Honors Biology 181 at
The University of Arizona

Interpret a Scientific Paper

• come to understand, in depth, a particular part of the paper and how that part relies on a part of the biology covered in the 181 regular class lectures;
• decide how best to convey that understanding to your classmates, using a simple website as your medium;
• create the web pages

Timeline

• August through Early September:
  • Read (or attempt to) the paper and meet with your group to figure out what you know, and what you need to learn.
  • Generate a list of questions to ask your mentor about the paper. Keep good notes of your meetings since these will help you when it comes to content on the site--What you didn't understand well, others are not likely to understand well either. Your final product will be evaluated by your fellow students based on how clear the explanation is for them.
  • Learn the basics required to make an html page and post to the site. Assistance is available in the BLC on Thursdays 6:00-7:25 PM for creating web pages. We strongly suggest that you take this opportunity. A scanner is available and a copy of the software Dreamweaver is also available on the computer with the scanner. You can download a trial copy of Dreamweaver onto your personal computer if you decide to build your pages with Dreamweaver. The web pages need to be ADA (American's with Disabilities Act) compliant and that likely means you will need to code html yourself or at least be able to make simple changes to code. It's easy enough to do if you aren't doing it at the last minute. Come and learn the basics in less than 15 minutes by meeting with me (Willott) Thursdays in September or checking the site Making a Web Site or Chris's tutorials.
• September 11: Have a summary of what you understand about the paper and a list of questions you need to get answered. Note at least 3 areas of the 181 regular classes (based on text or schedule outline) that look promising as forming part of the foundation required for the particular research paper.
• Mid-to-Late September: Meet with your mentor (and likely members of the mentor's lab group). You will likely need several meetings. Prepare notes from your group meetings and with your meeting with you mentor. These likely will be important for your page contents.
• Oct 9:
  (1) To get permissions for graphics to use, you should be requesting, or have already requested, permission at this time. We have sample request forms you can use.
  Better yet, don't use anything copyrighted. Build any figures, charts, tables, etc., by yourself.
  (2) Have at least two members of your group post a brief, written, summary of your proposed web pages onto the website so you know that posting will not be a concern later.
  (3) Preliminary plan for your web project is due on D2L (can be a couple of paragraphs long in Word) and posted on the website (a very simple webpage is all that's needed at this point). It should include:
  1. Your group number
  2. The overall aim of your paper. Something like: "Our pages will explain why the presence of water pores in the plasma membrane is a fascinating discovery and ties with what we have learned about hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity." Or, "Our pages will explain why the herpes virus is so important to study and why the development of DNA amplification and Southern blotting was so crucial for identifying different viruses."
  3. Your proposed design scheme.
     Something like:
     "We expect to have the following pages: Title; Intro, or, Why this work is significant; What basic biology it relies on; What they did; What they found. You might also have a page of definitions; a credit page; a references page; and a related web sites page. Pages will be linked by a button bar allowing movement to any other page. We have all attended meetings with mentor and taken notes. Jack and Jim are preparing simpler graphics of the results so the graphics will more easily show how the result ties with the concept of hydrophobicity-hydrophilicity. Joe will do most of the text typing and Jennifer will proof the typing and make sure graphics and text agree. Rob is doing layout; Cathy is investigating the specifics of how experiment X is done; she's meeting with the lab assistant who does experiments like that. We will all participate in proofing the scientific content by meeting again with our mentor (insert name of mentor) on _______. We have requested permission from (insert name where permission has been requested) for the following graphics:
     1. graphic 1 from text p. ?
     2. graphic 2 from the paper p. ?
     3. graphic 3 from Rob's mom."
• Remember to keep backups of your project with at least two people.
• Nov 6: Permissions (for images) should be handed in (or emailed); if you don't have a permission, create an alternate plan that doesn't rely on that figure.
• Nov 6: Viewable draft of entire project on web.
• Nov 13: Completed draft of entire project on web.
• Nov 20: Entire project due on Web so you can get feedback for improving. Notify mentor and other people who may be able to give you feedback for improving.
• Nov 27-Dec 2: Evaluate other websites.
• 11: Last day for submitting 2-5 page essay on any experience in class. Submit by D2L. Make sure your name is in file name. (i.e., Williams181Essay would be a good file name but 181 Essay is not)

Projects must start being posted on the Web no later than November 6 and finished by November 20 so your faculty mentors can review them, you can proof them, and so your friends, family, and dog can put in their two bits' worth. Email your mentor that it has been posted, and give them information so they easily can contact at least two different members of your group with suggestions.
Final revisions are due December 11 at NOON.

If you did not create an image yourself, you need permission to use it and must give proper credit.
We must remove any graphics not properly credited.

Helpful Links

• Requirements for the Project
• Reading a Scientific Paper
• Making a (Simple) Web Site
• Chris Goforth's tutorials