This document provides guidance on writing a scientific literature review paper for a BIO 196 class. It discusses the different types of research papers that can be written, including primary research papers describing original experiments and secondary review papers that summarize previous work in an area. The key components of a literature review paper are outlined, including the abstract, introduction, body, conclusion, acknowledgements, and references. Tips are provided for researching the topic, developing an argument that addresses conflicts or uncertainties, and formatting the paper according to guidelines. Students are advised to choose a topic and develop a timeline for completing stages of writing the review paper.

1. WRITING YOUR BIO 196 PAPER
Marilen M. Parungao
1st Semester 2010‐2011

2. RESEARCH PAPERS THAT YOU CAN
WRITE THIS ACADEMIC YEAR…
• Primary or experimental research papers (THESIS)
– describe an experiment performed by the author
– the paper is about a novel inves>ga>on conducted by
the author
• Secondary or review research papers summarize
the research that has been done in a par>cular
area
– Reviews generally do not introduce much new
informa>on or new results, but rather synthesize a
larger body of work, providing a new perspec>ve on a
field or ques>on

3. YOUR BIO 196 SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
PAPER
• Is not a 'book report' or an annotated list of experiments in
a par>cular field
– Demands a considerable, complete literature review
– Beyond just repor>ng the results and conclusions of other
studies
– Must integrate, interpret and expand these conclusions
• Review papers oLen take historical perspec>ves, describing
how a field (and the major ques>ons in that field) changed
as more informa>on was accumulated
• Review papers may focus on 'the state of the art' in a
par>cular field; interpre>ng divergent results and
sugges>ng an appropriate avenue for future research.

4. TIPS FOR YOUR BIO 196 SCIENTIFIC
REVIEW PAPER
• TIPS:
– Present relevance of a par>cular result or conclusion
– Combine conclusions of separate inves>ga>ons into a
cohesive presenta>on
– May be contrasted and compared; are there
conflic>ng conclusions?
– Can apparent conflicts be resolved through a new
outlook or interpreta>on?

5. HOW WILL YOU WRITE YOUR
BIO 196 PAPER
BEFORE YOU CAN ORALLY PRESENT
ANYTHNG, WRITE SOMETHING!

6. WHAT SHOULD IT CONTAIN?
• Title
• Abstract
• Introduc>on
• Body
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements
• Literature Cited
• NOTE:
– 1) research a topic and find a par>cular set of issues, results or
opinions that seem in conflict;
– 2) research this area in more detail, and then think independently
– 3) Build an that either supports one side of the conflict or resolves it

7. ABSTRACT
• This is a concise summary of the paper: short and
should include a sentence describing each of these
topics:
– objec>ves and introduc>on (background)
– methods
– results
– conclusions and discussion (relevance)
–
• Where you try to gain the a[en>on of the reader : OR
your reader may not want to con>nue reading your
paper
• LAST TO WRITE!

8. INTRODUCTION
• Focuses the reader on the issues you will describe or
contrast in the body of your paper
• Establishes a common point of departure for readers
with different levels of exper>se
• It should provide some jus>fica>on for the paper (why
the issue is important), and it should present the
objec>ve of the paper
• NOTE: Direct the reader from broader background
informa>on to the specific issues that you will address

9. BODY
• Outlines will be a big help to you at
this stage
• Don't be afraid to write your ideas
done before they are perfectly formed
• You can place them in a logical
sequence and develop them into a
flowing presenta>on

10. WHAT THE BODY SHOULD CONTAIN
• Experimental Evidence: Describe important results
from recent primary literature ar>cles and explain how
those results shape our current understanding of the
topic
• Men>on the types of experiments done and their
corresponding data, but do not repeat the
experimental procedure step for step
• Point out and address any controversies in the field
• Use figures and/or tables to present your own
synthesis of the original data or to show key data taken
directly from the original papers

11. CONCLUSION
• Redefine the objec>ve of the study and show
how you sa>sfied these goals
• It should strengthen the rela>onship between
the ideas you have built in the body of the
paper

12. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• Thank the people who helped you research
the ques>on, design or conduct the
experiment, and review draL ETC…

13. LITERATURE CITED
• This sec>on contains bibliographical
informa>on on the references that were
cited in the body of the paper
• Only list the references that were actually
cited in the body of the text
• APA Format in ci>ng references

14. FORMATTING YOUR PAPER
• Use double spacing (or 1.5)
• 12 pt. / Times Roman
• MAX OF 12 PAGES
• One inch margins on all sides
• Page numbering in lower right is preferred

15. READY?
BUT FIRST, CHOOSE A TOPIC!
1. THEME‐CENTERED
2. CLASS WILL CHOSE THE THEME

16. DATE class 9-10 class 10-11
June 21
Lecture 1: Making your Lecture 1: Making your
Review and Assigning of Review and Assigning of
Presentors Presentors
TIMELINE
Lecture 2: How to Lecture 2: How to
TOPICS: JUNE 28
June 28 Present your Paper Present your Paper OUTLINE: JULY 5
FIRST DRAFT: JULY 26
FINAL DRAFT: SEPTEMBER 27
Library Work to Finish Library Work to Finish
Review paper (Submit Review paper (Submit
Review Paper on July 26 Review Paper on July 26
to Reactor and Faculty- to Reactor and Faculty-
July in-Charge) in-Charge)
August and Seminar Proper (3 Seminar Proper (3
September papers at a time) papers at a time)
August 2 Speaker 1-3
August 9 Speaker 1-3
August 16 Speaker 4-6
August 23 Speaker 4-6
August 30 Speaker 7-9
Seotember 6 Speaker 7-9
Speaker 10 and
September 13 Awarding
Speaker 10 and
September 20 Awarding