Biomedical Sciences Senior Thesis Handbook

2016 - 17

Acknowledgment:

This guide was adapted from Investigating Science: A guide to conducting independent high school student research by Jennifer Dye. Used with permission.

Last revised 5/2016.

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Table of Contents

COVER PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ADAPTATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GOALS AND STANDING ASSIGNMENT

BIOMEDICAL SENIOR THESIS OBJECTIVES

STANDING JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT

THESIS RESEARCH PAPER FORMATTING AND ORGANIZATION 4-5

THESIS RESEARCH PAPER SECTION SPECIFICS 5 - 12

GENERAL RULES FOR THESIS RESEARCH_AND ASSIGNMENTS____________________________12

STEPS OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS AND ASSIGNMENTS 12-19

STEP ONE: SELECT A PARTNER 12ASSIGNMENT ONE: PARTNER CONTRACT 13STEP TWO: SELECT A TOPIC 13ASSIGNMENT TWO: BRAINSTORM AND RESEARCH POSSIBLE TOPICS 13ASSIGNMENT THREE: SELECT THE OFFICIAL TOPIC 13STEP THREE: COLLECTION OF RESOURCES 13ASSIGNMENT FOUR: 4 RESOURCES DOCUMENTED & REVIEWED 13STEP FOUR: OBTAIN MENTOR 14ASSIGNMENT FIVE: DOCUMENTATION OF MENTOR 14STEP FIVE: INTRODUCTION 14-15ASSIGNMENT SIX: INTRODUCTION SECTION 15STEP SIX: EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 15ASSIGNMENT SEVEN: EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 15-16STEP SEVEN: CONDUCT EXPERIMENT 16ASSIGNMENT EIGHT: EXPERIMENTAL DOCUMENTATION 16STEP EIGHT: METHODOLOGY 16ASSIGNMENT NINE: METHODS SECTION 17STEP NINE: DATA AND ANALYSIS OF DATA 17-18ASSIGNMENT TEN: DATA ANALYSIS MEETING REQUIREMENT 17ASSIGNMENT ELEVEN: RESULTS SECTION 17ASSIGNMENT TWELVE: DISCUSSION SECTION 18STEP TEN: CONCLUSION 18ASSIGNMENT THIRTEEN: CONCLUSION SECTION 18STEP ELEVEN: ABSTRACT 18 ASSIGNMENT FOURTEEN: ABSTRACT 18STEP TWELVE: FINAL DRAFT OF RESEARCH PAPER 19ASSIGNMENT FIFTEEN: FINAL DRAFT OF WRITTEN PAPER 19ASSIGNMENT SIXTEEN: WRITTEN PAPER SUBMITTED TO TJAS 19STEP TEN: ORAL AND VISUAL PRESENTATION 19ASSIGNMENT SEVENTEEN: RESEARCH POSTER 19ASSIGNMENT EIGHTEEN: SYMPOSIUM PRESENTATION 19

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Objectives for the Biomedical Sciences Senior Thesis Research Project:

BI 1.2  - Complete an independent project, including making a product, writing a report, compiling a portfolio, and delivering an oral presentation.

BI 1.3  - Design, conduct, and analyze an experimental study to find the answer to a research question relating to biomedical science.

BI 1.4  - Research and compile information about a chosen problem and evaluate solutions of the past and present.

BI 1.5  – Analyze and determine the credibility of print and internet resources and evaluate for accurate content and reliability.

BI 1.6  – Create a testable hypothesis to address the research purpose/question. BI 1.17  – Recognize that when designing a solution to a problem, all criteria need

to be specified and all possible designs need to be explored. BI 1.8  – Design an appropriate and effective experimental methodology to test a

hypothesis. BI 1.9  – Analyze experimental data using various statistical analysis methods to

draw meaningful conclusions. BI 1.10  - Create a scientific research poster to effectively display purpose,

methods & results/conclusions of an experimental study. BI 1.11  - Design and deliver an effective oral and visual presentation of scientific

research relying on accurate content, effective delivery, and visuals that support the key points.

