Experimental Design Paper (30 Points)

Date Due: _______________________

The experimental design
laboratory exercise and research paper are a chance for you to see the
scientific method in action. Over the next few weeks, you will be conducting
and monitoring an experiment. The methods have already been outlined in your
lab manual for you. It is your job to take the background information you have
been provided with and come up with several hypotheses on how you think the
experiment will turn out. After you complete the experiment, your duty as a
scientist is to present your results in a format that your fellow researchers
can use to further their own research. That’s where the experimental
design paper comes in. In the real world, experiments are rarely a solo
endeavor. Several people are usually involved with designing and conducting an
experiment and writing up the results. Keeping with that, you will be assigned
to a group that will be responsible for performing the lab exercise and
submitting the experimental design paper. You should think about the strengths
of each member in the group as you assign tasks. Who is the responsible one
that will consistently check on the experiment? Who has research experience and
can go to the library to pull up background information? Who is good at
designing tables and figures? Who will be the editor that can put the final
paper together?

The paper you turn in will be
written in the same format as you would have to write it in to submit for
publication to a scholarly journal. (In this case, The Journal of Professor Laughter) My requirements for submission
are listed below:

The
entire paper should be computer generated in 12 point standard font such
as Times New Roman or Courier (ok, I’ll even accept Arial, but no wingdings).

Margins
should be 1 inch all the way around—I will measure them!

The entire
paper should be double spaced with the exception of the Title, Author names,
and the Abstract.

The
top of the paper should list the title of the paper in BOLD 14 point font followed by a
double space and then the group members listed last name first
followed by first name initials in 12 point font, all on one line. (order
of the listing is up to you) Double space after the authors’ names
and type the Abstract heading.

I will
deduct heavily for first person statements.

Citations
should be noted in the text. (AMA or MLA format)

Each
section of the paper should be titled using BOLD 12 point font.

The following sections are required:

Abstract: Here
you will describe in 100 words or less the overall gist of your paper (use your
word count on your computer to check yourself).  Please see the notes I gave out in class
or the appendix in the lab manual if you do not know how to write an abstract.
The abstract should be single spaced. Abstract should be written last.

Introduction: First,
give me some background on the topic. What is ionizing radiation? What effects
does it have on plants? What other researchers have looked at this? In the
introduction, you will need to use actual references from other studies, not
just your lab manual. Make sure that you cite them properly. After you have
thoroughly described the topic, tell me about your experiment. Why might it be
important to conduct this experiment? Why do plants make good research models
for this experiment? Etc. At the very end, tell what you hoped to learn with
your experiment by stating your hypotheses.

Materials and Methods: In your own words, summarize the techniques you used
to perform the experiment. Pretend that you are instructing a reader completely
unfamiliar with our lab on how to set up the experiment, but do not use FIRST PERSON!
I should be able to replicate your experiment based on your descriptions.
The directions must be in paragraph, not list form. Make sure that you mention
the control group and describe all the experimental groups.

Results and Figures: Here is where you present your data. Divide the
section into two parts. The first section should describe only your group
results. The second section should describe the results of all the data taken
from the rest of the class. You must include at least one table showing
the germination and morphological data (you should have this entered on Table 1
on page 16 of the lab manual). You also must include at least 2 graphs:
the first showing RAD versus Percent Germination and the second showing RAD
versus Plant Height. It is up to you if you want to include additional tables
and graphs, but only include them if they are relevant. You may incorporate the
tables and graphs within the text of this section, or you may attach them at
the end of the paper as an Appendix. Computer graphs are visually appealing,
but it is not necessary to have computer generated graphs, as long as the
graphs are neatly drawn and properly labeled. DO NOT INTERPRET the results in
this section. Simply present the facts.

Discussion: Here is where you analyze and discuss your results. Talk about whether
you accept or reject your hypotheses. What conclusions regarding the effects of
radiation on seeds and seedlings did you make? Are these conclusions valid? If
not, what other observations or methods are needed to validate your findings?
What are some of the problems with the experimental set up? What future
experiments could be performed that might better address the topic? Etc. The
discussion should be at least 2 complete paragraphs. This section is where you
can go off (slightly) on tangents and intercept your own thoughts and ideas
about the experiment.

References: You
should cite all resources using the APA format we discussed in class or the MLA
format if you prefer. You can use the following website as a guide for
citations. http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm

Grading:

5 point deduction for each class day the paper is overdue

Personal participation will be graded by fellow group members.

No page length requirement…each section must fill above
requirements.

Feature

Possible Points

Earned Points

Abstract

10

Introduction

12

Materials and Methods

12

Results and Figures

12

Discussion

12

References

10

Proper grammar/format

12

Personal Participation

20

Total Points

100