Laboratory 9: Paper Project Handout Perspectives Each person will work in a group of about 4 people on a project that addresses a topic related to cellular biology (suggestions can be found on pages 122). It can be a scientific question or a question arising from the application of scientific advances to societal problems. For this assignment, the topic must have some interesting cell biology associated with it. When presenting various aspects of the topic, it is important that there is a cellular basis to support the premise. The group will select a topic and then divide the topic into four subcategories. For example the group decides to investigate Stem cell research. They could then divide up the overarching topic into the history of stem cell research, definition and discussion of the process of stem cell research, the protagonist’s side of stem cell research, and the antagonist’s side of stem cell research. Each student will find their own references, write a four page narrative summary paper on their individual topic, and finally the group will organize an oral presentation to present their research to their lab section. The Paper Project consists of five graded assignments: Project References (Appendix C and Appendix F), Initial Draft of Paper, and a Final Draft of Paper. Each of these three assignments are described on the pages that follow. Refer to the table below for dues dates and how each assignment contributes towards your total grade. Assignment Basis for Grade Points for Assignment 1. Project References 2. Initial Draft of Paper One list per person (Individual grade) One paper per person (Individual grade) 10 points 3. Final Draft of Paper One paper per person (Individual grade) 60 points 30 points Due Dates for At the start of your lab during week 5 At the start of your lab during week 7 At start of your lab during week 9 This assignment is to give you the opportunity to use the knowledge you have gained or will gain throughout this course and kind of bring the ideas to bear by presenting a body of evidence to support your premise. Approach this project with the vigor of attempting to move your peers into a realm of questing knowledge. Procedure Assignment 1: Project References = 10 points Each group member will individually turn in a typed list of the references they have found, with at least 4 being referred, the title of the paper, and the names of each group member on the page. The list should be in the proper format outlined in Appendix C. Using the Holman Library (See Appendix F) The GRCC Library offers excellent electronic methods for finding reference materials for your projects. Most can be accessed directly via the World Wide Web. The GRCC Library Catalog contains all of the books at the college, but books are probably not the best source for this project. Most of your references should be periodicals as they are usually more specific and up-to-date. There are several searchable electronic databases available for your use. A GRCC librarian will be happy to assist you in determining the databases most appropriate for your project. You may find that some of the periodicals that would be of greatest help for your project are not available through the GRCC Library. If this is the case, please talk to a librarian about how to get copies of articles that you need from other libraries in the region. Often you can get what you need in a couple of days. The references you pick are not all created equally! The best source is information from the scientists who conducted the study. Try to find information of this type—much of it may be too technical but you should be able to glean some information from it. The second best source is popular science journals such as Scientific American, Science News, American Scientist, or Discover. Most of your references will probably be of this type. Since these periodicals are devoted to science, they tend to be better sources of information than general magazines such as Time or Newsweek. General popular references such as newspapers and general magazines may sometimes be helpful but don’t limit yourself to these. Each person should try to find at least 4 references of high quality. Remember that part of your grade for your paper is based on the quality of your references. The World Wide Web also provides an excellent source of materials. Web pages vary in quality enormously, so you should take care to use sources that provide accurate information. Look carefully for the biases of the authors. Many news magazines, newspapers and journals now publish on the web. These will tend to be more reliable than individually published web pages. The latter may be very useful, though, particularly if they cite references. Do not limit yourself to material that is strictly web based. Every scientific publication provides an “Instructions to Authors” that describes the format for the references section and all other requirements for papers they will accept. The format for citing references varies slightly from one scientific publication to another. By following the guidelines as outlined in Appendix C you will insure your citations are cited