Standing Assignment:Each and every time you work on this project, you (each individual person) must write in your thesis journal. You will keep notes on your brainstorming, research, data, ideas, to-do lists, methods, results, etc. You will document partner responsibilities and you will reflect on your experiences.

There will be periodic thesis journal checks for a grade.

Biomedical Science Thesis Research Paper Formatting

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(Adapted from the Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium and the Tennessee Junior Academy of Science)

General Formatting Requirements: Your paper must be double-spaced (except the abstract), 11 or 12 point font (san sera) and all in-text citations should be noted in parenthetical notation.

APA formatting: Follow the rules for formal scientific papers (lab reports).

See below for formatting specifics for each section of the paper or click here (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/670/03/)

For Purdue Owl APA formatting rules for experimental reports. Also see the Purdue Owl Citation rules (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/).

Formal Scientific Writing Style:You are expected to use the “professional writing voice” for this paper. That means you will write in third person, passive voice. Most of your paper will be written in present tense. You will write in past tense when you are referencing research that has already taken place, such as previous studies in your background information and your entire methodology. You will write the methodology section as if you already conducted the procedures. This is not an English class narrative. Scientific writing is thorough but concise and to the point. This is a formal scientific paper that will be expected to be of high quality and able to be submitted for potential publishing to the Junior Academy of Science. You will not be allowed to use 1st person. Nor will you be allowed to make statements about scientific ideas or principles that are not clearly supported and cited. You should use correct grammar, spelling and high quality vocabulary throughout.

Format for headings and subheadings: Headings for Sections: Section headings should be centered, in bold and

underlined. Headings for subsections: Subsection headings should be left-aligned, in

bold and no underline. You should not use bullet points (etc.) to offset a subsection heading.

The title page, animal research page, acknowledgements page and table of contents are required to be their own separate pages. Starting with the Abstract, the remaining sections do not need to be on separate pages. You can just enter down and begin the next section. Follow APA formatting guidelines. Save often and keep copies: You are expected to keep a complete copy of your most current paper on two computer hard-drives or disks or storage devices/clouds at all times.

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Turning it in: Your final thesis paper will be bound in a “presentation folder”, such as a 3-prong presentation folder. No 3-ring notebooks will be allowed as submission folders.

Biomedical Science Thesis Research Paper Organization

Paper components: Each of the following headings must be located at the beginning of each section. A new page must be used only where stated.

Title page – 1st page IRB approval – 2nd page (only if approval was needed) Acknowledgements – Begin on next page (no more than one page) Table of Contents – Begin on next page (no more than one page) Research paper – Begin on next page – enter down two spaces to begin the

next full section (do not start each section on a new page)o Abstracto Introductiono Methodologyo Resultso Discussiono Conclusion

References – begins on new page Appendices – begin on new page

Thesis Research Paper – Section Specifics

Title page – 1st pageThe cover page must contain the title of the research. Make sure that the title completely describes all tested variables of your project. It should be concise but descriptive. You are also expected to include the names of each scientist that worked on the project, and the school name. No other information should be on this page.

Title Page Formatting: A running head and page number in the upper right corner (right aligned) A definition of running head IN ALL CAPS below the running head (left

aligned) Vertically and horizontally centered paper title, followed by author(s) and

affiliationAnimal Research – 2nd page (Only required if IRB approval was needed)If your research involved animals (vertebrates), even if it was only a survey, you must include a statement of your research by the animal research review board

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from MTSU. No other information should be on this page. If no animal research was conducted this page is not necessary.

Acknowledgement(s) of major assistance – 2nd or 3rd pageThis page will only contain a paragraph of acknowledgements. If you received any help on your research, you are expected to acknowledge those contributions to your work. Include a statement on where and when the research was done and acknowledge those who assisted you with the study. This statement should include a description of the help each person, company or facility provided and a professional thank you for their time, dedication, etc. This page should include any mentors who devoted time to critique and review your paper, and facilities that allowed you space or access to equipment to conduct your research, companies or facilities that donated to your research in any way and individuals who assisted your research by providing resources, advice, editing your paper, etc.

