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GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PAPER; BIOLOGY 468/568.
PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT:
This assignment is, in essence, a short research paper that aims to test
your newly acquired skills in electron microscopy. The study should be designed
to further our understanding of cell structure and organization.
CHOICE OF ORGANISM:
In the past, students have been required to use a specific type of organism
for their study. The advantage of conforming to a particular organism is
that it is possible to ensure equity in the difficulty and grading of the
research paper. The disadvantage is that graduate students in the past have
expressed a desire to work on their thesis material.
These materials have
included proteins, micro-organisms, plant and animal material, inorganic
crystals and even silicaceous samples. Clearly each material poses different
problems for the microscopists and for this reason it is difficult to equate
topics and papers which may be justified grounds for grievance during grading.
For that reason, we require that students undertake a research project on
biological material that involves conventional TEM/SEM. However, we have
expanded the project to include any organism of your choice. It is important
to note that the euthanasia of certain animals (eg.mammals/birds) requires
a special State and University license.
We do not hold such a license and,
unless you personally have the necessary authorization, these organisms
cannot be used in the project. Similarly, projects that either require elaborate
electron microscopy procedures such as autoradiography, shadow casting etc.
or involve specimens materials that require extensive biochemical preparation
or purification prior to microscopy are not suitable for the research project.
Past experience has shown that these types of study are beyond the scope
of students in the class. You should discuss your project ideas with the
instructor to ensue that they are feasible.
Do not start a project until you have submitted your initial abstract and
have verbal or written approval from the instructor. Guidelines for this
abstract are given below in the section headed "Step 1 : Initial abstract".
In some instances, a graduate students thesis project may require forms
of microscopy that fall outside the scope of study for this course. Although
the student will not be able to directly pursue their thesis study, assistance
will be offered to these students wherever possible and they are strongly
encouraged to simultaneously process their thesis materials during the course.
FORMAT FOR THE RESEARCH PAPER:
To facilitate you in this assignment I suggest that you follow the three
steps outlined below.
STEP 1: INITIAL ABSTRACT.
Initially, you will be required to undertake a literature search and review
the existing body of information on the anatomy, cell histology, cytology,
ultrastructure, cell biology and cellular functioning of the organism of
your choosing. Make use of the on-line computer searches available in the
library and, wherever possible, restrict your search to the specific species,
organic, tissue, cell or organelle type.
Once you have decided upon your
topic write a short abstract consisting of a title and a 250-300 word synopsis
of your proposed study. It should introduce the subject matter and inform
the reader of our current understanding of the research topic you are studying.
The abstract should also emphasize the purpose and relevance of the proposed
study and emphasize how your study will fill an existing gap in our knowledge.
These abstracts, will provide me with an opportunity to assess whether the
subject materials you have chosen are appropriate for the assignment. Abstracts
will be accepted before the due date and students are encouraged to submit
their materials as soon as possible in the semester. To help me assess suitability
of your chosen topic, you should include with your abstract a Xerox copy
of a key manuscript that will be central to the theme of your research paper.
I will return the abstracts and the Xeroxed article, with comments, within
one week of submittal. It is important that you wait for this feedback before
you embark on the practical component of the project. Please do not hesitate
to discuss any queries you may have concerning my initial comments.
STEP 2: UNDERTAKING THE RESEARCH.
Once your research project has been approved, you should prepare your tissue/cell
type for microscopical examination and take the various light and electron
micrographs necessary to support your ultrastructural interpretations of
cell functioning. Particular attention should be paid to recording all details
of your preparatory procedures and operational parameters on the microscope
since these must be included within the text of your paper. You may proceed
at your own pace but you must observe all laboratory rules and codes of
practice that you have been taught earlier.
STEP 3: WRITING AND PRESENTING THE RESEARCH PAPER.
The research manuscript must be prepared in accordance with the guidelines
described in the "information to authors" section at the rear
of the Journal of Ultrastructure and Molecular Research (formerly Journal
of Ultrastructural Research). This journal is available in the library.
Submit only one copy of the manuscript, figures and tables.
All figures
should be mounted on hard white card and labeled appropriately with scale
markers. Reference should be made in the legend accompanying the figure
to any cytological features or other areas of interest marked on the micrograph.
Study some of the articles published in the Journal to familiarize yourself
with the required format and layout.
Your assignment must be typed and double spaced. Students enrolled in 468
should not exceed 8 pages of text. Students enrolled in 568 should not exceed
15 pages of doubly spaced text when complete. A suggested outline for the
text is as follows:
1) Abstract (150 word precis of your research
paper)
2) Introduction (reviewing the current literature
on the subject that you have chosen and a brief description of the relevance
and importance of this particular study to the field.
3) Materials and Methods, experimental design,
microscopical operating conditions etc.
4) Results and conclusions draw from the study.
You should also refer to any limitations or incorrect inferences that may
have been drawn from your study.
5) Future work (briefly discuss any future experiments
which may arise from the proposed research)
6) References (use the method of citation suggested
in J. Ultrastruct. Mol. Res.) Copies of Research papers from previous classes
are available for viewing in my office. These may not be removed from the
office without expressed permission. Please be sure to take advantage of
my office hours if you have questions concerning the research paper or any
other aspect of the course.
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