correctly. Assignments 2 & 3: Draft and Final Paper Project = 30 and 60 points Every member will turn in a paper on one aspect of your group’s topic using the references you have found. This report should be about 4 pages typed and double-spaced. Your title page, figures, and references should be on additional pages. High quality papers are expected. Use a word processor and save your electronic version of the paper until after you receive your grade. Computer crashes are not an excuse for late papers. Make back-up copies of your paper as storage disks are unreliable. It’s a good idea to keep a hard-copy too. The initial draft of your paper is due at the beginning of lab during the 7th week. You should bring 2 copies of your paper to lab. One copy will be turned in and the second copy will be given to another member of the class. You will read another class member’s paper, make comments on the paper, which I will review, and return it to the writer. The final version of your paper is due at the start of lab during the ninth week of class. You will receive two grades for your paper: a rough grade and a final grade. The rough paper grade will be based on the quality of the rough draft of your paper, as well as the quality of the comments you receive when evaluated by your peers in class. The final draft of your paper will be graded more carefully. You should turn in your rough paper, which I graded, with its rubric, and the peer reviewed paper (with comments) with your final paper so that I can review what other authors thought of your rough draft. How to get started! Search existing literature, start early because searches take time (See Appendix F). You need to know what information is available, as well as hot or controversial topics in the fields. To gain a comprehensive view of the field, I recommend starting with a book chapter or a review article. Use the reference sections from those to find more detailed information. Come talk to me in person. You can get a lot of feedback from me at any point during the preparation. Added benefit is that you can figure out my preliminary evaluation of your presentation, so that you will know how much and what kind of work you have to do quality work. Organize your work. You are working with others. Clearly organizing and designating responsibility for each is extremely important. I recommend getting together regularly (e.g. 2-3 times week for at least 30 min. each), so that you can give each other update on how things are going. Your paper will be scored by the rubric found in your syllabus. Possible topics for the paper: • Biological Basis for Human Races: Is there a biological basis for dividing people into races? • Genetic Modification of Food Crops: Are GM foods safe to eat? • Genetic Engineering of Organisms (e.g. plants, animals, or microbes): Do the benefits outweigh the possible drawbacks? • The Puzzle of Hypertension in African-Americans: Why is high blood pressure the leading cause of health problems among black Americans while the people of western Africa have among the lowest rates of hypertension anywhere in the world? • Somatic Cell Gene Therapy: Should somatic cell gene therapy be used to treat genetic diseases? • Slowing Human Aging: Is it possible to slow down the aging process? • Genetic Basis of Aging: How important are genes in determining life expectancy? • Alzheimer's disease: Is a cure imminent? Why are more women than men affected by it? • Abortion Pill: Is the use of RU 486 harmful to woman's health? Should it be banned? • Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Is there are genetic basis to the neurological abnormalities involved with ADHD? • Hormone Replacement Therapy: Should postmenopausal women use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to reduce/prevent osteoporosis? • Human Cloning: Should human cloning research be allowed/funded by the federal government? • Human Fetal Tissue Research: Should the federal government allow/fund medical research involving human fetal tissue obtained from aborted fetuses and umbilical cords or are there alternative sources for stem cells for medical research? • Homosexuality: Is there a genetic basis for homosexuality? • Thrill/Novelty Seeking: Is there a genetic basis for thrill or novelty seeking? • Obesity: Is there a genetic basis for obesity? • Genetic Basis of Heart Disease: Are national differences in rates of heart disease environmentally or genetically caused? What is the role of a dietary cholesterol and fat in heart disease? • Alcoholism/Substance abuse: Is there a genetic basis for alcoholism/substance abuse? • Alternative Cancer Therapies: Traditional (chemotherapy and radiation) vs. alternative/experimental therapy do cancer patients have an alternative to the devastating effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy? • Safety of Food Additives: Do food preservatives/additives pose a significant health risk (e.g. cancer, developmental problems, etc.)