Table of contents – 3rd or 4th pageList the topics and subtopics in order and the page numbers on which they start. Add to the table of contents, a list of all graphs, tables and other representative figures. These should have a title and page number. No other information should be on this page.

The title page, animal research page, acknowledgements page and table of contents are required to be their own separate pages. Starting with the Abstract, the remaining sections do

not need to be on separate pages. You can just enter down and begin the next section. Follow APA formatting guidelines.

Research Paper Sections - Begin on new page

AbstractAn abstract is a brief summary of the entire paper and its contents. These few sentences will explain your entire experiment in a very concise way. You should include a sentence or two from each section of the paper. This is not a teaser; this is a spoiler. Abstracts should be single-spaced to set it apart from the rest of the paper, and no more than 250 words . This is actually the last section of the paper that will be written. Save this until last.

A well written abstract includes one or two sentences that discuss each of the following aspects of your research:

1. Research purpose: what is the purpose of your research (research question) and why is it important to know the answer?

2. Previous Knowledge: has this been studied before? What do we already know?

3. Hypothesis: what is your hypothesis?4. Methods: What did you actually do to test your hypothesis? This should be a

brief statement of the method style or well-known procedure used.

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5. Results: what was the overall summary of your data?6. Conclusion: Did the results support/refute hypothesis?7. Implications: What is the significance of your data? What are the

applications of this research?

Introduction

Write the introduction using the following subheadings to provide the necessary information:

Research Purposeo Begin by stating the research question/problem statement. o Tell why this question is important to answer. Who will benefit and

how will they benefit from knowing the answer to this question. o This is the section in which you “hook” me into thinking this research

is important and worth finding out about. Background Information

o Discuss briefly the background details of the topic you are researching. Remember that your intended audience for this paper is scientifically literate but not an expert in this particular subject.

o Include previous research done on your specific topic/problem, including results found in those experiments. You should directly state how these studies relate to your topic and what significance they hold in your research.

o The majority of your resources will be cited in this section of your paper. Remember that plagiarism is unacceptable and can be avoided by providing in text citations. If it is not your original thoughts/ideas, then you need to cite your source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.

Hypothesiso You will conclude your introduction section with a statement of the

hypothesis and an explanation that references the provided background information to support this prediction.

o Hypotheses should be a testable statement of what you expect the results to indicate. There is a difference between a prediction and a hypothesis. A hypothesis will be a statement that will clearly be supported or rejected by the data obtained in your research.

A hypothesis is a specific prediction of what the RESULTS will be.

o Example: Maria will have the highest concentration of pathogen in her spinal fluid than any of the other patients, thus confirming her to be patient zero in the outbreak.

MethodologyIn this section you will state and justify the procedures, materials and methods used to conduct your experiment and research. This should be done in a paragraph

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format stating the step-by-step procedures. You are not giving a cookbook style recipe with materials listed first, followed by directions for how the experiment should be done. This section is written as a paragraph, with a concise explanation of procedures, including all necessary measurements, materials, equations, etc. Materials are only listed as they are used in the research. Do not list them separately. The methodology will mostly consist of an account of how you will conduct your research in order to gather your data. You must justify the use of selective materials (such as specific agars chosen to grow bacteria) and techniques using cited sources. Conclude your methodology with an explanation of how data will be gathered and what techniques will be used to analyze the data for statistical significance. The level of detail included in a methodology is an art in and of itself. You should include all the essential details necessary for someone to read this section and be able to recreate your experiment. That means any and all details that affect the results of the lab must be included. However, remember that your audience is scientifically literate, so you do not have to include commonly used lab practices in your processes. For example, you do not have to tell your reader to “label” their tubes, plates, etc. as any good scientist already knows to label everything in the lab.

