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Writing the Research Paper

• A single paper in the style of a journal article submitted for publication is due after the last day of laboratory class.
• Drafts of each section of the paper will be evaluated during the course and must be turned in with the final paper.
• Please review my grading criteria and rubric for the final paper.
  
  Special Note: Although each draft is worth just 5 points, it is not simply a "completion grade." If it were a completion grade and you automatically received 5 points, then many students would just throw something together last minute to earn those points. I don't expect your drafts to be perfect but in order to earn full credit, they must follow recommended guidelines--you have multiple resources to help you, including the OWL-Space class videos, McMillan, BIOC 311 web site, sample research paper from our model journal, and paper writing experiences from BIOC 211.  You are not writing a research paper for the first time--you do have more data and you have to select what data to present and how to present it.  There are certain expectations for your draft at this level (i.e., a junior/senior level advanced course). The more effort and care you put into the rough drafts, the better the feedback I can give you and the less time you'll have to spend making revisions for the final paper.  It truly is in your best interests to pay attention to my comments so that you can make improvements for your final paper as well as not repeat readily avoidable mistakes.  
  
  FREEBIE: During the fall and spring semesters, you have the option of taking ONE two-day extension for ONE section draft. Please notify me by e-mail if you decide to take this extension. I encourage you to hold onto this option in case something unexpected arises around a due date for a section draft--if you have an issue, please use your free extension first; if you need additional time, please contact me so we can discuss your situation.
  

Instructions to Authors

• You are submitting a manuscript for publication in the Journal of Experimental Biosciences; Dr. Beason is the Editor-in-Chief
• It is a condition of publication that manuscripts must be written in clear, grammatical English (see McMillan, pp. 126-160 (3rd ed.) or 167-205 (4th ed.)). 
• Your drafts as well as your final paper are expected to conform to the specifications described in Instructions to Authors for BIOC 311. Submit all work in its final form (i.e., NOT handwritten, on a computer disk, as an attachment, or in an e-mail message)--ONLY printed documents will be accepted except in special circumstances that must be approved by me in advance of the due date.
  
• A paper published in Protein Expression & Purification will be used as a STYLISTIC MODEL for your paper; a pdf of a sample paper is uploaded in Canvas

Honor Code Policy

• Please carefully read over the policy BEFORE beginning work on your paper.
• If you are in doubt about any part of the policy, please ask the Instructor, not a TA or fellow students.
• Sign the pledge on the Title page of the final, revised paper:
  
  "On my honor, I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this paper" [full signature (in pen)]

Copyright, Acknowledgements, and Intended Use
Created by B. Beason (bbeason@rice.edu), Rice University, 26 May 2006
Updated 23 August 2016