Overview
The student will compose a brief essay identifying the parts of the scientific method (DSL 100.1) including future research questions or proposed experiments (DSL 100.4) in current published research from a series of provided articles. Students are only required to choose ONE of the posted articles to write on, but all articles should be read briefly to determine which may be the preferential article for students to review.The scientific method must be clearly identified, discussed, and supported with evidence from the provided source; additional reliable sources may be referred to, as needed or required. The essay should be anywhere from 1-3 pages, double-spaced, with proper APA formatting including a title page and reference page. Essays should be submitted as a Word document or a PDF of the original document. Any other document formats will not be accepted, and students will need to resubmit in the proper format in order to receive credit. All submissions will be submitted to TurnItIn for a plagiarism review. Students are encouraged to review their TurnItIn reports and correct any problems before the deadline. If a student is unaware of how to review their report, please contact the professor for help.
The use of AI chatbots (such as chatgpt, Jasper, or Perplexity) are strictly prohibited in this assignment. Any attempt to use AI in your academic work including editing, generating ideas, paraphrasing, or creating content will be considered a violation of Lynn University’s Academic Integrity policy and will be reported to the academic dean.
Requirements and Instructions
The journal includes the following processes and requirements:
Introduction (1 paragraph)
Start with an engaging attention getter related to the topic. Continue by mentioning the study as the subject for this paper. Identify the observations and/or problems addressed by the research.
The problem or observation is what created the curiosity in the scientist(s). It is often articulated by the scientists or by the author of the article. While reading your article, it may be helpful to ask yourself, “Why did these scientists do this study? What observations had they made previously? What research question were they attempting to answer? What problems did they mention that required a scientific investigation to better understand?” Students should attempt to include any previous scientific findings, observable facts, or conclusions of previous studies mentioned in the article within your writing of this section.
Write a valid hypothesis statement which is addressed by the research in the article and include it at the end of your introduction.
A hypothesis needs to be written in a way to include the following: a predictive, quantifiable, and testable statement. The hypothesis should be a clear declaration of the expected cause and effect (or correlative relationship) between independent and dependent variables. It will never be stated in the article, but it can be inferred from the description of the experiment. It is up to the student to reverse engineer the hypothesis from the experimental design. The best strategy is to start by identifying the independent and dependent variables, and then create a statement of cause and effect based on the research design described in the article. For that reason, I always suggest that students write this statement last after they have written their description of the other parts of the scientific method.
Scientific Method (2-4 paragraphs)
Identify additional parts to the scientific method including research methods (procedures and materials to carry out the study), independent and dependent variables, specific and quantifiable results, and research conclusions
Please include sufficient detail to describe the research methods, including any key procedures or technologies used. The reader should be able to understand what the process and methods of the study were without having to refer to the source material.
Clearly state the independent and dependent variables.
List the measurable data and/or any observations made by researchers in the study. Be sure to provide your own understanding of what the data/observations mean, not just what was said by the scientists.
Describe the conclusions of the study in your own words (paraphrased). It is important to use your own language in order to indicate your understanding of the study.
New for this journal: Ethics in place of Future Studies (1 paragraph)
Analyze the journal for any ethical implications from the study. There are several ways one can approach this section, but please choose just one of the following approaches:
Consider and discuss if the conclusions of this research informs any personal ethical decision making or helps to determine the moral course of action. Describe how it changes your perception on what the correct course of action would be when faced with a moral dilemma
Describe and discuss any societal impacts that apply from this research. It may be helpful to consider any changes to the current societal norms that may need revision in light of the evidence from this study. How should society change after understanding this new evidence?
Consider and discuss how the findings may have a negative impact on individuals. Discuss what can be done to minimize the negative impact on individuals.
About 1 paragraph of writing should be sufficient. Please be thorough in your thought process.
Conclusion (1 paragraph)
End the journal definitively with a closing paragraph.
A brief conclusive statement that reiterates the main ideas of the study and key conclusions.
A statement reviewing the student’s thoughts on ethical implications from the study.
A brief sentence to wrap up the essay in an interesting manner.
Other Key Instructions
Use indirect quotes, examples, and evidence to support all points.
Do NOT copy and paste material from the source. Do NOT use quotation marks at any time. Students should paraphrase all material from the sources for this assignment. If the student’s paraphrased writing is too similar to the source material (*based on the Turn It In report), revise and rephrase until it is sufficiently different as to avoid plagiarism. ***Be sure to include citations for any paraphrased information from the source.
All supporting ideas and information from the source material must be paraphrased in the student’s own words.
Quantitative data (numbers) does not have to be reworded, so long as any other phrasing describing the data is in the student’s own words.
Scientific terminology and key jargon does not need to be reworded, but take care to not use the exact phrasing of the source material.
When including conclusions of the researchers or other expert opinions, paraphrase their thoughts using your own language and phrasing.
Properly organize information within and between paragraphs using full sentences with proper grammar and appropriate academic voice.
Do NOT use point form to describe content from the articles.
Your writing should flow from one section to the next. Brief transitional phrases are necessary to guide the reader to the next section of writing.
Ideally, the writing should be organized in the sequence of the scientific method: Observations, Hypothesis, Experiment (methods & materials), Results, and Conclusion.
Format layout, citations, and references in correct APA style.
Cite any and all information that comes from the source material. Since this essay is mostly just relaying the information from the article, most of the writing will need to have in-text citations following the sentences. A reminder of the academic standard: Any information or ideas that did not originally come from the student’s brain must be cited.
Ensure citations in-text match the reference list at the end of the essay.
Include a separate page titled “References” as per APA format. List the full references on that page.
Please refer to the library website if you need further guidance: APA Formatting
Article to use:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231009191623.htm