This section should be written in the complete professional writing voice (3rd person, passive and past tense), as this is a record of what was done.

Your job is to describe the process you used to collect your data. Separate your methodology into subsections. The purpose of each subsection in the methodology is listed below:

Participants : you will only use this subheading if you have conducted an experiment and/or survey involving human subjects.

a. Describe the surveys and/or the participants in your data collection process

b. Discuss participant demographics, how they were chosen to participate, etc.

Apparatus & Materials: a. Explain the rationale for your choices of major apparatuses

and/significant materials chosen specifically for your study. b. You do not write a full materials list here – this is not like a

recipe where you line out the materials and then the order to “cook them” in.

c. Example: if you used specific types of agar, you must indicate why those types were chosen.

Procedure : a. Describe in chronological order your procedure for collecting

your data.

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b. If survey was used, need to include your survey questions and the data that you will be able to collect/infer from the questions asked here.

c. Using illustrations to effectively show a specific pathway or procedure is acceptable but must be created by you or cited correctly*.

i. *Note: you MUST have written permission from the copyright holder to use any copyrighted images in your paper. You will include this written permission in your appendices.

General Information about the methodology:

Writing voice: 3rd person, passive and past tense is required throughout this section. This is the appropriate writing style for the science disciplines.

You must update your reference page with any additional sources you use in this section and include it with your paper.

For a sample paper, see http://www.thewritesource.com/apa/apa.pdf

Purdue Owl APA Methodology Notes: Your method section provides a detailed overview of how you conducted your research. Because your study methods form a large part of your credibility as a researcher and writer, it is imperative that you be clear about what you did to gather information from participants in your study.

ResultsPresent the results of your research findings in logical order, using the subheadings Data Collected and Analysis.

This section should include: Data Collected :

a. Use charts and graphs to represent all raw data obtained during your experiment. Your paper must have at least one graph to represent your data.

b. Label each chart/graph/table separately (ex: Figure 1, Graph 2, Chart 3, etc.) and include captions that indicate the nature of the graph/table and what information is contained within it. The Caption can be a short paragraph underneath the graph/table.

i. Captions should not interpret the significance or importance of the data obtained, but should explain in text the important features of each table, graph, etc. Directly state what the data shows, but not what it means in terms of your research question/hypothesis.

ii. Numbering data tables, charts and graphs enables you to reference them more easily in text.

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c. Large tables of raw data should not be included in the results section. Instead, they should be moved to the appendix section of the paper and only reference in the results section using their identifying number.

Analysis of Data: a. Report the results of any statistical analysis of your data and

the type of statistical test used.b. Always assume your reader is statistically literate – you do not

have to explain what a T-test or P value is or what it means. i. You do need to state whether or not you used a

“student’s” T-test, etc. The type of test is important and why you chose to use that test (example: A direction hypothesis calls for a one-tailed analysis of the p value)

ii. *Note: you MUST have written permission from the copyright holder to use any copyrighted images in your paper. You will include this written permission in your appendices.

Discussion

Discussion of Data: In this section you will interpret the significance/meaning of your results. First, restate the research question and the predicted hypothesis. Then, you will explain how the data either supported or rejected the initial research questions. Discuss your research findings in relationship to what is already known about the research problem (reported in the introduction section). Acknowledge any limitations that may have affected the research results. Statistical techniques used to manipulate the data may have limitations. Some part of the experiment might have been caused by a random and/or uncontrolled confounding variable. Again, acknowledge these limitations and other factors over which the researcher had no control, and state how these might have influenced the study outcome.

Discussion: This section should include:

Begin this section by restating the research question and the alternative hypothesis.

Next, analyze the results obtained from your experiment by explaining whether or not your results show support or cause you to reject your hypothesis.

a. You must directly relate your results to your hypothesis here – directly state whether they support or reject it.

Discuss your research findings in relationship to what is already known about the research problem (reported in the introduction section).

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Acknowledge any limitations that may have affected the research results.

a. Statistical techniques used to interpret the data may have limitations.

b. Some part of the experimental data collected might have been caused by a random and/or uncontrolled confounding variables.

c. Again, acknowledge these limitations and other factors over which the researcher had no control, and state how these might have influenced the study outcome.

Postulate improvements that could be made to this study if it was to be redone. How could it be made better?

Postulate future studies that could be conducted based on your research

a. Include potential new research questions, hypotheses, etc.

Conclusion:

Draw conclusions based on your research findings. The conclusions can include relevant, subjective observations or comments. It is also helpful to cite sources that may have had similar results as yours or may have been conducted in a similar manner. You will also want to again reference the significance of your research or findings. What will the information be used for? You also need to postulate future experiments that could be performed to improve upon yours or to further investigate your topic.

This is the final section of the paper and tends to be just a couple of sentences. You will draw from all of the other portions of your paper to write the conclusion without directly copying them.

Begin this section by concisely restating the findings of your research. Then, reference the significance of your research and/or findings.

a. What will/could this information be used for? b. Why was it important to find this information?c. How will it benefit humanity/society?

References – start this section on a new pageThis is a list of citations for every source you cited in your text. Parenthetical notations are required for all direct quotes and statements of fact or opinions that are taken from written sources. Figures, dates, descriptions of situations, scientific data, opinion and representations that are presented to advance the subject of your paper, need a stated source. Every citation and the entire formatting for this paper will be completed using APA

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Failure to document your sources will results in a ZERO on your paper and a meeting with your parents, your teacher and a member of administration.

Appendices – start this section on a new page (this section is optional)In some cases, you may wish to include large tables of raw data, multiple photographs of methodology or results, etc. in your report. You should include such items in an appendix at the very end of your research report and reference their location in your paper when you refer to their information. Label each table, graph, chart or picture with a title and number so you can easily reference them in-text. You will also paginate your appendices with an A preceding the page numbers.

GENERAL RULES FOR THESIS RESEARCH_AND ASSIGNMENTS:

For each assignment, you will be given a grade by your Biomed teacher. You are also required to turn in sections of the research paper to both your

English teachers and your mentors on the date they are due in Biomed. All digital submissions will use turnitin.com. While you will be working with a partner for this entire project, you and

your partner are expected to write separate research papers. o You will share similarities, such as sources, data, hypotheses, etc.

However, your papers should not be the same. If you and/or your partner are ever discovered to have plagiarized (sources

or each other), it will result in a meeting with your parents, your teacher and a member of administration.

Steps of the research process and assignments as they occur in order:

Step 1: Select your partnerThis may be one of the most important steps of the process. You will work with this person for the entire length of the project. Choose someone who will complement your talents. If you are excellent at writing papers but are terrified of public speaking, choose someone who speaks and presents well. If you love labs but have difficulty organizing the data into charts and graphs, choose someone with those skills. Keep in mind your schedules, interests, and abilities to meet after school. It is not necessarily a good idea to work with friends. You need to feel comfortable with whomever you choose, but you also need to express concerns and dissatisfaction if the need arises. It’s hard to mix business with friendships. This is business.

Assignment 1: You and your partner will each sign a contract stating your expectations of each other during this project. Your teacher will witness your contracts and will hold you to these terms.

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Step 2: Select your topicThis is second in importance in the project. Pick something in which you are interested or know a little. You will spend the entire year working on this topic. If you select a topic that is too broad then you will have difficulty conducting the research. If you select a topic that is too difficult you may not have the basic knowledge to develop a research project design. Your teacher will guide you but you must understand that if your teacher sends you in a different direction it is for your own good. Your topic must be something that you can do within our budget, with the available resources and equipment and time constraints.

Assignment 2: Make a list of 3 researchable topics in which you and your partner are interested. Your teacher will discuss these with you and offer suggestions. In your journal, research background knowledge for each of the researchable topics.

