BI1001 Full Practical Report Assessment:
Protein Assay Practical
For this practical based assessment, you will present your data and conclusions from the protein assay practical in the form of a scientific report, without quoting or citing the practical manual. Your report must include an appropriate title as well as your ID code.
Scientific reports are usually written with at least five sections: introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and references. Any textbooks or scientific papers that you use should be cited in the text and the full reference given in a reference list at the end of the report in Cardiff University Harvard style. This will be a good opportunity for you to practice using referencing software such as Sciwheel or EndNote.
Word guideline is 1500. This DOES NOT include tables, figures, legends or reference list, but does include in-text citations. There is no penalty for going over the guideline but the mark scheme will consider elements such as conciseness, relevance of the material and whether it is of appropriate length.
This assessment builds on all the practical-based Mastering Scientific Writing workshops you have undertaken during the year. Use your notes and feedbacks from these workshops!
- Introduction
The Introduction provides the context for the report by summarizing the background literature, stating the aims of the work, and discussing potential outcomes. It answers key questions: What was studied? Why is it important? What is known before this study? How will this study contribute to knowledge?
- Materials and Methods
The methods section should provide sufficient detail for replication, while avoiding unnecessary explanations of basic procedures. Assume readers are familiar with basic methods such as pipetting and solution preparation. Use prose with distinct subheadings for each method, avoiding lengthy descriptions. For example, instead of detailing the preparation of a dilute glucose solution, state the starting concentration and final concentration achieved after dilution. Use past tense and third person perspective, and include statistical analysis details at the section’s end, including software used.
Avoid repeatedly using a single sentence to relate a single action or use very lengthy/wordy passages. A related sequence of actions can be combined into one sentence to improve clarity and readability:
Avoid: “The petri dish was placed on the turntable. The lid was then raised slightly. An inoculating loop was used to transfer culture to the agar surface. The turntable was rotated 90 degrees by hand. The loop was moved lightly back and forth over the agar to spread the culture. The bacteria were then incubated at 37°C for 24 hours”.
Improved Example: “Each plate was placed on a turntable and streaked at opposing angles with fresh overnight E. coli culture using an inoculating loop. The bacteria were then incubated at 37°C for 24h”.
- Results
You should use the Results section to present key findings in an orderly sequence using text, tables, and figures. Statistical analyses may be summarized in the text, tables, or figures, with exact p-values reported unless smaller than 0.0001, in which case they are noted as p<0.0001. Use “significant” only when referring to statistical significance. Important negative results should also be reported. Include appropriate units for all data and summary statistics. Tables, graphs, etc., should be integrated into the text and not presented alone without explanation. Always reference tables and figures in the text before presenting them.
For this practical, results section should encompass absorbance values, protein concentrations (with calculation details), proteinuria determination, and conclusions from your analyses.
- Discussion:
The Discussion evaluates the presented data in the context of existing knowledge, addressing technical issues and potential discrepancies. It connects to the Introduction, assessing whether aims were achieved and hypotheses supported. The validity of your conclusions should be critically assessed against prior knowledge. You may find crucial information in someone else’s study that helps you interpret your own data, or perhaps you will be able to reinterpret others’ findings in light of yours. In either case you should discuss reasons for similarities and differences between yours and others’ findings. Follow up experiments or technical improvements should be considered. Speculation is permissible but must be clearly identified. No new result should be introduced in this section.
- References:
Use Cardiff University Harvard Style for in-text citation and reference list.
- Appendices:
An Appendix contains supplementary information that enhances understanding without overloading the main text. It is optional and labelled with Roman numerals (e.g., Appendix I, Appendix II). Each appendix should include unique material, such as raw data, maps, additional photographs, formula explanations, specialized computer programs, full chemical names, or diagrams of apparatus. Figures and Tables in appendices follow the same formatting as in the main text but are numbered separately (e.g., Figure S1, Table S1) to distinguish them. When using multiple appendices, include the appendix number in the numbering of Tables and Figures.
Submission Deadline: 16th APRIL 2024 (Tuesday) at 10am
