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STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AS RESEARCH SCIENTISTS

2012 STARS RESEARCH MENTOR'S HANDBOOK

Sponsored by

LMI Aerospace/D3 Technologies – Solae Company – Green Foundation Saint Louis University – Washington University - University of Missouri-St. Louis

Academy of Science in St. Louis

in Partnership with

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center - Saint Louis University - Solae Company Washington University - University of Missouri-St. Louis

http://www.umsl.edu/~sep/programs/stars.html

INTRODUCTION

I. The Issue The scientific literacy rate in the United States continues to hover around 10%. This is unacceptable in the face of the technological knowledge-base needed to compete, survive and meet the challenges of the 21st Century. How will an informed citizenry be developed? Under what paradigm can the appropriate workforce be trained and readied? How can we meet the societal, economic and resource demands with the current state of science education? A paradigm shift is needed in our thinking in the preparation of teachers and students. Teachers tend to teach as they have been taught. Historically educators have been taught through an autocratic process and not an experiential one. There is a need to change this strategy in order to better serve the science education of the citizens and the workforce demands of the institutions of this region. II. Establishing a Solution

A. Introduction The mechanism that best prepares teachers to teach science is to experience the

process itself. A real encounter with the total scientific enterprise addresses both subject matter content and process skills. Through this realistic type of encounter, educators gain insight into how to properly go about teaching the sciences.

B. Mechanism In response to this critical need to enhance student science education, our sponsors

have granted partial funding to provide a program that will allow students to experience science as a learning process. This initiative entitled STARS is a unique program that seeks to achieve this goal.

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GOALS AND OBJECTIVES I. Mission The mission of this project is to enhance the understanding and augment the application of the philosophy and processes of science and mathematics in teachers and their students and to promote the integration of research and science career activities into high school curricula. II. Goals The Students and Teachers As Research Scientists (STARS) program is designed to introduce both high school science teachers and associated rising junior and senior students to the multiple aspects of the scientific enterprise in real, on-going research programs under the mentorship of successful scientists and mathematicians in academic, private and governmental institutions. III. Objectives The specific objectives of the STARS project are to: 1. Foster an understanding of the philosophy, nature, and ethics of science and the

dynamics of the scientific enterprise, including the methodology, aims, and the nature of the scientist in teachers and students;

2. Enhance content knowledge of current topics in mathematics, science, and related

fields; 3. Provide experiences in scientific research design, experimentation and evaluation

through the explorations of one or more scientific problems; 4. Instruct participants in technical writing and oral presentation of scientific papers; 5. Provide participants with information helpful in applying to colleges and universities. 6. Increase knowledge of the variety of career opportunities in science and technology

and the breadth and depth of their applications in the workplace; 7. Allow participants to practice basic laboratory technologies in an open-ended,

problem-solving environment and to learn the operation of a variety of technical equipment;

8. Provide participants with assistance and support for continued work on independent

research projects and curriculum development and implementation; 9. Facilitate the development of social skills appropriate for professional and intellectual

interactions, cooperation and leadership; 10. Provide participants with the opportunity to interact with peers of similar academic

and career interests, reinforcing their goals and achievements; and

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THE STARS PROGRAM I. Overview

The STARS program introduces high school juniors and seniors to the various aspects of the scientific enterprise as practiced by successful scientists in academic or private and research institutions. Eighty-two students from 34 high schools have the opportunity to work with scientists, mathematicians and engineers in a professional work setting at either the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis University, Solae Company, Washington University, or UMSL. The students join the research mentors and work together on a research project for six weeks during the summer. Students are encouraged to continue their work after the program ends, if acceptable to their mentor.

Participants choose a research project from a variety of top quality research programs. More than 60 faculty members from the participating institutions have volunteered for this project. In addition, Solae, and St. Louis Children’s Hospital have identified research scientists to make career presentations. Participants work from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Monday and Wednesday mornings are reserved for the formal activities of lectures from nationally-known scientists, updates on the development of the student’s research papers, and discussions of topics relevant to the college and university admissions process. Participants work with their advisor and research mentor to prepare a report of their work in a format paralleling an article in a typical professional journal for that discipline. Oral presentations of their paper are made on the last day to peers and faculty. A generalized schedule of activities is presented in Appendix B. Appendix C defines the various activities.