Assignment 3: You and your partner must decide on an official topic and have it approved by the teacher.

Step 3: Collection of resources & background informationLiterary sources should be acquired throughout the entire process. For this reason, notes and organization are important. Keep up with all sources so they may be sited in your paper. AT LEAST SEVEN HIGH QUALITY SOURCES ARE REQUIRED. They must be properly documented using APA format and parenthetical documentation. Your sources must meet the following requirements:

At least 3 sources MUST come from peer reviewed journals (primary research in the field of your topic)

Only 1 textbook or encyclopedia may be used (but not required) All others MUST come from other high quality, credible sources

Current newspaper articles will be acceptable and may provide a good source for application of your research. Sources from databases may be counted as written sources as long as they may also be found in print form. High quality sources will support your research and will help you write a strong paper.

Assignment 4: Documentation of at least 4 of these sources – including the APA citation, and notes on the main ideas from the source within the thesis journal

ining a mentorAn ideal mentor is a professional individual or educator who works in the area of interest. You are responsible for contacting potential mentors and

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asking for their participation in your project. You must show at least 2 pieces of evidence, each, in your attempts to secure a mentor. It is advisable that you attempt to secure more than one mentor. This will give a safety net in the event that a mentor backs out or neglects to participate well when you are further into the project. Using a teacher at Central Magnet School is a last resort, and must be pre-approved by your teacher. You must show multiple documented attempts and failures to secure a professional or educator outside the school before a CMS teacher will be approved as your mentor.

Assignment 5: You and your partner must provide documented evidence of your attempts to secure a mentor.

This evidence could include: Emails Telephone logs and documentation of the conversations (these

logs should show a conversation with the actual mentor and not an assistant) including date, time, duration and topics discussed.

Documentation of a face-to-face conversation, including date, time, duration and topics discussed.

Thank you notes for the professional’s time and consideration (no matter how you choose to contact your potential mentor, you are expected to send a thank you note. This should be a hand written note that is mailed or hand delivered. Do not send a thank you email if at all possible.)

Step 5: Writing the Introduction SectionEven if you have not completed your experiment and collected all of your data, you should have completed your review of background literature well enough to write the introduction section of your paper. Scientific writing is very concise. You are expected to use the “professional writing voice”. That means you will write in third person, passive voice. Most of your introduction will be written in present tense except when you are referencing research that has already taken place. This is not an English class narrative. Keep your paper concise and to the point. All sources referenced in this section (which will be most if not all of them) should be noted in parenthetical notation. The introduction should include, in order, your research purpose, your background information (including any supporting information needed for the reader to become familiar with your topic) and your hypothesis. Your background information should not be a list of definitions. Instead you should be asking and answering questions. Why is this experiment significant? Is this experiment similar to a historically important experiment? What is known? What is still not known and what progress is being made in the field of study? Typically, this will be one of the longest sections of your paper and will use the majority of your sources. (See the Introduction formatting section for more information)

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Assignment 6: Turn in your introduction section of research paper. Additionally turn in literature cited page with sources cited in this section.

Step 6: Experimental DesignThis is the heart and soul of the project. You are the scientist! You are expected to design and conduct an experiment that is repeatable. You may not have time to repeat it, depending on the length of the project, but your procedure should be clear so that anyone wanting to repeat it could do so. You are responsible for planning your entire methodology. Your teacher and mentors will offer advice and suggestions but you are the designer. Your teacher will sign off on your experimental design once you have presented it and revised it as necessary.

If conducting an experimental study, you MUST ensure that your experiment has only ONE independent variable that will be affecting your dependent variable. This will require detailed forethought and planning.

Assignment 7: Following the experimental design format provided, complete each step of the experimental design process. This will include each of the following aspects:

Create a concise research question from your chosen topic. This will be the question or problem that your research attempts to answer or solve.

Write your Research Purpose. (See introduction section for details on how to write this section)

Create the hypothesis for your research. It should be based on what you found in your background research (this is an EDUCATED guess).

