Research Topics in MCB: Literature Assignment
By completing the Literature Assignment you will learn to apply relevant information technologies while accessing and analyzing literature relevant to your thesis research. This Assignment will calibrate your approach to preparation of the Literature Review that is a major course requirement.
This site will guide you through the Literature Assignment. Please consult the Course Outline and the Course Coordinator to obtain information about Report formatting and grading, deadlines and other semester-specific issues.
During the first week of your first semester, your Advisor will assign a primary research article, related to your thesis research, that will be the subject of your Literature Assignment.
The assigned article will meet the following criteria:
- The research article will provide background information relevant to your thesis research.
- Your Advisor will not be an author of the article.
- It will have been published at least 5 years before it is assigned (i.e. not in or after 2012 for students taking the course in F2016). This is important because your analysis will include a search for information on the context and outcome of the research. There may be no outcome for more recent articles!
- It will be a full research paper, not a review article or a "Note". To be certain that you have been assigned a research article, verify that it includes a distinct section labeled "Methods", "Materials and Methods", "Experimental Procedures" or the equivalent.
- It will clearly list the experimental techniques used by the researchers. Some methods may be explained in supplementary information that is available on the journal web site but separate from the article itself. Look for supplementary information as your analysis must include it.
- It will report the application of methods likely to be used during your thesis research, and it will not report the application of every method known to humanity (too much work for you!).