Rewrite: Assignment 1

BIL162 – Assignment 1
Isaac Skromne

Goal: Identify relevant biological question: generate questions, what is given and what is unknown, and formulate hypotheses based on those questions.

Activity: Students will submit a research proposal identifying the problem, its relevance to biology, the hypothesis and proposed experiments.

Instructions: Conduct the background research pertinent to a term paper addressing your question of interest. Do not write the term paper, but provide a justification for the relevance of the chosen topic: why should this research be carried out? During this first activity students have to submit:
1.Topic clearly defined
2.Argument justifying why this topic is interesting and should be researched
3.Annotated bibliography of useful sources that support the research justification.

1. Topic
WHAT are you going to be researching? Define your research topic clearly and concisely, trying to describe the topic broadly. Avoid being too narrow or specific. Do not describe your experimental method (1-2 sentences).

2. Justification
WHY is this topic an important area of research? Explain (1) what is known about the topic of research, (2) what is not known about the topic of research, (3) in what way understanding what is not know results a tangible benefit, (4) what do you propose doing that would allow us to further our knowledge (5-10 sentences total).

3. Annotated bibliography
HOW are you supporting the claim that this research topic is important? One normally writes an annotated bibliography as an indication of the sources one intends to use for an assignment, paper or thesis. In this case, the purpose is to write a short but informative or descriptive annotation that can be used later on for a term research paper. The annotation should include:
•Complete bibliographic information.
•Scope and main purpose of the work (3-5 sentences).
•Evaluation or why you feel this work is suitable for your topic (2-3 sentences).