Biology research paper

Topics:
You may write on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), stem cells , cloning, gene therapy, biopesticides, health implications of fracking, health disparities in different communities, a certaindisease, or a new medical technology.

In this paper you will gather and interpret scientific information from a variety of sources and use that information to discuss scientific issues in a current topic in biology.

Paper Length: 3- 4.5 pages
(For papers either shorter than 3 pages or over 4.5 pages in length, 5 points will be deducted)

Introduction and Research:
You will introduce the topic with a detailed description of its relation to health and human biology.
Diverse points of view on the topic can be introduced here.

Analysis and Scientific Method:
You will use scientific theories and methods of inquiry to explain phenomena observed in laboratory or
field settings.
Questions that can be addressed regarding the design of a scientific study in an article:
Was the experimental design valid based upon scientific method or could it be improved? If so,
how? Specifically, did the researchers conduct the research themselves? Does or should this
matter? Why or why not?
Did the researchers study human or animal subjects? Were the sample sizes large enough in
both control and experimental groups? Was a placebo used? What was the duration of the
study? Was this conducted over a long enough period of time? Was it a controlled
experiment?
Were there possible opportunities for confounding variables to arise? Could either subject or
researcher biases have confounded results? How would you know?
Was it a blind or double blind study? Who were the subjects? Were the demographic groups
studied (based upon age, genetics, gender, ethnicity, obesity) broad enough or narrow enough
to make either specific or more general conclusions?

Opinion:
You will also describe ethical or sociological dilemmas arising out of scientific research and applications,
which may include those related to social justice, and may have implications for local and/or global
communities. You will be giving your opinion here. You will also discuss the relevance of major
scientific theories and/or research to modern day life.

Format: Punctuation, spelling, grammar, structure, bibliography.

STYLE: The paper must be typed using a minimum 10 point font and a maximum 12 point font, single or
maximum double spaced, and 1 margins
The paper should be well organized and well thought out, with a beginning, middle, and end.
The paper should be written in the 3rd person as a scientific summary and analysis. Use proper
English grammar and spelling with no contradictions and with all thoughts presented in concise,
complete sentences which are organized into paragraphs. Be sure to spell check and proofread!
Most importantly, the entire paper should be written in your own words. You may have
occasional quotes for which you would have to cite a reference. However, the majority of the
paper should be written by you. A score of zero will be given for any paper containing
plagiarism (copying paragraphs, or even a sentence, from any source) or for any paper showing
signs of having been written in conjunction with anybody.

REFERENCES:
You will need at least 2 references for the paper. One will be from a scientific journal. These will be
cited within the paper. You will list a reference section at the end of the paper. Use the APA system for
the citations. http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa