Writing your Assignment

The assignments In Biology, the assignments (four) will all follow the same format They have three important components: A description of a Biological aspect Presentation of perspective and justify from a scientific perspective Annotated Bibliography

Introduction In assignments an introduction is not essential; however, you may choose to write a brief introduction, usually no more than one paragraph, to give a context to the assignment.

1. Describing the Biological aspect This is the UB component Give all relevant information at an appropriate level In Senior Biology this means writing in the correct genre (scientific report) using appropriate terminology Present the relevant chemistry and physics background Usually starting from a level at which a layperson might understand

Include diagrams and images to enhance understanding Don’t include images without referring to them in your text Make sure you label the diagram Usually figure one or fig 1 etc Put the source below the diagram Place the diagram as close as possible to where you refer to it in the text

Terminology If you use complex terms, explain them fully. If you acronyms, abbreviations or initials, make sure you expand them completely the first time you use them in the assignment. Example: DNA should be written as Deoxyribonucleic acid the first time it is mentioned.

Scientific names Can be written in two ways: Italicised: Ixodes holocyclus note: no capital Underlined: Ixodes holocyclus

Information should include: Key definitions All words/terms that are not common knowledge e.g. Activation energy Key concepts Any of the principles and ideas that you rely upon as part of your explanation or justification E.g. How Iodine indicates for starch

2. Presentation and justification of a position from a scientific perspective This the EBI component To achieve this, you need to: Give scientific evidence (quantitative data is king) to support your position Discuss the other perspective/s and provide evidence to refute/justify why that perspective is flawed e.g. vaccinations causing autism

Data Use a dart board approach The bullseye is data that exactly discusses the topic If that data is unavailable, the next best data is on similar research: eg if you can’t find data on a virus in Qld, then NSW is the next best option

Quantitative vs Qualitative In Science, quantitative data is king. Qualitative data is also very useful, especially as supporting evidence.

Presentation of data Try to present data in the most salient form possible. Use graphical organisers: Graphs Histograms Flow charts diagrams

How do you show evidence of integrated research? By citing (in text referencing) Direct quotes Indirect quotes Make sure you don’t keep citing the same author. That is not integrated research.