The overall STARS Program design is taken from the typical graduate student education format. Major emphasis is placed on development of skills associated with successful independent research. However, the mechanics for introducing and practicing these skills incorporates a guidance relationship with the research-mentor scientists and a more social and less independent relationship with participant peers. The common theme that underlies the generalized experience for each participant is the philosophy, process, mechanics, and social interaction of the total scientific experience.

This program will ensure that the youth of this region are well-educated in the sciences and will benefit the entire greater St. Louis community. It could ultimately serve as a nationwide model for pre-collegiate training of young scientists programs. II. Specifics of the STARS Program A. Research Component Participants are expected to devote an average of 30 hours each week in a research environment, whether it be in a laboratory, in the field, at an observatory, or in a computer facility. Students are expected to be in their lab on Monday and Wednesday afternoon and all day on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Under the guidance of a chosen mentor scientist the participants experience various approaches to problem solving and have the opportunity to practice these approaches in an independent manner.

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Each team of participants may have individualized experiences keyed to their choice of a research topic, therefore a universal activity program cannot be outlined. However a set of standard mutual experiences may include: 1) completing a comprehensive, systematic library literature search; 2) demonstrating theoretical reasoning in establishing research questions and formulating hypotheses; 3) gathering data in an organized, systematic manner; 4) applying one or more forms of statistical analysis, 5) using probabilistic and correlational reasoning to interpret observations; 6) drawing appropriate conclusions using inductive and deductive reasoning patterns; and 7) preparing and presenting a research-based scientific paper. It is anticipated that the nature of the research projects will vary as widely as the research scientists who have volunteered to mentor the students. Because of the limitations of the experiences provided and the short time period, the student research projects are not expected to be at the level or quality of publication in a professional journal. Rather, a more realistic goal would be to aim for the typical science fair level of achievement. The most important aspect of the experience is the students’ exposure to the scientific enterprise and an opportunity to practice the mental skills and academic processes involved in systematic problem solving. Each participant is expected to participate fully in the typical activities of the laboratory. They should learn appropriate social and behavior patterns for effective group or cooperative problem-solving efforts. Each Monday and Wednesday morning the participants will meet at the University of Missouri-St. Louis to relate their experiences and research accomplishments. This activity will be in an informal, group discussion format.

It should be emphasized that introduction to research methodology and the practice of the processes of science is the major component and objective of this program.

B. Instructions and Guidance for STARS Paper. Please see Appendix E at the end. C. Science Inquiry Series Subject Area Enrichment Component Breadth of experience will be provided through the Science Inquiry Series. University faculty members and other researchers in the community will present interactive experiences in areas of their research interest. The setting will be similar to the typical university demonstration/laboratory and the participants will have an interactive role. D. Communications Component In addition to the math and science disciplines, a communications component is woven throughout the program. Participants will have six hours of formal class instruction in technical writing.

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Participants are expected to write and present a formal research paper in the area of their research project. Proficiency on both the written paper and oral presentation will be used to assess the growth in technical communication skills of each participant and the overall effectiveness of the research component of the program. The research presentation will be made on the last day to peers, parents, faculty, and private sector guests.

STUDENT SCIENTIFIC COMPETITIONS It is anticipated that some student research scholars will choose to participate in scientific competitions (such as science fairs; Junior Science, Engineering and Humanities Symposium; Intel Competition; 2012 St. Louis Science Fair; etc.). It would be desirable for mentors to discuss the question of science competitions with their students in the first week of the program. If the student is clearly interested, and the mentor is willing to have the summer project used in a science competition, certain protocol forms must be done prior to the start of the work. If the student or mentor is unsure at that time, but thinks the project may eventually be used for a competition, it would be best to fill out protocol forms. While the program and its faculty mentors have no obligation to support such endeavors, many faculty are willing to provide guidance to students who choose to compete. The level of support provided by mentors and teachers can vary greatly from simple encouragement and general advice, to personal involvement in the research and supervising the writing of the project report. Students interested in pursuing competitions should discuss this with their scientist research mentors and the STARS mentoring staff, since specific and unique protocols may be required (e.g., the St. Louis Science Fair or Missouri Junior Science, Engineering and Humanities Symposium protocol). Some projects that are done as part of the STARS program may be suitable (with further work and some modification of the paper) for science competitions; others will clearly not be suitable. The decision as to whether a project performed in the mentor's laboratory is appropriate for a science competition is left entirely to the mentor.