Determine the appropriate methodology and variables for your experimental design.

Create a list of all materials needed to conduct the methodology.

o If you miss the deadline for materials to be ordered, it will be your responsibility to acquire these materials on your own or you will have to redesign your project so you can use materials available at home/school.

Design an experiment timeline and pacing guide. Consider school calendars, breaks and personal commitments when determining timeline. Limitations to consider while scheduling may include:

o Extended breaks during the course of the yearo Testing or other interruptions in the schedule

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o Growing seasons and weather that might impact research variables

o Availability of supplies or materialso Access to labs or equipmento Availability of faculty to assist students before or

after schoolo Availability of library resources and computerso Length of time required for experiments in the

subject areao Dates for submission of assignments, papers,

posters, etc.

Step 7: Conduct the experiment and carefully record your data. All data must be well organized and recorded in each individual’s lab books.

This step will be completed during the timeline you and your partner have established. You will be writing the paper intermittently during this time. Your class days will either consist of you doing the experiments or writing the paper.

Assignment 8: Experiment DocumentationYou should have written in your thesis journal a complete documentation of your methodology and your materials used. You should also be taking several pictures of your experiment to document both methodology and results obtained.

Step 8: Research paper Methodology Section The materials and methods sections should not include lists or give directions. It should be written in the professional voice (3rd person, passive) and all in past tense. After all, you are reporting how the experiment was performed, not how it should be conducted. You should include any notes you have made in your research journal about the procedures and materials you actually used in conducting your experiment. In this section, remember to include any and all materials and methods that have a direct effect on the data obtained. However, you need to be concise. You do not have to include steps that are known scientific practices. This type of writing takes practice. For example: I do not need to include the step of correctly labeling my vials, as it can be assumed that all scientists know to label their items in lab. But, I do need to include that I measured .4ul into each of the vials.

Assignment 9: Turn in the methodology section of your paper. Additionally, turn in an updated References page to include the resources used in this section.

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Step 9: Data and Analysis Data analysis is key to showing validity and reliability in your results. This is what will be used to show whether your results either support or refute your hypothesis. Data may be qualitative, that which involves observations of change, or quantitative, that which requires numerical data to be collected. Your teacher can assist you in determining which type of data you should collect. In either case, you should be able to draw conclusions about how your variable has caused a change.

Qualitative data: Experiments involving qualitative data will require a table, which is organized so that information may be easily compared and conclusions may be drawn. Students are highly encouraged to include a quantitative collect of data as well, if at all possible.

Quantitative data: These experiments must have at least one table of data and at least one graph/chart that shows the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. You will also be required to perform the appropriate statistical analysis test on your data to determine if it is significant. You should be able to discuss the trend of your data.

Assignment 10: Schedule a meeting with your math teacher or mentor to discuss your data table and/or graph in your journal. Record in your journal the information you gather in this meeting and what was determined to be the best way to statistically analyze and summarize your data. This will be shown to your teacher for approval.

Results Section: The data collected in your experiment, the graphs/charts used to show relationships and the results of the statistical analysis of the data are what go into the results section of the paper. Each table, graph, chart, etc. should be labeled with a number and followed by a caption that summarizes what is found in the table/graph/chart.

Assignment 11: Turn in the Results sections of your paper to your teacher. The data graphs, tables and charts should all be computer generated and printed. If you need help learning to use programs, such as Excel, there are many web-based tutorials available. You may also want to seek out your math teachers, science teachers or mentors and schedule an appointment for this too.

Discussion Section:The discussion section is where you discuss what the results mean in relationship to your hypothesis. You will need to state the implications and inferences that can be made about the relationships between the

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independent and dependent variables here, and how those relate back to the hypothesis. In order to do this best, you should restate your hypothesis or at least reference the predicted results and directly relate that to the results obtained. You will use your sources to help you support or refute your hypothesis. More importantly, you will draw conclusions about the data you have collected. These conclusions should not be duplicates of the statements made in your analysis section but should be more summative. Instead of saying, “the rate of change of variable A was 0.25 and variable B was 0.10”, you might say, “variable A had a greater rate of change, indicating…”

General statements of the data collected supported by other sources are the key to a good conclusion. Additionally, you should sight potential sources of error (especially if the data is not what you predicted to find) and suggest possible future experiments to further test your hypothesis or a new hypothesis.

