feel appropriate. The Background section should contain a historical perspective, terms and definitions. The Principal Approaches section is a methodology section which explains the major types of experimental designs which are found in the field of your topic (not solution-by-solution methods, but kinds of experiments which are done). The Present Knowledge section contains just that - what is known about the topic at the present time. Future Directions includes the kinds of experiments which need to be done, along with probable results or implications of possible results, or the directions that the research seems to be heading in the near and/or distant future. Conclusions should contain a summary of the previous sections as well as major implications of the types of experiments which have been done and are likely to be done. (Samples of recent papers.)
All statements should be firmly grounded in the literature. You may speculate, but not wildly. Nor is this to be a one paragraph - one reference type of approach common to most undergraduate scientific writing. Use the Handbook of Biological Investigation and reviews on the topic of choice for guidance in style and construction, referencing, phraseology, and limits of conclusions (e-mail and other electronic sources should be referenced using the guidelines contained in How do you cite URL's in a bibliography?, available online). Use the same reference format as you used for your bibliographic list. You do not have to use all of the literature which your searching has revealed, but you should plan to use a significant proportion. I will judge whether you have made adequate use of the available literature. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and the Student Handbook will be followed in the event of evidence of this and other forms of cheating.
The paper should be 9 to 12 pages in length, with a greater emphasis on a well-executed, well-researched topic than on an absolute page limit. The papers must be word-processed, with spell checking, and may be submitted electronically. If you do submit electronically, they must be submitted as a word-processing file (Word 2002 or WordPerfect 9, or earlier) or as an e-mail attachment of such a file so that you do not lose the formatting. The paper is to be 1.5- to double-spaced, with 1-inch margins all around, and with a reasonable font size (11-13 point). All aspects of the paper will be graded, including scientific soundness, content, literature use, referencing (format and appropriate use), grammar, spelling, sentence construction, clarity, and title.
The paper is due no later than 5 p.m., Friday, December 8, 2006.
Web Pages
Much useful information has become available on web pages, especially those associated with a particular laboratory or research group, which may be relevant to your topic. See if one of more of the researchers in your list has a lab web page. Search engines also are very effective tools to finding a relevant web page. But, be aware that a recent review of search engines shows that even the best access no more than 15% of the web at any one time. A lack of relevant hits does not necessarily mean that there are no relevant sites (I will be glad to engage in a discussion of why this is the case, if you wish). However, be aware that not everything published on the web is of high quality. Much of the content has not gone through the scrutiny or oversight of peer or editor review. Even very reputable sites may be publishing information which is speculative or tentative, without clear indication that this is the case. Other web sites are downright fabrications which have been created to support a particular political, personal or other agenda. Whenever you view a web site, ask yourself three questions: 1) Who wrote this? What are their credentials and is it reasonable to think that they would be a reputable authority on the topic? 2) When was this written? Is the material factually correct, but only for a previous time? Web pages sometimes do not get updated for 10 years! 3) When was the web page last revised? Is this a site which is frequently modified and updated, or seldom managed? The latter indication may mean that the web site is not taken very seriously, even by its creator.
Making E-mail Contact
If you wish to communicate by e-mail with a researcher as one form of electronic resource, keep a few of things in mind. Not all scientists are well connected - they may have e-mail but they may seldom use it. Scientists are busy people and they may not respond if 1) they view your e-mail as trivial, 2) they are too busy at the moment, or 3) they are not at their labs temporarily. It has not been unusual for a student to receive a very good response up to two months after the inquiry because the person was out of the country. You can avoid being viewed as trivial if you show enthusiasm, genuine interest, and write with an obvious appreciation of the current literature. Inquire as to the current state of the research in their laboratories, whether the same topic is of major importance or have other avenues become more promising, do they still accept the hypotheses and conclusions stated in the papers to be correct or have there been modifications, and similar questions related to the information you have learned from the literature. I recommend that you contact at least three times the number of researchers than you need. On average, about 1/5 of such inquiries will result in a reasonable response. Ask open-ended questions (those which do not result in simple "yes" or "no" responses) and clearly identify who you are (undergraduate biology, biochemistry, microbiology, pharm chem, pharm/tox major), why you are making the contact (assignment in your Cell Biology course), what your interest in the topic is, and enough sense of urgency that they will respond soon. Some students feel that a mild threat is effective ("I really need this, so you must respond."). This tactic seldom works. If you have gotten very involved in the topic, and the contact might be in consideration as a graduate school advisor, mention this also, but only if it is true. Such requests for information are common in the scientific community. Your enthusiasm and clarity are more likely to yield good responses than is boredom and half-hearted attempts. Responses may be sent to your own e-mail account.
The sooner you start making the contacts, the sooner you will start receiving responses. Do not expect researchers to drop everything to e-mail a reasoned response overnight.
Finding a Researcher's E-mail Address
Follow the suggestions listed to maximize the chance that you will find the electronic address of the person of choice. These are listed roughly in the order that will give you the most success or be least intimidating to you.
Accompanying pages for Cell Biology (BS 461)
Visit
some
Cell Biology Internet sites.
Go
to the
Cell Biology main page.
Go
to the
Laboratory Schedule.
Go
to the
Writing Assignment 1.
Go
to the
Citation List.
Return
to the
top of this document.
Last revised 26 August 2006
http://is.usip.edu/bs461/bs461f.html