If mentors do not feel that the research performed as part of the program is appropriate for science competition or that there are proprietary considerations, but would be willing to help with another type of project to be performed in parallel or after the program, that possibility should also be discussed with the student. Students should anticipate the possibility of continuing their projects beyond the six weeks of this program in order to have a competitive project.

If desired, the science research mentor will have the responsibility for final approval of the text written for the presentation. If mentors have any questions or concerns about science or mathematics competitions or how a project might fit with the goals of the program or have questions about the rules and regulations that govern the various contests call the STARS program office at 314-516-6155.

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MENTOR RESPONSIBILITIES The major responsibility of guiding STARS participant achievement falls to the faculty research mentor. The one-to-one relationship between the participants and the scientists is the link the participants have with the scientific enterprise as a reality. If we look back at our formative years most of us can point to an individual, not necessarily a particular body of knowledge, who was instrumental in our decision to explore science or mathematics as a career possibility. When we accept a STARS participant we are really committing to taking the responsibility of providing a working model, if not the sculpturing of that individual's lifetime perception of science and the scientist. We are providing a list of some of the things you should do as a research mentor. Responsibilities of the research mentor are to: 1) Provide an orientation to your lab and the subject(s) of your research. Share some of

your previous written work and personal and professional history with your participants. 2) If you teach, share some laboratory or class activities and personal experiences that

might be of interest to the teachers. 3) Discuss the specific research and teaching interest of the participants and develop a

research plan that allows them to become integrated into your lab activities. 4) Guide and supervise the research. Inquire on a regular basis to see if the participants

have any questions or are having problems. Assist them in becoming involved with your lab team (post-docs, graduate students, undergraduate students, technicians, etc).

5) Require a laboratory log that includes a diary of observations and experiences during

the program and, if appropriate, protocols and experimental results. Separate notebooks or logs might be needed, particularly if there are proprietary concerns.

6) Guide the participants in writing the research paper or in the case of the teacher, discuss

possible lessons and instructional activities that might come out of their work. The format that you feel appropriate for the subject area should be used. Ask to review early drafts and comment on them promptly. Help to revise and prepare the final draft.

7) Help the participants prepare an outline of their final research presentation. Critique a

practice presentation two or three days before the final presentation. 8) Attend the student's research presentation and the Students and Teachers As Research

Scientists confirmation ceremony at the end of the six-week program.

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9) In a personal manner, explore career opportunities with the student in your area and share your personal history of interest and professional development. Introduce the teachers to appropriate professional organizations or other sources of career information in your area.

10) Convey an enthusiasm and interest for science and support the emerging understanding

of the scientific enterprise in both the teacher and student as the opportunity allows. Additional Desirable Activities to Consider: 1) Attend a campus social function with the participants. 2) Invite the participants to your home for lunch, BBQ, or other appropriate personal or

social function. 3) Take the participants to a professional meeting or formal seminar. 4) Take the participant to visit a colleague on yours or another campus or private sector

laboratory. 5) Make known to the teachers your willingness to visit their classroom in the fall and

perhaps give a guest presentation or help teach an activity they generated from their laboratory experience with you.

Please mark your calendar now to attend the STARS Confirmation Ceremony on Friday, July 20, 2012. We will convene at 3:00pm in J.C. Penney Auditorium, UMSL campus. Your student(s) would appreciate the support of you personally attending their confirmation. Dr Mark Wrighton?, Washington University Chancellor, will be the challenge speaker. All are welcome!! Remember, you are in charge of the participant’s experiences. Your research and laboratory activities take priority. Consider these participants as you would a graduate student or research assistant. They are yours with all implications that has for you as a professional scientist associated with the Students and Teachers As Research Scientists (STARS) Program as well as for the professional development of the participants that will be your charges.

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BUDGET Each participant carries a $1,000 allowance. The money can be used for expendables, equipment, travel, reference materials, salary, etc. Items can be purchased through the University of Missouri-St. Louis directly on the STARS account set up for that aspect of the program or funds can be reimbursed to your University through an invoice. If you did not indicate your payment preference on your Faculty Participation form submitted in February, please contact Kathy Kirkpatrick, kirkpatrickkj@umsl.edu, (314) 516-6522, or fax (314) 516-6233. You might want to ask your participants to establish a budget and keep informal account records. Any experience you can provide in the search for needed materials, requisition procedures and mechanical aspects of outfitting for a research project would be useful and add another dimension to the scientific enterprise that they probably have never considered.

