The Review Paper

Biology Writing Manual

By:

Doug Burks

Kendra Cipollini

Chasity Coleman

Doug Woodmansee

August 2013

Table of Contents

Topic / Page Number
Introduction and use of writing manual / 3
Late paper policy / 4
Why writing is important / 5
Time management / 7
Finding references / 9
Reading primary literature / 11
Annotated bibliographies / 13
Annotated bibliography grading rubric / 15
Citing sources / 16
Plagiarism / 19
Research/laboratory reports / 21
Research/laboratory reports grading rubric / 24
Review papers / 27
Review paper grading rubric / 28
APPENDIX I: Format of the research paper/laboratory report / 30
APPENDIX II: Format of the review paper / 33
APPENDIX III: Key for grading comments / 36
Notes / 37

1

Introduction and Use of Writing Manual

The biology professors at WilmingtonCollege have agreed to coordinate writing expectations and formats in order to enhance student learning. Writing is an essential skill that a student must master in becoming a practicing professional. Professional success is not possible if one cannot communicate effectively. Each student taking a course in biology must have available and use A student handbook for writing in biology, 2nd editionby Karin Knisely. The book may be purchased at the bookstore (or from on-line vendors) and it is found on reserve in Watson Library. This manual is a supplement to that book, providing additional details and grading rubrics in particular. It is necessary that you read and use both this manual and the text when completing writing assignments for biology professors. In addition, your professor may give you additional instructionsor clarifications for a writing assignment. Please do not hesitate to contact your professor if you have any additional questions that are not addressed in the manual and text. Ignorance is no excuse for not completing your writing assignments correctly.

A grading rubric is a document that explicitly describes the criteria to be used in evaluating a student’s work. It provides guidelines that state the dimensions to be assessed and the characteristics that lead to the assigning of specific grades. It reveals the specific strengths and weaknesses in a work. We provide the rubrics used by all biology professorsat WilmingtonCollege in this manual. Besides being used as guide for our grading you should consult the rubrics as a guide to help you in writing your papers.

Required text: Knisely, Karin. 2014. A student handbook for writing in biology, 4thedition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA. This text will be cited as Knisely (2014) throughout this manual.

Late Paper Policy

WilmingtonCollege biology professors have adopted a unified policy concerning late papers. A paper is late any time after 4:00 PM on the assignment’s due date. In addition, any incomplete, substandard assignment submitted at the deadline just to “get something in” will be considered late.

Submission of the final paper after the deadline will result in a 20% deduction of points for each working day it is late. For example, if you hand in your late paper within one working day of the due date, the highest score you can possibly receive is an 80%. If you hand in your late paper within two working days of the due date, the highest score you can receive is a 60%. If you hand in your paper within three working days of the due date, the highest score you can receive is a 40%. Late papers will not be accepted after three working days.

It is our purpose to help you to become better writers and often this is done in part by dividing the writing process into steps, each of which can be reviewed and critiqued by the professor. For example, a scientific project may begin with a library assignment and annotated bibliography of relevant sources used to plan the project. Later, a presumptive title and introduction may be collected. Still later, a methods section may be submitted. Finally a draft of the paper may be requested prior to the final paper. Failure to submit each of these components by their deadlines will result in deduction of points from the final paper, if they are not graded separately. It should be noted that early submissions are drafts, not “rough” drafts. Drafts have been proof-read for grammar, style and spelling; they only lack critical review by another knowledgeable person. Drafts are a complete work with no parts missing.

When preliminary papers are collected, you have the right to expect timely return with appropriate constructive comments.Not every error or area of a paper will have a comment, you should not expect to just fixe noted errors and expect a grade of A on the final paper.Preliminary reviews are to help you see areas that you need to work on in a paper. It is our goal to return all preliminary drafts within five working days of the due date.

Exceptions to the late policy: With all exceptions it is expected that you will contact the professor in advance or as soon as is reasonably possible. Documentation may be required.

• Serious illness prior to the due date, but not on the date, since it is assumed you would have the paper done on that date. If you are off campus when ill, it is expected you will make arrangements to email the paper.
• Unexpected death or serious injury/surgery of a family member or close friend
• Weather conditions which close the highways or the College.

