BI 271 CELL BIOLOGY LAB

Guide to your Paper and Presentation (CLICK)

Guide to writing a LAB REPORT (CLICK)

(Very) Tentative Lab Schedule (SEE BELOW)

Labs will include experimental work, Field Trips and Student Presentations. Actual "Field Trip" Dates have yet to be determined. 
Some topics below may be eliminated and others substituted.

Laboratory grades will be based on lab reports, question sheets, participation in lab work, written paper and oral presentation (see “Guidelines” sheet).  Reports and answers are submitted ONE WEEK after the lab/trip occurs.  Point values are as follows:

 There is no lab manual.  Lab sheets will be distributed.

Ø      NOTE:  Due to difficulty in setting up these labs, it is expected that labs will be performed when scheduled, i.e. - NO MAKE-UPS!  It is impossible to make up Field Trips.  For a specific lab, methods of obtaining credit for a lab that is missed for SERIOUS , documented reasons will be determined by the instructor.

 Ø      NOTE:  It is Natural Science Division policy that a student can NOT PASS a lab if more than THREE (3) labs sessions are missed.

THE LAB REPORT and COLLECTION of DATA

During the semester, you will be called upon to report what has occurred in a particular lab session. This is usually done as a scientific lab report. Use the following handy format.

1. TITLE - It should be brief, but descriptive.
2. INTRODUCTION - State the PURPOSE of the experiment in 1 - 2 COMPLETE sentences.

3. PROCEDURE - For our purposes, you can simply state "The procedure in the lab sheets was followed." However, ANY CHANGES in written directions should be included, e.g. changes in time periods, temperatures, organisms, etc.

4. DATA and OBSERVATIONS - Here, you report the factual results. These results don't always turn out the way we expect. That's O.K.! Just report them. Be sure to LABEL all tables and figures (including graphs) CLEARLY!  In a scientific course, graphs should be done using a computerized graphing program, such as MS Excel, OR on graph paper. Don't discuss your data here, or apologize because your partner dropped the experiment on the floor. In addition, include DESCRIPTIONS of what you see or find.

5. DISCUSSION and CONCLUSIONS - This section answers the question "WHY?" Now you can blame your lab partner for what happened. Better yet, discuss WHY you obtained the results you did get. Finally, make one or more simple conclusions. They should pertain directly to the experiment performed. A conclusion is NOT a restatement of your results! An example: "Because of the production of gas bubbles in Lactose Broth and a green color on EMB agar, it was determined that coliform bacteria were present in the water sample."

For the writing itself, here are some points to keep in mind:

1. ALWAYS use COMPLETE SENTENCES when writing. It is the normal way to write any type of report, and you may NEED the practice. lists or tables can be used to avoid long sentences. LABEL all data clearly. Include your NAME on the report.

2. Write in the 2. Write in the PAST TENSE. (That is when you did the work).

3. Avoid using the first person (i.e. - I or we). "There were 5 types of cells.", NOT "We saw a lot of cells."  

4. Reports are to be TYPED.  Let's save some trees!  Don't use 5 kilometer margins!!

5. Submit all reports via email.

6. PLEASE contact me if you have questions about the report, its format, or concepts you do not understand (even after trying to look it up)!

GUIDE to YOUR PAPER and PRESENTATION
in CELL BIOLOGY LAB

A research paper and oral presentation will be required.  

Please keep the following points in mind so that you insult neither
the English language nor the Science of Biology.

1. Your cover sheet should be your TITLE PAGE. Include the title of your paper, your name, the course number and the date.  ALL other pages must be numbered.

2. Write in COMPLETE, coherent sentences, organized into logical paragraphs, as is appropriate for a college student; your writing WILL count as part of your grade.  Excessive quoting is not acceptable!  Use your own words and cite appropriately.  Pages should use 1” margins.

3. a) Use NO footnotes!  References to papers, articles or books are made within the text itself;  b) References should use author names, with the year in parentheses following the author(s), e.g. -  Work done by Kirk and Spock (2007) showed that...
   c) If the reference has three or more authors, use et al. in the text-
       Baggins et al. (2006) found that...
   d)You may also put the citation at the end of the sentence:  “It was shown that use of neuroleptics caused cell death in axenic Naegleria cultures. (LaVerde et al., 1987).”
   e) Refer to websites by number IF no author is available.

4. A COMPLETE bibliography of ALL references cited in your paper (and NO others) should be included at the END of the paper. List them alphabetically, and COMPLETELY (i.e. do not use et al. in this section unless there are MORE THAN FIVE authors; list five and then use et al.).
5. Your references should be listed using the format of some biological journal.  Each reference is listed ONLY ONCE regardless of how many times it was cited.  
6. You are expected to use a MINIMUM of THREE (3) PRIMARY SOURCEscientific articles and also THREE (3) Internet references to research your report.  NOTE: Primary source articles are those published by the people who DID the research. They appear in journals such as Science, Nature, Cell, Jour. of Cell Biology, New England Journal of Medicine, etc. Magazines like Scientific American have review articles, not primary source articles. You can use them in addition your primary sources, but don't count them as one.  You can also include books as references, but they will not count as one of your three references.  Use the course website hyperlinks, search engines, and OhioLink to investigate your topic..   Use the course website hyperlinks, OhioLink, (through our library) and search engines to investigate topics and find articles.  USE OUR LIBRARY FOR ASSISTANCE!!

7. You must also include THREE (3) scientific Internet sources.  Wikipedia is NOT a scientific source!  This and web blogs might REFER you to legitimate sites, but be very careful.  Legitimate sites include government sites, such as NIH, scientific journal sites and academic research sites. 
   [See the course web site.]

8. Your paper should be a MINIMUM of FOUR (4) double-spaced TYPED pages, and a MAXIMUM of SIX (6). This does NOT include the Title or Bibliography pages!  It does NOT include Figures, tables,  graphs or photos.  Your paper is due by APRIL 17 in order to receive FULL CREDIT.    Your oral presentation should be between 10 and 15 minutes in length. Computerized visual aids, including MS-Powerpoint, websites, etc. of some sort are required.  You will distribute copies of your Bibliography and an abstract to all class members on the day of your presentation.
9. When in doubt, consult your instructor.

10. For your oral presentation, you will be, assessed in relation to:

    ·        Effectiveness and appearance of the PPT presentation

    ·        The use photographs, charts, diagrams, or hyperlinks

    ·        Is your speaking clear and is your pronunciation correct.  […not just for apoptosis.]

    ·        Do you use proper scientific terminology?

    ·        Overuse your notes.  You should be familiar with the material.

     

11. My pronunciations ARE correct.