? Are they being regulated properly? • Hormone use by the food industry: Is it a human health hazard to eat food products derived from hormonally treated animals? • Depression: What is the biological cause of depression? • Child Abuse: Should mothers of drug-addicted babies/fetal alcohol syndrome be prosecuted for child abuse? • Cloning for Medicine: Hype or a possible reality? • Genetic Basis of Athletic Performance: Can anyone become a world class athlete if they train properly? What role(s) do genes of the athlete play? • Nutritional supplements: Is it worth the expense to take nutritional supplements? (e.g. Vitamin supplements, melatonin, anti-oxidants, etc.) • Genetic Testing and Screening: Should widespread testing for cystic fibrosis (or other genetic diseases) be implemented? Appendix A: How to graph scientific data? Often the first step in analyzing the results of an experiment is the presentation of the data in the form of a graph. A graph is a visual representation of the data, which assists in bringing out and finding the possible relationship(s) between the independent and dependent variables. Examination of a graph makes it much easier to see the effect the independent variable has on the dependent variable(s). Accurate and clearly constructed graphs will assist in the interpretation and communication of your data, and when presenting a well-documented argument supporting or falsifying your hypothesis in the final steps of a scientific investigation. All graphs should be easy to interpret and labeled fully. The following guidelines will help you construct a proper graph. Graphing tips 1) Use graph paper of a high quality. 2) A ruler should be used to draw axes and to plot data neatly and accurately. 3) Always graph the independent variable on the x-axis (horizontal axis), and the dependent variable on the y-axis (vertical axis). 4) The scales of the axes should be adjusted so that the graph fills the page as much as possible. The axes often, but not always, start at zero. Choose your intervals and scales to maximize the use of the graph paper. Intervals should be logically spaced and easy to interpret when analyzing the graph (e.g. intervals of 1’s, 5’s, or 10’s are easily interpreted, but non-integer intervals (e.g. 3.25’s, 2.33’s, etc.) are not. To avoid producing a graph with a lot of wasted space a discontinuous scale is recommended for one or both scales if the first data point is a large number. Simply add two tic marks between the zero and your lowest number on one or both axes to show that the scale has changed. 5) Label both axes to indicate the variable and the units of measure. Write the specific name of the variable. Do not label the axes as the dependent variable and independent variable. Include a legend if different colors are used to indicate different aspects of the experiment. 6) Graphs (along with drawings and diagrams) are called figures and are numbered consecutively throughout a lab report or scientific paper. Each figure is given a number, a title that describes the contents, and an informative sentence giving enough information for the figure to be understandable apart from the text (e.g. Figure 1 Temperature and Leaf Color Change The relationship between the change in vine maple leaf color and changes in ambient temperature.). Generally, this information is placed below the figure or graph. 7) Choose the type of graph that best presents your data. Line and bar graphs are the most common. The choice of graph type depends on the nature of the variable being graphed. Line Graphs are used to graph data that only involves continuous variables. A continuous variable is capable of having values over a continuous range (i.e. anywhere between those that were measured in the experiment). For example, pulse rate, temperature, time, concentration, pH, etc. are all examples of continuous variables (Figure 1). Making Line Graphs 1) Plot data as separate points. Make each point as fine as possible and then surround each data point with a small circle. If more than one set of data is plotted on the same graph, distinguish each set by using circles, boxes, triangles, etc. 2) Generally, do not connect the data points dot to dot. Draw smooth curves, or if there appears to be a linear relationship between the two variables, draw a line of best fit. 3) If more than one set of data is plotted on a graph, provide a key of legend to indicate identify each set. Label the graph as a figure; give it an informative title, and a descriptive sentence. Figure 1 pH Effects on Lactase Note that a line graph was used to graph the data because both variables, pH and the rate of digestion, are continuous variables. Bar Graphs are used if the data involves a discrete variable (non-continuous variable). A discrete variable, unlike a continuous variable, cannot have intermediate values between those measured. For example, a bar graph (Figure 2) would be used to plot the data in an experiment involving the determination of chlorophyll concentration (chlorophyll concentration is a continuous variable) found in the leaves of different tree species (The discrete variable is the species of tree). Bar graphs are constructed using the same principles as for line graphs, except that the vertical bars are drawn in a series along the horizontal axis (i.e. x-axis). In the example below, a bar graph was used to graph the data because tree species is a discrete variable since it is impossible to have a value or species between those used. Figure 2 Chlorophyll Concentrations The chlorophyll concentrations were measured mg/grams of leaf in the leaves of three tree species. Appendix B: How to convert to the metric system? Larger Unit Tips for Metric Conversion: 1. When converting from a larger 1 km = 103 m = 1000 m unit of measure to a smaller unit of measure (e.g. from kilometers, 1 m = 100 m km to meters, m) move the decimal to the right. This results 1 cm = 10-2 m = 0.01 m in a larger number. 