SUMMARY It is a rare opportunity for high school students and teachers to be able to work in a research laboratory setting. From past experience we know they will learn more about the research process and independent learning than they have ever envisioned. It will be a rapid and existing growth period for them. We believe you will gain a sense of accomplishment and feel a contribution to the profession as you see your participants develop problem-solving skills and gain confidence over the six-week period. We want you to know that we would like the program to be as individualistic as the personality and need of the mentor and the participants dictate. We also want you to know that we are here to help you meet the goals of the program and support you in your efforts to juggle your research and this added responsibility. We are here to help as much as possible without intrusion. Do not hesitate to telephone and let us know how we can assist you. Best wishes for a productive and rewarding summer as you join with your research colleagues in a science education partnership, the Students and Teachers As Research Scientists Program.

STARS - A Partnership Promoting Understanding of the Processes of Science Through Participation http://www.umsl.edu/~sep/programs/stars.html

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APPENDIX E

What’s in this packet…

1. Writing a Scientific Research Paper (from Columbia University)….…………….pg 3

2. Preparing Your Paper in the Style of a Science paper (instructions to authors from the Science website)……………………….…………pg 9

3. Some notes on Science Style (from the Science website)…………………………..pg 11

4. Tips on Preparing Figures (from the Science website)……………………………pg 12

5. Reference Style (from the Science website)………………………………………..pg 13

6. SI abbreviations (from ASPET website) PDF document is available by clicking on this page………………………………………………..pg 21

7. SI abbreviations (from IEEE website) PDF document

is available by clicking on this page………………………………………………..pg 22

Schedule – what needs to be sent to your STARS advisor and lab rep and when

Week 1: Due 6/15

Proposal – short and sweet

I will be studying ……. The approach I will be using is ……

Week 2: Due 6/22

Introduction /References – the beginnings of this, not complete, show progress

Week 3: Due 6/29

Introduction/References & METHODS – not complete, show progress

Week 4: Due 7/6

Introduction/Reference/Methods & start of RESULTS – not complete, show progress

Week 5: Due 7/13

Introduction/References/Methods/Results & ABSTRACT – close to complete

Week 6: Due 7/20

Paper COMPLETE!!!!!!!!!!!

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WRITING A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ARTICLE

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/research/paper.html

FORMAT FOR THE PAPER

Scientific research articles provide a method for scientists to communicate with other scientists about the results of their research. A standard format is used for these articles, in which the author presents the research in an orderly, logical manner. This doesn't necessarily reflect the order in which you did or thought about the work. This format is:

TITLE

1. Make your title specific enough to describe the contents of the paper, but not so technical that only specialists will understand. The title should be appropriate for the intended audience.

2. The title usually describes the subject matter of the article: Effect of Smoking on Academic Performance"

3. Sometimes a title that summarizes the results is more effective: Students Who Smoke Get Lower Grades"

AUTHORS

1. The person who did the work and wrote the paper is generally listed as the first author of a research paper.

2. For published articles, other people who made substantial contributions to the work are also listed as authors. Ask your mentor's permission before including his/her name as co-author.

ABSTRACT

1. An abstract, or summary, is published together with a research article, giving the reader a "preview" of what's to come. Such abstracts may also be published separately in bibliographical sources, such as Biologic al Abstracts. They allow other scientists to quickly scan the large scientific literature, and decide which articles they want to read in depth. The abstract should be a little less technical than the article itself; you don't want to dissuade your potential audience from reading your paper.

2. Your abstract should be one paragraph, of 100-250 words, which summarizes the purpose, methods, results and conclusions of the paper.

3. It is not easy to include all this information in just a few words. Start by writing a summary that includes whatever you think is important, and then gradually prune it down to size by removing unnecessary words, while still retaining the necessary concepts.

3. Don't use abbreviations or citations in the abstract. It should be able to stand alone without any footnotes.

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INTRODUCTION

What question did you ask in your experiment? Why is it interesting? The introduction summarizes the relevant literature so that the reader will understand why you were interested in the question you asked. One to four paragraphs should be enough. End with a sentence explaining the specific question you asked in this experiment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

1. How did you answer this question? There should be enough information here to allow another scientist to repeat your experiment. Look at other papers that have been published in your field to get some idea of what is included in this section.

2. If you had a complicated protocol, it may helpful to include a diagram, table or flowchart to explain the methods you used.