Why Writing is Important

by Doug Burks

René Descartes said, Cogito, ergo sum, translated as, “I think therefore I am”. For any professional in today’s world, perhaps a better statement would be “I write therefore I am.” Writing is the cornerstone of professional activity. I doubt that there is a day in which I don’t communicate with other professionals in writing in some way. It may be simply writing an email or it may be at the other end of the spectrum where I am working on a research paper for publication. Perhaps a list of the types of writing I do might help demonstrate the importance of writing to a professional. In a typical year I will write emails, letters, and letters of recommendations for students, lectures, class handouts, class assignments, tests, and comments on student tests and papers, reviews of textbooks, grant proposals, grant reports, and research papers for publication. The importance of writing can be seen in the report “Writing: A Powerful Statement from State Government” where it was stated that:

State agencies frequently require writing samples from job applicants. Fully 91 percent of respondents in states that “almost always” take writing into account also require a writing sample from prospective “professional” employees. Of these states, 50 percent also require writing samples from clerical and support personnel. “Oral and writing skills are absolutely essential in a service- and knowledge-based economy. This is a very different economy from one based on agriculture or industry,” said one personnel director.

Writing is a more significant promotion consideration in state government than in the private sector. In 2004, about half of all corporations in the Business Roundtable survey reported taking writing into account in professional promotion either “frequently” or “almost always.” More than 60 percent of state agencies do so. Said one state respondent: “At the higher levels, we check for how well people can organize their thoughts and respond to a complicated question.[1]

In a 1995 report in “The Journal of Quality Participation it was stated that “Modern professionals now spend more time than ever wordsmithing on their PowerBooks, PC laptops and Pentium PCs -- up to 70 percent of their day.”[2] Writing is a fundamental skill for all professionals. Professional success is dependent upon the ability to write effectively and clearly. If you are preparing for your future in a career, time spent developing the ability to write well is worth the investment.

For a biologist an even more important reason that writing is important is that research papers, monographs, and books are the record of what has been done and is known in the discipline. It is the record of progress in understanding. That record is what enables human knowledge to be progressive. For instance, I know what Charles Darwin did and thought about evolution because I have read the Origin of Species. By looking at the written record of his data and arguments I can judge the validity of the idea. I can also discover new questions to pursue to enlarge our understanding of evolution. It is not enough to do experiments and discover new knowledge. That information and knowledge must be communicated. Your contributions to biology will be judged by what you write.

Time Management

by Doug Burks

William Penn said that “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”

Writing is hard work. It is a process that is done in several steps. Preparing a research paper or laboratory report is a good example. In preparing a research paper, you will need to read several scientific articles to use in your report. After performing experiments, you will organize, analyze and interpret your data. You will now be ready to write a first draft of the paper. In Chapter 4, Knisely (2014) suggests that writing a first draft should be done over a two-day period. She next suggests that you proof read and revise your first draft after taking a day’s break from the writing process. This draft should be shared with a classmate for review, while you review their draft. From the comments from your peer review, you then revise the paper again to produce a final copy for turning into the professor. This process according to Knisely (2014) will take a minimum of 7 to 8 days. Larger more important papers take longer. Knisely (2014) encourages professors to request that not only the final paper be turned in but all drafts done by the student. Clearly, writing effectively requires a lot of time.

There are few assignments in college that can be started the night before they are due without a bad resulting. Developing good time management skills are critical to success in college andeven more importantly in a career.

We have several tips you might want to consider in terms of time management planning.

Tip 1: Start using a time management plan now (day 1). Too many students turn to a time management system after they have fallen behind and then are madly trying to catch up. You need to realize that is very easy to fall behind and next to impossible to catch up even with the best efforts and time management. Cramming is a sure path to failure.

Tip 2: Developa time management system that you can follow. Here we suggest a simple time management system. First, you should set goals for the semester. Your goals should include all aspects of your life. This includes academics, work, social life and activities. Then set priorities. Be realistic! You need to include fun time. As the semester and school year proceeds, re-evaluate your goals. Develop sub-goals, which are things to be done in each major goal category. Next, you should plan, plan and plan. We suggest that you plan in monthly blocks. Using a calendar with months for the entire semester, place the due date of all assignments as you receive them. List the dates of all tests on the calendar. List the date of events you want to attend (field trips, parties, sports events, visits home, holidays, etc.) With each assignment, now analyze how long it will take to do. Start putting into the calendar check-points for assignments. For a lab report you might have the date to finish your background research and reading, the date to have the first draft done, the date for peer review, and the date to have the final draft done. The more realistic you are about the time it takes to do a particular project the better able you will be able to do high quality work. An important component of planning is to keep track of how much time you are spending on things. Falling behind and cramming is the road to failure and high anxiety.