2. When converting from a smaller unit of measure to a larger unit of 1 mm = 10-3 m = 0.001 m measure (e.g. from m to km) -6 move the decimal to the left. 1 m = 10 m = 0.000001 m This results in a smaller number. 3. See below to determine how 1 nm = 10-9 m = 0.000000001 m many decimal places to move. Smaller Unit Figure 4 Metric System Relationships This figure shows the conversion relationships of common metric measurements. Determination of the number of decimal places to Move The number of decimal places moved is equal to the magnitude difference between the exponents of the two units of measure. The exponent scale below illustrates the relationship between exponents. -6 -5 m -4 -3 mm -2 -1 cm 0 m 1 2 3 km 4 Examples 1. 9.25 km =?? mm • km to mm is a large to small unit conversion, so the decimal must move to the right. • The magnitude of difference between the exponents of each unit of measure is 6: km = 103, mm = 10-3; Therefore: 3 - (-3) = 6 • So the decimal place moves to the right six places giving 9,250,000 mm (or 9.25 x 10 6 mm) 2. 450 µm =?? mm • µm to mm is a small to large unit conversion, so the decimal must move to the left. • The magnitude of difference between the exponents of each unit of measure is 3: µm = 10-6, mm = 10-3; Therefore: -3 - (-6) = 3 • So the decimal place moves to the left three places giving 0.45 mm Appendix C: How to cite references in papers? In-Text Citations There are typically not footnotes or endnotes in scientific writing as there are in humanities and the social sciences. Instead, all citations occur in the text in parenthetical format, with the author(s) and date of publication. Use the following as an example: Parsons (1996) found that naked mole rats dig six times faster in desert soils than dung beetles dig through dung. Alternatively, Naked mole rats dig six times faster in desert soils than dung beetles dig through dung. (Parsons 1996). Or, Naked mole rats dig six times faster in desert soils than dung beetles dig through dung. (1) This notation (1) refers the reader to the bibliography which is sequentially numbered and each citation from this author is referred to in this fashion. It's that simple! Be sure to list any sources you cite in the text in the Literature Cited section, and only those that you cite. As a rule of thumb, if there is more than one author of a source, simply use the first author's last name, followed by et al. (e.g. [Parsons et al. 1996]). This is Latin for "and others". The complete list of authors will appear in the full citation at the end of your paper. Literature Cited or Bibliography Your Literature Cited should appear in alphabetical order by first author, and by year if there are multiple sources by the same author(s). Underline journal and book titles, but not the titles of individual articles in journals or edited (multi-authored) books. Use the following as examples for citing various kinds of sources (with thanks to M. Weis): Citing Journal and Magazine Articles • Format Author(s). Publication year. Article title. Journal title volume: pages. • Examples Smith, D.C. and J. Van Buskirk. 1995. Phenotypic design, plasticity and ecological performance in two tadpole species. American Naturalist 145: 211-233. Ahlberg, P.E. 1990. Glimpsing the hidden majority. Nature 344: 23. Epel, D. and R. Steinhardt. 1974. Activation of sea-urchin eggs by a calcium ionophore. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 71: 1915-1919. Citing Sites on the Internet Often electronic sources are a challenge to cite because they often lack critical information. You should do your best to provide as much of the following as possible. The complete web address should be presented so that anyone else could easily visit the same website. Attempt to include the following elements (not all elements appear on all Web pages): 1. author(s) (last name, first initial) 2. date created or updated 3. title of the page 4. title of the complete web site (if different from the page) 5. URL (full web address) 6. the date accessed. • Format Author's last name, First initial. (date created or updated). Title of the page. Title of the complete site. [Online]. Available: http://full.web.address. [Date accessed]. • Example Hammett, P. (1997). Evaluating web resources. Ruben Salazar Library, Sonoma State University. [Online]. Available: http://libweb.sonoma.edu/Resources/eval.html. [March 29, 1997]. Citing Books • Format Author(s). Publication year. Book Title, edition if known. Publisher, Place of publication, number of pages. • Example Purves, W.K., G.H. Orians and H.C. Heller. 1995. Life: The Science of Biology, 4th edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA, 1195 pp. Citing Book Chapters • Format Author(s). Publication year. Chapter title. In: Book title (Author(s)/editors, first name first) Place of publication, pages. • Example Jones, C.G. and J.S. Coleman. 1991. Plant stress and insect herbivory: Toward an integrated perspective. In: Responses of Plants to Multiple Stresses (H.A. Mooney,W.E. Winner & E.J. Pell, editors), Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 249-280. Citing Newspaper Articles • Format Author(s). Date (Year/Month/Day). Article title. Newspaper title Section: Page: Column. • Example Bishop, J. E. 1982 November 4. Do flies spread ills or is that claim just merely a bugaboo? The Wall Street Journal 1: 1: 4. Williams, M. 1997 January 5. Teaching the net. Seattle Times C: 1: 2. Citing Newspaper Articles with no Identifiable Author • Format Anonymous. Date (Year/Month/Day). Article title. Newspaper title Section: page: column. • Example Anonymous. 1977 September 6. Puffin, a rare seabird, returns to where many were killed. The New York Times 3:28:1. Citing a Video • Format Title of video (videocassette). editor or director. Producer’s name, producer. [Location of Production]: Organization responsible for production, Year. • Example New horizons in esthetic dentistry (videocassette). Wood, R. M., editor. Visualeyes Productions, producer. [Chicago] : Chicago Dental Society, 1989. Citing a Government report • Format Author/Agency (if no author). Publication year. Title. Publisher, Place of publication, number of pages. • Example Mitchell, R.G., N.E. Johnson and K.H. Wright. 1974. Susceptibility of 10 spruce species and hybrids to the white pine weevil (Sitka spruce weevil) in the Pacific Northwest. PNW-225. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Washington, D.C., 8 pp. Appendix D: How to Draw or Make a Scientific Plate or Drawing? Why draw? It is not the objective of this course to “make you into an artist” or even to have you produce drawings of professional quality, even though many of you are capable of such work. It is expected, however, that each student will produce clear and accurate drawings of the organisms and structures that she/he actually observes. Drawing is a tool that will help you focus on what you are really seeing at deeper level that maybe you have seen before. Drawing is a tool that will draw you closer to the body plans of organisms and maybe for the first time open up to you a whole new world. Seeing things for the first time the way they really are is very exciting. It’s amazing how many times we look at something but don’t really see it. Drawing “makes it so.” Drawing will make the vocabulary of science more tangible and available to you. What is bilateral symmetry in the sagittal plane of the anterior section of pineal glands of a frog really mean? Does it mean something special for frog growth and development or is it just an accident. The metaphase plate formed during mitosis in root tips can actually be visualized bringing the boring humdrum words from the text into a vibrant exciting reality, right now! Drawing will show you how things work. The functionality of different parts will be revealed. As you look at a filter feeding daphnia filtering it’s dinner from its aqueous environment you will discover why it is shaped the way it is shaped and “oh yeah” what those parts are for. Those parts will become more than just parts to you. You will find, as the quarter progresses that it becomes easier to make good, acceptable drawings as you develop your powers of observation and become familiar with certain basic drawing techniques. You will also discover that the preparation of these drawings is an excellent way to study specimens, for in order to make acceptable drawings you must observe in detail the form, structure, and interrelation of parts of the object being drawn. Your drawing will record observations clearly and concisely that would require several pages of descriptions to duplicate. Further, you will find your drawings to be excellent review materials, especially since many of the living organisms studied in the laboratory will available to you only during certain laboratory periods, and your drawings will be the only record of personal observations that you have. You will be permitted to use these drawings for study purpose. Make all your drawings directly from the specimens or slides and complete each drawing in the laboratory. Do not merely copy drawings of your neighbor or plates from the textbook. Textbook illustrations are often idealized, or may represent different species from those you are studying in the laboratory and thus do not look like your specimen. Procedure 1. Before you do anything else, study the material to be drawn. From what angle are you going to prepare the drawing? Frequently, the laboratory instructions often direct you to prepare a drawing from a specific viewpoint, such as a cross section of the sagittal plane of the anterior section of a pineal gland. Often times the angle that is chosen depends on specific functions to be studied or maybe just a key feature used in identification of the species. 