3. Do not put results in this section. You may, however, include preliminary results that were used to design the main experiment that you are reporting on. ("In a preliminary study, I observed the owls for one week, and found that 73 % of their locomotor activity occurred during the night, and so I conducted all subsequent experiments between 11 pm and 6 am.")

4. Mention relevant ethical considerations. If you used human subjects, did they consent to participate. If you used animals, what measures did you take to minimize pain?

RESULTS

1. This is where you present the results you've gotten. Use graphs and tables if appropriate, but also summarize your main findings in the text. Do NOT discuss the results or speculate as to why something happened; that goes in the Discussion.

2. You don't necessarily have to include all the data you've gotten during the semester. This isn't a diary.

3. Use appropriate methods of showing data. Don't try to manipulate the data to make it look like you did more than you actually did.

"The drug cured 1/3 of the infected mice, another 1/3 were not affected, and the third mouse got away."

TABLES AND GRAPHS

1. If you present your data in a table or graph, include a title describing what's in the table ("Enzyme activity at various temperatures", not "My results".) For graphs, you should also label the x and y axes.

2. Don't use a table or graph just to be "fancy". If you can summarize the information in one sentence, then a table or graph is not necessary.

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DISCUSSION

1. Highlight the most significant results, but don't just repeat what you've written in the Results section. How do these results relate to the original question? Do the data support your hypothesis? Are your results consistent with what other investigators have reported? If your results were unexpected, try to explain why. Is there another way to interpret your results? What further research would be necessary to answer the questions raised by your results? How do your results fit into the big picture?

2. End with a one-sentence summary of your conclusion, emphasizing why it is relevant.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This section is optional. You can thank those who either helped with the experiments, or made other important contributions, such as discussing the protocol, commenting on the manuscript, or buying you pizza.

REFERENCES (LITERATURE CITED) STARS reference guidelines – use this approach

There are several possible ways to organize this section. Here is one commonly used way:

1. In the text, cite the literature in the appropriate places:

Scarlet (1990) thought that the gene was present only in yeast, but it has since been identified in the platypus (Indigo and Mauve, 1994) and wombat (Magenta, et al., 1995).

2. In the References section list citations in alphabetical order.

Indigo, A. C., and Mauve, B. E. 1994. Queer place for qwerty: gene isolation from the platypus. Science 275, 1213-1214.

Magenta, S. T., Sepia, X., and Turquoise, U. 1995. Wombat genetics. In: Widiculous Wombats, Violet, Q., ed. New York: Columbia University Press. p 123-145.

Scarlet, S.L. 1990. Isolation of qwerty gene from S. cerevisae. Journal of Unusual Results 36, 26-31.

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EDIT YOUR PAPER!!!

"In my writing, I average about ten pages a day. Unfortunately, they're all the same page." Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing

A major part of any writing assignment consists of re-writing.

Write accurately

1. Scientific writing must be accurate. Although writing instructors may tell you not to use the same word twice in a sentence, it's okay for scientific writing, which must be accurate. (A student who tried not to repeat the word "hamster" produced this confusing sentence: "When I put the hamster in a cage with the other animals, the little mammals began to play.")

2. Make sure you say what you mean.

Instead of: The rats were injected with the drug. (sounds like a syringe was filled with drug and ground-up rats and both were injected together) Write: I injected the drug into the rat.

3. Be careful with commonly confused words:

Temperature has an effect on the reaction. Temperature affects the reaction.

I used solutions in various concentrations. (The solutions were 5 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml, and 15 mg/ml) I used solutions in varying concentrations. (The concentrations I used changed; sometimes they were 5 mg/ml, other times they were 15 mg/ml.)

Less food (can't count numbers of food) Fewer animals (can count numbers of animals)

A large amount of food (can't count them) A large number of animals (can count them)

The erythrocytes, which are in the blood, contain hemoglobin. The erythrocytes that are in the blood contain hemoglobin. (Wrong. This sentence implies that there are erythrocytes elsewhere that don't contain hemoglobin.)

Write clearly

1. Write at a level that's appropriate for your audience.

"Like a pigeon, something to admire as long as it isn't over your head." Anonymous

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2. Use the active voice. It's clearer and more concise than the passive voice.

Instead of: An increased appetite was manifested by the rats and an increase in body weight was measured. Write: The rats ate more and gained weight.

3. Use the first person.

Instead of: It is thought Write: I think

Instead of: The samples were analyzed Write: I analyzed the samples

4. Avoid dangling participles.

"After incubating at 30 degrees C, we examined the petri plates." (You must've been pretty warm in there.)