Assignment 12: Turn in the discussion section with correct documentation and the updated references page.

Step 10: Writing the ConclusionThis is the final section of the paper and tends to be just a couple of sentences. You will draw from all of the other portions of your paper to write the conclusion without directly copying them. What is the significance of this experiment? How has this information been used in society or how will it be used? It might be helpful to ask yourself why you conducted the experiment. You will conclude this

Assignment 13: Turn in the conclusion with correct documentation and the updated references page.

Step 11: Writing the AbstractAn abstract is a brief summary of the entire paper and its contents. These few sentences will explain your entire experiment in a very concise way.

Assignment 14: Create the abstract for your final paper and turn it in to the teacher. We will peer review these before you turn them in for a grade. Review the section specific guidelines for instructions on how to write a good abstract.

Step 12: Final draft of the Written Research PaperThe final draft of your paper must include an abstract and a table of contents. One of the last steps of the scientific method is to report your findings. The general order of the paper will be: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and

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Methods, Results (data), Discussion and Conclusion(s). These headings should be included in the paper. All sources must be correctly documented in the text. Grammar and spelling do count. Your paper, not including the cover page or the literature cited page, should be at least 5-7 pages. I will not assign page requirements for each section of your paper because research like this does not fall into a “one-size fits all” mentality. You are required to thoroughly and concisely define your research in all sections. See your rubrics for more information. There will not be a completed “rough draft” in this project since each section of your paper will be graded as an individual component. If you score poorly on a section, you must make changes or your grade will display that and/or it will decline even more.

Assignment 15: Turn in your final draft of your thesis research paper, including the abstract, table of contents and all other required paper components.

Assignment 16: Submit final paper to the Junior Academy of Sciences.

Step 13: Oral and Visual PresentationThis presentation will be given in front of your peers, teachers, administrators, project mentors and outside community members, here at Central by way of the Thesis Expo. You may also be required to present your work at one additional symposium in the community. You will be required to make a poster presentation of your research. This can be done manually, using a large trifold poster board, or it can be done using a poster template that is then professionally printed. You will be given specifics of the poster requirements and a rubric to follow. You might also consider bringing visual aids, such as examples of equipment or research subjects used during your experiment. You may also consider having a demonstration if possible of the experiment performed. This might be helpful in explaining your research project to others.

Assignment 17: Create Your Research poster

Assignment 18: Give an Oral Research Presentation at an Expo (this grade is your Final Exam Grade for the course)

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2016-2017 Biomedical Thesis Research Project Timeline*

Date Student Task / AssignmentsOverview of project and handbookPartners selected and contract signed (A1)Parent signature required and obtainedPossible topics brainstormed and researched (A2)

Official topic chosen (A3)Thesis journal check for at least 3 resources (A5)Research question / problem statement and Hypothesis due (A6)Mentor obtained (A4)Experimental method design (A7), experimental timeline (A9) and materials list with budget (A8) dueResearch purpose section and Introduction sections due (A11)

Experiment has been conducted and data gathered (A10)Materials and Methods section due (A12)Meeting with mentors or math teacher to discuss data completed (A13)Results, Discussion and Conclusion sections due (A14 / A15)Abstracts due for peer reviews (A16)Complete final draft due (A17)

TBA (A18) Papers submitted to Junior Academy of Sciences

TBA Posters due for peer reviewTBA Final posters due (A19)TBA (A20) Central Magnet Senior Thesis Expo 8 am – 2

pmTBA Various possible symposiums

*These dates are tentative and subject to change. Teacher will give you advanced notice of any changes.

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