2. Notice what the outline of the entire object to be drawn? 3. Notice what structures are present (how many, how many different kinds). 4. Notice how the structures are interconnected or interrelated? 5. Notice everything that might help you draw the critter or critter part that is in front of you, like; folds and creases connection shapes holes, hairs, and hides et cetra, et cetra, et cetra 6. After you have observed in detail the object to be drawn, you may begin the drawing. At first you may find the following steps helpful, so do not hesitate to refer to this section as you prepare your drawings. 7. Determine the size that you are going to make the drawing. The size will be determined by the size of the drawing paper (usually 8.5x11) and the shape of the object drawn. Remember that the completed drawing will have labels so be sure to leave enough space so that the finished drawing will not look crowded. The amount of magnification, or reduction, of your drawing from the actual size of the specimen is always indicated as part of the title (e.g. x1/2 or x3). 8. Determine how you are going to place the drawing on the paper. Through convention, either the anterior end (at or toward the head) or the dorsal surface (at or toward the back) is placed toward the top of the drawing. 9. Construct, by measuring the specimen with your millimeter scale and reducing or enlarging to appropriate lengths, any guide lines that you may find useful. Such guide lines should be lightly made and erased when the drawing is completed. In drawing bilaterally symmetrical structures you may find it convenient to draw a median guide line. 10. Construct outlines marking borders of the entire specimen to be drawn. At first these should be thin, light lines until you have worked out the proper form and proportions. The finished lines should be definite and continuous. Where two lines meet or cross, make them continuous, not with one or more ends showing. To show structures lying beneath other structures, use dotted lines. All light sketch lines should be erased. Fill in the details in their proper place in the outline. 11. The dedicated drawer will use drawing pencils of medium harness (3H or 4H). Softer leads will smear, and harder leads tend to cut the drawing paper. Usually do not use ink or colored pencils unless so instructed or as a final step in the preparation. Since no biological structures in nature ever have perfectly straight borders, do not use a rule to make any lines in your finished drawing. 12. In general, do not use shading. When necessary to do shading, use stippling only. Stippling involves making small dots with the tip of the pencil while holding the pencil at right angles to the paper. In stippled drawings ridges and prominences are indicated by the absence of stippling; depressions and lower parts of curved surfaces are indicated by evenly spaced dots of uniform size placed progressively closer together as the depression becomes deeper. 13. Sometimes an insert to show a close-up of a particular part of the specimen is included on the plate. This is done to show greater detail of the critter to emphasize structure function relationships or key features for identification. The same process for drawing the entire specimen should be applied to drawing the structures that appear on the insert. 14. Label the completed drawing. The labels consist of the student identification information, (name, section, date, et cetra), the plate number and title, and the names of the structures or parts illustrated. The student identification information will be placed in the upper right hand corner of the plate; the plate number and title centered at the bottom of the page; and the names of the parts placed in vertical column, parallel to each other and to the top and bottom of the page, to the right of the drawing. Solid straight lines should lead from the label to the structure. All labels should be neatly printed. 15. Make a legend that would indicate the actual size of the specimen in the drawing. This is called a scale. For example the distance between Los Angeles, CA and Seattle, WA on some maps may be only one inch but by reading the scale of the map one inch is actually about 3,000 miles. By attaching a scale to the drawing the reader is given a perspective from which to interpret the relative size of the specimen. Avoid the following common mistakes in drawing; 1. Making the drawings to diagrammatic–they should be good representations of the actual structures as seen in your specimen. 2. Poorly proportioned–the various parts and the whole should show the same size relationship that they have in the specimen. 3. Making the drawings too small 4. Incomplete or inaccurate labels. 5. Indefinite or “fuzzy lines.” 