Write succinctly

1. Use verbs instead of abstract nouns

Instead of: take into consideration Write: consider

2. Use strong verbs instead of "to be"

Instead of: The enzyme was found to be the active agent in catalyzing... Write: The enzyme catalyzed...

3. Use short words.

"I would never use a long word where a short one would answer the purpose. I know there are professors in this country who 'ligate' arteries. Other surgeons tie them, and it stops the bleeding just as well." Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr .

Instead of: Write:

possess have sufficient enough utilize use demonstrate show assistance help terminate end

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4. Use concise terms.

Instead of: Write: prior to before due to the fact that because in a considerable number of cases

often

the vast majority of most during the time that when in close proximity to near it has long been known that I'm too lazy to look up the

reference

5. Use short sentences. A sentence made of more than 40 words should probably be rewritten as two sentences.

"The conjunction 'and' commonly serves to indicate that the writer's mind still functions even when no signs of the phenomenon are noticeable." Rudolf Virchow, 1928

Check your grammar, spelling and punctuation

1. Use a spellchecker, but be aware that they don't catch all mistakes.

"When we consider the animal as a hole,..." Student's paper

2. Your spellchecker may not recognize scientific terms. For the correct spelling, try Biotech's Life Science Dictionary or one of the technical dictionaries on the reference shelf in the Biology or Health Sciences libraries.

3. Don't, use, unnecessary, commas.

4. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

USEFUL BOOKS

Victoria E. McMillan, Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, Bedford Books, Boston, 1997 The best. On sale for about $18 at Labyrinth Books, 112th Street. On reserve in Biology Library

Jan A. Pechenik, A Short Guide to Writing About Biology, Boston: Little, Brown, 1987

Harrison W. Ambrose, III & Katharine Peckham Ambrose, A Handbook of Biological Investigation, 4th edition, Hunter Textbooks Inc, Winston-Salem, 1987

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Particularly useful if you need to use statistics to analyze your data. Copy on Reference shelf in Biology Library.

Robert S. Day, How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 4th edition, Oryx Press, Phoenix, 1994. Earlier editions also good. A bit more advanced, intended for those writing papers for publication. Fun to read. Several copies available in Columbia libraries.

William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 3rd ed. Macmillan, New York, 1987. Several copies available in Columbia libraries. Strunk's first edition is available on-line.

Preparing Your Paper in the Style of a Science paper (primarily from Science website)

• Titles should be no more than 90 characters.

• Authors and their affiliated institutions, linked by superscript numbers, should be listed beneath the title on the opening page of the manuscript. For the STARS papers, this is just the student

• Subheadings are used only in Research Articles, Reviews, and invited special-issue articles. Use descriptive clauses, not full sentences. Two levels of subheadings may be used if warranted; please distinguish them clearly.

• Abstracts explain to the general reader why the research was done and why the results are important. They should start with some brief BACKGROUND information: a sentence giving a broad introduction to the field comprehensible to the general reader, and then a sentence of more detailed background specific to your study. This should be followed by the RESULTS, or if the paper is more methods/technique oriented an explanation of OBJECTIVES/METHODS and then the RESULTS. The final sentence should outline the main CONCLUSIONS of the study, in terms that will be comprehensible to all our readers. The abstract should be 125 words or less. For Perspectives and Policy Forums, please include a one-sentence abstract.

• Text starts with a brief introduction describing the paper's significance, which should be intelligible to readers in various disciplines. Technical terms should be defined. Symbols, abbreviations, and acronyms should be defined the first time they are used. All tables and figures should be cited in numerical order.

• References and notes are in alphabetical order (for examples see Writing a Science Research Article and Reference Style). This differs from the format used by Science. The alphabetical approach was deemed less cumbersome for the STARS papers. Do not use op. cit. or ibid in references.

• Acknowledgments are a brief statement at the end of the references and notes labeled "Acknowledgments." STARS students, here is where you profoundly thank your mentor and the lab members who have graciously helped you throughout your time in STARS. This is a very important section for the STARS paper.

• Tables should be included after the references and should supplement, not duplicate, the text. Each table should include a legend. The first sentence of the legend should be a brief descriptive title. Every vertical column should have a heading consisting of a title with the unit of measure in parentheses. Units should not change within a column.

