Text: You will be required to own and understand "A Short Guide to Writing about Biology" by Jan Pechenik available in the Bookstore. If you have not had Biocommunications I, short assignments will be given to you from this text.

Outline: After three weeks into the semester I want to see your current outline of your paper and to have a conference with you about your paper.

Draft: I must have a draft version of your paper (at least four weeks before the last Friday of the semester and highly advisable that it be done before that). I would like the draft in electronic form and I would like to have the actual references used in writing the paper. My role in reading the draft is to guide you in terms of organization, lack or excesses in content, point out what is not understood or clear, help in format, etc. I can usually read your draft within 76 hours after which we will discuss your work.

This draft should be more than a draft- it should be your best effort up to this point. It is not my job to be your proof reader. It is important to do your best job on the draft - rarely have I seen a final version increase more than one grade over the level of the draft.

The draft will also be read by another student and they will also make comments.

Final copy: Due the last week of classes. I would like the final copy in electronic form and I would like to have the actual references used in writing the paper.

Length: Any length that is necessary to cover the topic. But, my initial thought would be that it is not covered enough if it is less than 8 pages and that it has superfluous information if it is more than 20 pages. (Double space or 1.5 space). You must use a word processor.

Audience: You should make your paper so that a second year science major can understand it. You are strongly encouraged to pass it on to a peer and ask them to critically analyze it (let them know you are not looking for a pat on the back, you are looking for improvements). Terms and concepts that a second year science major may not understand must be defined. If you need a guide, Scientific American writes their articles at about this level.

Science: The paper must reflect the work of primary articles (original research). Avoid a paper that merely reports the results of science, instead it must reflect the science that was done. Data, experimental methods, and resulting statistics must be a significant part of your presentation.

A paper made up entirely of such statements as the following is inadequate: "Sympathetic fibers extend from the medulla into the spinal cord. From the thoracic region of the spinal cord, cardiac accelerator nerves extend out to the SA node". Indeed you may want and need such statements, but a major portion of the paper should also contain statements that present the data that supports the statements, such as: "Roders (1997) gave 10 mg of thiomin to 20 patients on a daily basis while giving another 15 patients a placebo. It was found that 45% of the drug treated patients showed measurable improvement while only 10% of those that were untreated had improvements (see table)"

Direct Quotes: Avoid using direct quotes unless the person says something so outlandish that you do not want to be attributed to having said it; or the person has used such wonderful words that there is no possible way you could say it better.

Title: A title to a scientific paper is extremely important. It is the first thing that one reads and one immediately assumes that the paper will reflect the title. The goal of your paper should be accurately reflected in the title.

Introduction-Conclusion: Your first paragraph must be an introduction. You must make it clear what the goal(s) of your paper are in this first paragraph. In addition you may use the introduction to also a) introduce some terms and concepts that will be used throughout the paper, b) explain why the topic is important, c) explain the organization of your paper, ....

Your last paragraph must be a conclusion that summarizes the paper. The conclusion must address your findings with respect to the goals that were originally presented in your title and introduction.

Organization: Your paper must show some form of flow and organization. (it must tell a "story"). You may want to use a chronological order, organizational order (molecular->cellular->organismal), or an order that is specifically suggested by your topic. You may find it useful to use subheadings to better organize your thoughts and to help the reader. ( See Annual Reviews of Physiology for this type of format).

Diagrams: If a diagram is useful in making a particular point, then use it! Even photocopied tables and figures are usable as long as they are properly referenced and enough information is included to fully understand them. Many times a diagram is the only way to effectively make a point.

References: Start early - Interlibrary loan is often slow and you may need to go through 2-4 cycles of ordering..

Use the format that you were shown in Pechenik. A reference must include all of the authors, date, title, and source.

You must have read the references you have listed and be somewhat familiar with them all. I may ask you questions about them.

Help a fellow student: You will be asked to critically analyze another students draft. Your goal is to do all you can to help that person do a better job on their paper. A form will be provided to help in your evaluation.

Incompletes: This is a course just like any other course you are taking and it is your responsibility to do the work. If you have procrastinated and the work is not done, then the appropriate grade is a failure. Incompletes would only be granted in extreme cases of unpredictable hardships.

You are encouraged to come in frequently and discuss the progress of your paper.