6. Coarse, heavy lines or uneven lines resulting from use of dull pencils or from careless work. 7. Unnecessary lines or lines without meaning. Voila, a drawing that you can treasure for the rest of your life and aid you in the successful completion of this class. YES! Will it be easy or totally rad at first. For some students yes, for others not so much. But if you stick to it things will happen, you will start to understand things about the world around you that you never noticed before. MENTAL SAFARI, WOW!! You will be doing what you came here for, learning. Appendix F: How to search the Literature? Not all articles are created equally! The most reliable articles are from scientific journals and from the individual who conducted the study. There are 1000’s of scientific journals in the world that deal with the many fields of science. Journals publish the results of original scientific research. When scientists believe they have something of value to communicate to other scientists, they submit their work for publication. Peers that are associated with a particular society will then review it. Societies usually consist of scientists associated with universities and colleges around the world. If the research is judged to be of high quality and of value, it will be published in the society’s journal. (Note: The Audubon Society, the National Geographic Society, Wikipedia, nor the Wall Street Journal are scientific journals, reputable but not scientific!) Although much of the information in a scientific journal may be quite technical, you should be able to glean some information from it. After journals, the next best source is a popular science magazine (e.g. Scientific American, Science News, American Scientist, Discover, etc.). Since these periodicals are devoted to science, they tend to be better sources of information than general magazines such as Time or Newsweek. General popular references such as newspapers and general magazines may sometimes be helpful but don’t limit yourself to these since the information may be of unreliable quality and/or incomplete. There at several useful databases to periodicals available for your use. Some databases require the use of a computer in the Information Commons upstairs in the Holman Library (e.g. InfoTrac Health Index, an excellent database for our purposes); others are accessible from any campus computer connected to the GRCC network (e.g. ProQuest Direct). The one we will have you use is ProQuest Direct. How to find articles in ProQuest: • Start Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer and go to Holman Library's Research Data Base Links. You should find ProQuest Direct on the list of databases (it's the second one from the top). • Another way to get to ProQuest: Go to the Holman Library’s home page at http://www.greenriver.edu/library/. Under “Research Tools” click on the “Databases” link. You should find ProQuest Direct on the list of databases (it's the second one from the top). Now click on Search ProQuest Direct. • You are now on the Select Database screen in ProQuest. If you want to restrict your search to Peer Reviewed Articles (i.e. articles in scientific journals), then before you type in your search terms, find where it says "Peer Reviewed" on the screen, and check the box next to this. This will limit your search to Peer Reviewed articles. • Type your search criteria in the search box and click the "Search" button. Don't forget to cite each of your articles correctly by following the guidelines for citing references in Appendix C. How to find books: • Start Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer and go to Holman Library's home page at http://www.greenriver.edu/library/ • Click on the "Online Catalog" link. • Click on the "Basic Search" link. • Type your search in the Search For: box, select "Keyword" in the Search In: box, and then click the "Search" button. Unable to find a relevant book in the Holman Library, try searching at other libraries in the area by following one or more of the links at the library site. If you are not successful finding a book related to your topic in the Holman Library or the other libraries in the area try using ProQuest and restrict your search to books. Still having problems finding a book related to your topic? Try searching amazon.com. If possible, cut and paste into your Word document a short summary, description, abstract, etc. about a book related to your topic. When citing the book you found within your Word document be sure to follow the guidelines in Appendix B. Excellent Biology Web Sites—Compiled by Ken Marr, GRCC Biology Dept. ➢ http://www.google.com (One of the best search engines around!) ➢ http://www.scirus.com (One of the search engines used by scientists to seek other science works) ➢ http://www.sciam.com/ (Scientific American magazine: An extremely high quality science magazine containing articles written by experts in their field of study—One of my favorites) ➢ http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/sel/collections/ejournal2.html ➢ http://www.scicentral.com/ (An excellent resource for any area of science and technology—one of my favorites—I receive weekly notices of recent papers that are of interest to me— this service is free.) ➢ http://www.newscientist.com (A high quality science magazine with a biological sciences focus—Another one of my favorites!) ➢ http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/sel/collections/ejournal2.html (Links to electronic versions of over 900 journals on the Web, covering all areas of science and technology. The content of these electronic journals varies, from full text to table of contents for the majority of journals.) ➢ http://www.sciencenews.com (A high quality science magazine with a biological sciences focus) ➢ http://www.scicentral.com/ (An excellent resource for any area of science and technology—one of my favorites—I receive weekly notices of recent papers that are of interest to me— this service is free.) ➢ http://biochemlinks.com/bclinks/bclinks.cfm (A guide with links to some of the best biological sciences and chemistry sites on the web-- including some journals and science related magazines; Includes free science related clip art and links to free clip art) ➢ http://www.nejm.org/content/index.asp (New England Journal of Medicine—one of the world’s premier medical journals) ➢ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Omim/ (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man: OMIN is a database that contains summaries about every human gene so far investigated. You can obtain the official gene name, the official abbreviation, the gene map locus (where the gene is located on a certain chromosome), and information about the gene. Moreover, you can click on buttons that will give you articles in Medline (a database for medically related journals), a list of genes near the one you are interested in (a gene map), DNA sequences (DNA), and other information. Another useful site is Genbank at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ ➢ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ (Medline: A database of the National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This the largest collection of medical information in the world, containing more than 9 million references from medical journals from all over the world. ➢ http://cancer.med.upenn.edu/ (Oncolink: the first of its kind on the Internet—an excellent site that disseminates cutting edge information relevant to the field of oncology (cancer research). Aims to educate health care personnel, patients, and other interested parties.) ➢ http://www.quackwatch.com/ (“A Guide to Health Fraud, Quackery, and Intelligent Decisions;” An interesting site that helps one to distinguish between legitimate healthcare treatments and quackery—The physician responsible for this site has written many books and scientific papers over the years. His ideas are very mainstream—perhaps too mainstream? Some of the views expressed may not be totally objective. At times he has quite harsh comments concerning “alternative medicine.”) ➢ http://www.audubon.org/ (Audubon is a high quality magazine that deals with environmental issues and wildlife conservation) ➢ http://www.biomednet.com/hmsbeagle (This is one of my favorites—A weekly publication that covers many of the more important advances in the biological sciences. Requires membership—which is free as is an email subscription)  home page of the H.M.S. beagle: http://www.biomednet.com/home ➢ http://genetics.nature.com/ (a journal produced by Nature…Gives you access to the contents, but you must pay to see the text of the articles—Available for free in the libraries of most research universities) ➢ http://www.nature.com/ (Nature is a very prestigious scientific journal. This site gives you access to the contents. Although some parts of the site are free, you must pay to see the text of the articles—but they are available for free in the libraries of most research universities) ➢ http://flybase.bio.indiana.edu/ (FlyBase: a comprehensive searchable database for information on the genetics and molecular biology of Drosophila—the fruit fly) ➢ http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/mutant_flies/mutant_flies.html (Has pictures and descriptions of mutant fruit flies) 0 to 1 points 0 to 2 points 2 to 3 points 3 to 4 points 4 to 5 points 5 to 8 points 6 points 9 to 12 points Uninteresting title and missing relevant title page information Title somewhat descriptive and some relevant information present Descriptive title and most relevant info present Descriptive tile and all relevant information present No clear focus or direction of paper and none of the aspects of the topic explained No closing paragraph Paper lacks focus or rambles around topic with a few aspects of the topic explained Paper has some focus with some aspects of the topic clearly explained Paper has focus of topic and most aspects of the topic clearly explained Paragraph doesn’t clearly summarize text Paragraph somewhat summarizes text Paragraph clearly summarizes text References No references used English / Grammar Paper difficult to read with so many errors Seldom properly cites in text references Paper less difficult to read, but still with many errors Occasionally properly in text cites references Paper easy to read, but still with some errors Always properly cites in text references Paper easy to read with few errors Title Page (To include Title, Author, Course, Due Date, and Instructors Name) Text Closing Rough Score Final Score
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