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• Figure legends should be double-spaced in numerical order. No single legend should be longer than about 200 words. Nomenclature, abbreviations, symbols, and units used in a figure should match those used in the text. The figure title should be given as the first line of the legend. Any individually labeled figure parts or panels (A, B, etc.) should be specifically described by part name within the legend.

• Schemes (e.g., structural chemical formulas) can have very brief legends or no legend at all. Schemes should be sequentially numbered in the same fashion as figures.

• Figures Symbols and lettering should be large enough to be legible. Avoid wide variation in type size within a single figure. In the printed version of the figure, letters should be about 7 points (2 mm) high, and not smaller than 5 points. High-resolution images can be included as supporting online material. If possible, use scale bars in place of, or in addition to, magnification numbers; the scale bar units should be specified in the figure legend. In gels, the lanes should be numbered and identified by number in the figure legend. Additional guidelines can be found in Tips for Preparing Figures.

• Graphs should be labeled on the ordinate and abscissa with the parameter or variable being measured, the units of measure, and the scale. Scales with large or small numbers should be presented as powers of 10. Definitions of symbols should usually appear in the figure legend

and not in the figure. Simple solid or open symbols ( , , , , , , , and ) reproduce well. Avoid the use of light lines and screen shading. Instead, use black-and-white, hatched, and cross-hatched designs for emphasis. Use heavy lines or boxes for emphasizing or marking off areas of the figure. Additional guidelines can be found in Tips for Preparing Figures.

• Composite figures should be labeled A, B, C, etc.

• Lettering in Helvetica font is preferable for figures. Use boldface type for axis labels and for part labels (A, B, etc.) in composite figures; use italic type only as it would be used in the text (e.g., for variables and genes). The first letter of each entry should be uppercase; otherwise, use uppercase letters as they would be used in the text (e.g., for acronyms).

• Sequences may be reduced considerably, so the typeface in the original should be clear. There should be about 130 characters and spaces per line for a sequence occupying the full width of the printed page and about 84 characters and spaces per line for a sequence occupying two columns.

• Units should be metric and follow SI convention.

Some Notes on Science Style (from Science website)

Following are some general guidelines on preferred style for manuscripts submitted to Science.

• Confirm that all numbered citations for references and notes are presented in numerical order, first through the text and then through the references and the table and figure legends.

• Ensure that all notations and symbols in figures (including dashed or dotted lines, color codes, and gradations in color or grayscale) are explained in figure legends. Conversely, ensure that no data mentioned in figure legends (or in the text where the figure is discussed) are missing from the corresponding figures.

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• Avoid jargon; explain obscure terms and define acronyms (keep in mind that many potential readers of your work will not be specialists in your field).

• After introducing an acronym, use only the acronym.

• Use active voice when suitable, particularly when necessary for correct syntax (e.g., "To address this possibility, we constructed a λZap library . . .," not "To address this possibility, a λZap library was constructed . . .").

• Write concisely (e.g., "even though," not "in spite of the fact that").

• When two or more similar terms are used throughout text, either make the usage consistent or clarify the distinction(s), as appropriate.

• Avoid using "-fold" because expressions such as "20-fold smaller" are imprecise; use percentages, proportions, orders of magnitude, or "factor of" instead. (Exception: Usage such as "1000-fold excess" is appropriate.)

• Avoid using "times more," "times less" (see above).

• Use "significant" only when discussing statistical significance.

• Avoid using terms such as "novel," "first," or "Our laboratory has pioneered..." to describe the present work. Do not mention your own work in progress within the text (although a numbered reference to specific work submitted for publication is acceptable; see "in preparation" in reference examples below).

• Omit academic or other titles from affiliations and acknowledgments.

Tips for Preparing Figures (from Science website) Figure layout and scaling

In laying out information in a figure, the objective is to maximize the space given to presentation of the data. Avoid wasted white space and clutter.

Titles or labels not absolutely necessary for understanding the figure should be removed and explained in the caption. You should, however, include the figure's identifying number (e.g., "Fig. 1") on the same manuscript page that includes the figure.

Keys to symbols, if needed, should be kept as simple as possible and be positioned so they do not needlessly enlarge the figure. Details can be put into the captions.

Panels should be set close to each other, and common axis labels should not be repeated.

Scales or axes should not extend beyond the range of the data plotted.

Do not use minor tick marks in scales or grid lines. Avoid using y-axis labels on the right that repeat those on the left.