Tip 3: Procrastination is your enemy. It is a powerful enemy, with over 50% of college students listing this as a major personal problem. The old saying: “Don’t put off what you can today until tomorrow,” should become your mantra.

Tip 4: An excellent site to visit is MuskingumCollege’s time management page at

Another excellent site to visit is PennState’s web page at

Finding References

by Kendra Cipollini

There are different types of references that can be used in biological writing. As stated by Knisely (2014), primary literature is “journal articles, dissertations, technical reports, or conference papers in which a scientist describes his or her original works.” To identify a primary reference, it is a good rule of thumb to look for a “Methods” section. Generally, if it has a Methods section, it is primary literature. Secondary literature includes encyclopedias, textbooks and review articles. A third type of literature can be called “science journalism,” and includes articles in newspapers and magazines. Usually, you will be required to use primary literature for the most part. However, even if you cannot use secondary or tertiary literature for your actual paper, this type of literature can provide important background if you are having difficulty understanding the primary literature. It can also lead you towards interesting and relevant primary literature sources, especially in the case of review articles. Internet sources are considered secondary literature or science journalism and must be read with skepticism. As internet sources are not peer-reviewed, many of your professors will not accept internet sources. The internet is a great place to find very basic information or to find more primary sources, but be certain to validate any information gathered on the internet. It is important to note that some journals, which are considered primary literature, are published only on the internet, which causes some confusion. Only peer-reviewed on-line journals are considered primary literature. It is important to note that many references can be accessed using the internet to find electronic versions. These are not internet sources; they are simply electronic versions of published journals and other resources. Please contact your professor if you are having trouble distinguishing between different types of resources.

Wilmington College’s Watson Library is in a consortium of Ohio college and university libraries, known as “OhioLINK.” OhioLINK is one of the nation’s top library systems and it offers a wealth of information. You can find and get library resources from around the state, if you give yourself enough time to track them down. To find primary literature you will use ISI Web of Science (Science Citation Index) and the Electronic Journal Center on OhioLINK. You will receive instruction on the use of these powerful databases to find primary literature and you should consult with a librarian for help if you have any difficulty using them.

Watson Library itself has a wealth of resources, with journals, texts, and databases in both electronic and paper forms. The Watson Library can be visited online at . OPAL is the on-line database which tells you what resources Watson Library has and provides links to electronic resources. OhioLINK is the on-line database of the consortium of Ohio colleges and universities, which tells you what resources are available state-wide. OhioLINK also has important databases you can use to perform your literature search. Some databases that you may find helpful are MedLine, Agricola, Biosis,ISI Web of Science, and Annual Reviews. Once you find an article using these databases, you can then use the “Find it!” function to find out where you can get a copy of the paper, either electronically or in hardcopy. If Watson Library does not have it (either in hardcopy or in electronic copy), you have two choices. First, you could use the Interlibrary Loan to request a hardcopy to be sent to you. Another choice is to physically visit another college’s library to find the article. Your barcode for other colleges and universities is 9 digits, 3 zeros followed by your 6-digit CARS ID number. WrightStateUniversity, University of Cincinnati and OhioStateUniversity have extensive collections and are fairly convenient to WilmingtonCollege.

Please keep in mind that an effective library search takes many hours to perform. You cannot simply type in two keywords and then use the first ten papers that you find for your writing assignment. You may have to perform many different searches in many different databases to find the papers most relevant to your topic of interest.

The library staff at Watson Library is very helpful; do not hesitate to ask anyone for additional assistance.
Reading Primary Literature

by Doug Burks

Honestly, reading primary literature is hard work. This is true even for professionals. A single reading is not sufficient to lead to understanding. You will likely need to read some parts of the paper several times. Reading a scientific research report is not like reading a newspaper, novel or even a textbook. It is a written form that is information dense. It is a terse and concise style in which almost every sentence is critical to understanding the whole. To be successful, you will need to develop unique strategies and approaches to reading.