Research Lab Report 1: Research Methods, Context and Question

This report will contain the information listed below. The page limits for the text are exclusive of figures, tables and references.

Title

A concise statement of your research topic

Article:

The complete reference for your article, in Molecular Microbiology format.

Table of Research Methods :

Turn the list of methods used by your researchers (already submitted to your TA) into a Table. Indicate which methods are standard to microbiology (see list in Lab 3). Cite references that provide explanations for at least three of the listed methods (assigned by your TA). Indicate which method will be described in this report. This table should be approximately 1 page long and follow the format below.

For example, in the table above (1) might refer to appropriate pages in Gerhardt's Methods for General and Molecular Bacteriology, (2) might refer to Gerhardt's book again, or to Freifelder's Physical Biochemistry: Applications to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, (3) might refer to a document provided online by Qiagen Inc., (4) might refer to a journal article that describes a particular protein assay and (5) might refer to a relevant volume of Methods in Enzymology or a journal article. If a method is described fully in the article you are analyzing, your article can be used as the citation for that method. Please do not cite undergraduate lab manuals (they are not published) or online lab protocols (they have not been validated by peer review).

Explanation of a Research Method (approximately 2 pages of text)

Explain the method that you selected during Lab 3 by answering these questions:

• How is the method performed?
• What is accomplished in each step, and how does each step work?
• What data are obtained?
• How are the data interpreted?
• What information is gained by using this method?

Usually diagrams help to explain research methods. You are encouraged to include diagrams in your report (preferably your own diagrams - they are not included in your page limit!).

In writing this explanation, imagine that you are answering the questions above for a student colleague who is not familiar with the selected method. Examples of good explanations can be found in some textbooks and in the reference books cited in Lab 3. Also, think about the best lab manuals provided during your undergraduate studies. Your goal will be to write such an explanation of the most important/novel method used by your authors, in your own words.

Research Context and Question(s) (approximately 5.5 pages of text)

Summarize the intellectual and human contexts of the research reported in your article, including answers to all the questions considered during labs 4 and 5 (2 and 3 pages of text, respectively). Using up to 1/2 page of text, state the questions asked/hypotheses tested by the authors of your article.

Reference List

List the references cited in your report, using the citation format of Molecular Microbiology. Marks will be deducted if the reference citation format is incorrect. Remember that this is a reference list, not a bibliography — every item in your reference list must be cited in the text of your Report. Check the Lab Orientation page and the Help page to make sure that you cite references correctly and avoid plagiarism (a serious academic offense).

Report Format

The report must be typed, double spaced and with 2 cm margins, using a 12 point font. It should include a title page (title, article citation and your name), and approximately 7.5 additional pages of text, excluding tables, figures and reference list. The pages must be numbered, with the title page as page 1.

Deadline

Completed Lab Reports must be delivered, in the format specified above, as a hard copy to room SCIE4251 and as an electronic copy to the Courselink Dropbox, both before 4 pm on the dates specified on Courselink. This deadline will be extended only if you provide appropriate documentation (otherwise a grade of zero will be assigned). Computer problems are not an acceptable basis for deferral, so take care to back up your work!

Grading

MICR*3260 Microbial Adaptation and Development, Report 1 Grading

Below is a table illustrating how your Research Lab Report 1: Research Methods, Context and Question will be graded.