Use solid symbols for plotting data if possible (unless data overlap or there are multiple symbols). Size symbols so that they will be distinguishable when the figure is reduced. Line widths should be legible upon reduction (minimum of 0.5 pt at the final reduced size).

Color-mix and contrast considerations

Avoid using combinations of red and green together.

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Please do not use colors that are close in hue to identify different parts of a figure. Avoid using grayscale. Use white type and scale bars over darker areas of images.

Typefaces and labels: Please observe the following guidelines for labels on graphs and figures: Use a sans-serif font whenever possible (we prefer Helvetica). Capitalize the first letter in a label only, not every word (and proper nouns, of course). Units should be included in parentheses. Use SI notation. If there is room, write out variables

-- e.g., Pressure (MPa), Temperature (K). Variables are always set in italics or as plain Greek letters (e.g., P, T, µ). The rest of the text

in the figure should be plain or bold text. Type on top of color in a color figure should be in bold face. Avoid using color type. Use leading zeros on all decimals -- e.g., 0.3, 0.55 -- and only report significant digits. Use capital letters for part labels in multipart figures -- A, B, C, etc. These should be 9 pt and

bold in the final figure. When possible, place part labels at the upper left-hand corner of each figure part; if a part is an image, set labels inside the perimeter so as not to waste space.

Avoid subpart labels within a figure part; instead, maintain the established sequence of part labels [e.g., use A, B, C, D, E instead of A, B, C(a), C(b), C(c)]. If use of subpart labels is unavoidable, use lowercase letters (a, b, c). Use numbers (1, 2, 3) only to represent a time sequence of images.

When reproducing images that include labels with illegible computer-generated type (e.g., units for scale bars), omit such labels and present the information in the legend instead.

Reference Style (primarily from Science website)

Journals Chaffee, Jr., F.H., The discovery of a gravitational lens. Sci. Am. 243, 60-68 (November 1980).

[journal paginated by issue] Harvey, W.R., Nedergaard, S., Sodium-independent active transport of potassium in the isolated

midgut of the Cecropia silkworm. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.51, 731-735 (1964). [two or more authors]

Tang, N. On the equilibrium partial pressures of nitric acid and ammonia in the atmosphere.

Atmos. Environ.14, 819-834 (1980). [one author] Books Carroll, Ed., J.B., Language, Thought and Reality, Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf

(MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1956). Curtis, D. et al., in Clinical Neurology of Development, B. Walters, Ed. (Oxford Univ. Press,

New York, 1983), pp. 60-73. [use "Univ."] Davis,R., King, J., in Machine Intelligence, E. Acock, D. Michie, Eds. (Wiley, New York, 1976),

vol. 8, chap. 3. [use short form of publisher name, not "John Wiley & Sons"] Lister, M., Fundamentals of Operating Systems (Springer-Verlag, New York, ed. 3, 1984), pp. 7-

11. [third edition]

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Principles and Procedures for Evaluating the Toxicity of Household Substances (National

Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, 1977). [organization as author and publisher] Technical reports "Assessment of the carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of chemicals," WHO Tech. Rep. Ser. No.

556 (1974). [no author] Press, F., "A report on the computational needs for physics" (National Science Foundation,

Washington, DC, 1981). [unpublished or access by title] Shaw, G. B., "Practical uses of litmus paper in Möbius strips" (Tech. Rep. CUCS-29-82,

Columbia Univ., New York, 1982). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The Environmental Protection Agency's White Paper on

Bt Plant-Pesticide Resistance Management (EPA Publication 739-S-98-001, 1998; www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/white_bt.pdf). [the easiest access to this source is by Internet]

Paper presented at a meeting (not published) Konishi, M., paper presented at the 14th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience,

Anaheim, CA, 10 October 1984. [sponsoring organization should be mentioned if it is not part of the meeting name]

Theses and personal communications Reuter, G., personal communication. [Must be accompanied with a letter of permission and must

not be used to support a central claim, result, or conclusion.] Smith, B., thesis, Georgetown University (1973). Preprints Abe, K. et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., in press (available at http://arXiv.org/abs/hep-ex/0107061). Smette, A., et al., Astrophys. J., in press (available at http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/astro-ph/0012193).

[if now published, omit the URL and provide only a standard reference] Published Online Only Sleep, N. H., Stagnant lid convection and carbonate metasomatism of the deep continental

lithosphere. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 10, Q11010 (2009), doi:10.1029/2009GC002702.

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