1. ElegansProposal TEMPLATE (90 pts)

 

This document has been set up to assist students in preparing the text for their C. elegansProposal in terms of layout, section headings and sub-sections. Follow sections included in grading rubric to receive full credit.

 

The Research Proposal is a complete description of yourintended research.  This is to be done individually, and through the proposal, the student needs to demonstrate convincingly that the study will make a contribution to the understanding of the genetics of a biological process. The full research proposal should present, at least briefly, the following:

 

The proposal must consist of the following:

 

• Title (Front page, includes title, name, date, lab course number, contributors and TA name.
• Abstract (250 words)
• Introduction (C. elegans Intro, Biological Process of Interest, Phenotype description, Mutagenesis Screen)

Background, Research question/Hypothesis, Rationale, Significance/Impact

• Research Objectives(Purpose of EMS Screen)

Specific aims (3 Total)

• Experimental Approach (Methodology)
• Anticipated Results
• Discussion of Broader Impact

conclusions & Future Directions

• References

 

In text citations:

• Should include both names for citations with two authors and the year of publication.
• Citations with three or more authors name the first author with et al. for the other authors, and the year of publication.
• Cite only articles that are published or in press.
• To cite personal communications or unpublished results, list all contributors by initials and last name.

 

Sample in text citation:

1. elegans are the best model organism ever (Robledo et al., 2016).

 

Note:Do not forget to incorporate at least 2 meaningful figures in your proposal.

 

 

WHEN YOU ARE DONE, DELETE THIS FRONT INSTRUCTION PAGE FROM YOUR PROPOSAL

 

Submit a paper copy of your proposal to the TA on the date it is due.

There will be a 10% penalty per day for late submission.

Electronic copies will not suffice.

 

TITLE OF YOUR PROJECT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although abstract comes first, this section should always be written last. It needs to be written last because it is the essence of your proposal summarized in 300 words or less. This section is very short, and it is necessary because it forces you to be accurate and yet compact, two essential qualities.

 

introduction

Peer reviewed resources required in this section.

Background, Overview & Rationale, Statement of the Problem, Research Question/Hypothesis, Significance

 

The primary job of any scientific introduction is to establish the purpose of doing the experiment that is to be reported. When scientists do research, the main purpose that guides their work is to contribute to the knowledge of their field. That’s why the scientific context they establish in their introductions usually consists of summarizing previous research reports published in the field. A scientific contribution to the knowledge of the field can be understood only within the context of what other scientists have done.

 

The introduction of yourProposal is a chance for you to “hook” the reader and preview the important details you’ll be talking about in the later sections of the paper. A good introduction provides the reader with background theory, previous research, and problems/objectives of the experiment. Typically, the final sentences include your statement of the problem and question/hypothesis that address your problem. In this assignment the following background theory should be included in introduction: C. elegans Intro, Biological Process of Interest, Phenotype description, Mutagenesis Screen.

 

An effective introduction to a Proposal typically performs the following tasks, generally in the order presented:

 

1. It establishes the learning context for your research by:
   1. Giving the necessary background for the learning context by providing pertinent information about the scientific concept (comes from sources)
2. It provides the primary goals of your proposal by:
   1. Presenting the objective(s) for the experimental procedure (what is being done in the experiment, such as to measure something, to test something, to determine something, etc); and
   2. Defining the purpose of the lab
3. It offers a hypothesis for the experimental procedure by:
   1. Stating a hypothesis, or the best estimation of the outcome of the lab procedure; and
   2. Explaining the scientific reasoning that leads the researcher to that hypothesis

 

The introduction should not include details about the procedures you used in your study. Save these for the Materials and Methods section. You should also leave out the results, which will go in the Results section.

Research OBJECTIVES AND AIMS: Overall Objective(s): Specific Aims (plan of action)

 

Methods and Specific Aims

research design and methods; Experimental Approach; Methods & Material

Overview& Rationale, Experimental methods and materials, Data collection and analysis

This section provides experimental procedure. You can use your lab manual for help.. The materials should include all required materials required for procedure. The experimental procedure describes the process in chronological order. Using clear paragraph structure, describe what is needed and all steps in the order they actually happen. In this section you should explain how data was collected and then how the data was analyzed. Statistic subsection can be provided.

 

 

 

 

 

RESULTS&DISCUSSION

ANTICIPATED RESULTS

This section is usually dominated by calculations, tables and figures. However, you still need to state all significant results explicitly in verbal form. Graphics need to be clear, easily read, and well labeled.

 

DISCUSSION

Discussion, Impact &Conclusions, Future Directions

When writing a Proposal discussion, be aware of the purpose behind your experiment(s). How do YOU interpret the results from the experiment(s) you did. This section lets the research take a step back and give a broader look at the experiment you propose to complete. This is also a section where you can discuss the significance of your questions.