research paper

1

Research Paper Assignment: NSF101 (about 3-4 pages)

Think of a topic that resonates with “My Major Connection to Biology” or a

topic that “interested you recently on a disease/physical trait after you heard

discussions on a news channel/social media" or a topic that you think is often

"misunderstood by non-scientists".

Examples of Topics (you are free to choose your own different topic also): 1. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) 2. Climate Change and Cellular Respiration 3. Stem Cell Therapy 4. Vaccines 5. Gene Editing Technology

Competency: Inquiry and Problem Solving; Abilities: Written and Digital Inquiry is a systematic process of exploring issues or questions through the collection and analysis of evidence that results in informed conclusions or judgments. Problem solving refers to the ability to design, evaluate, and implement a strategy or strategies to answer an open- ended question, overcome an obstacle, or achieve a desired goal. Analysis is the process of breaking complex topics or issues into parts to gain better understanding, often through processes of revision, rethinking, and reorganization, to advance a claim hypothesis, or solution. Inquiry, analysis and problem-solving combine to form a habit of mind critical to academic and career advancement, thoughtful citizenship, and sustained, life-long learning.

Important instructions and guidelines regarding the assignment

I. Final Draft- due by November 25th, 2019 (Monday). You should submit your first draft by 11/11/19

(on ePortfolio) to get feedback for improvisation.

II. Total number of points possible – 10 points (will account for 15% of your total course grade). You

should deposit/upload your assignment on ePortfolio (See instructions below. SSM will also help you).

For a tutorial on how to deposit student work, go to:

http://eportfolio.lagcc.cuny.edu/support/tutorials.htm and find the section called, “Assessment for

Students.” Click on the adobe flash button for “Depositing Assessment Artifact in Digication: Instructions

for Students.” You will see a brief video on how to deposit.

2

III. How to find background material to write the research paper? Once you have decided a topic and

you want to find previous research done on it, you can use the following resources:

A) Go to LAGCC Library webpage and click on Library Media Resource Center. Here, you can find books

and online articles and even databases on your topic. You could also schedule a meeting with a librarian

here to help you with your research on the topic. Detailed Instructions will be covered in the 10/07/19

Library session.

B) Use the link (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) to find and download some freely available

articles published on your topic in highly prestigious scientific journals.

IV. Specific instructions on how to prepare the Research paper

A) Type the research paper in 12-point font, Times New Roman. Include your Name, Major and Date of

submission, Professor’s Name and Course in the center of the first page. Title your Research paper.

Include at least 2-3 journal or book citations in APA format towards the end in the Reference section.

The total length of the paper should not exceed 3-4 pages, and it should be double-spaced. Grammar

and Spelling does count. Please proofread your paper before you submit.

B) The Research paper should have the following sections (in this order):

a. Title (Topic Statement/Question being addressed)

b. Claim (Write a brief hypothesis on your topic-related question you want to address)

c. Introduction (Background on the topic from a Biology angle. You should try and cite

some references here also besides the next sections)

d. Methods or Experimental Procedures (Methods used in the studies cited)

e. Results (Major findings of the studies you cited)

f. Discussion [Discuss here what is your final opinion on this topic after reading the

different studies you cited and what you think is the significance/implications of the

research carried out (It’s relevance to society, economy); you could even discuss if you

thought there were some caveats in the studies and can suggest some future avenues

that can be pursued]

g. References (Cite the references in APA format)

V. Please check the sample research papers and rubric for this assignment on the course ePortfolio

(NSF 101_Dr. Richa Gupta Fall 2019).