The three reports must be type-written in manuscript style. All graphs and figures must be generated with a computer. No hand written reports or figures with hand writing will be accepted. Choose a biochemical journal and write your report according to the directions to authors for that journal. (These directions are usually found in the first issue of the journal each year, see me if you have problems finding them.) All reports should have an abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion sections. Please indicate the journal style you are following. You may choose a different journal style for each report. Here is a brief summary of what is expected to be included in each section of the experimental reports:
Abstract: A brief overview of the experiment and the results obtained. Introduction: A summary of the literature that relates to the significance and the theoretical basis of the experiment. You should do a literature search with Medline to find at least 2 papers from the literature that are related to the experiments that you did. A description of the theories for the experiments must also be included.
Methods: The expermental methods that you used, including any unusual circumstances.
Results: Summarize all of the results you obtained for the relevant experiments. Organize your data in tables and graphs, using computer spread sheets, and then summarize the results that are presented by discussing them in the text.
Discussion/Conclusion: Explanation of your results and
how they relate to the literature. References: all literature cited. You
must have at least two references from the literature.
Lab notebooks should be written in ink and will be checked (signed) at the end of each lab. Each experiment should have a title, brief introduction, the results obtained during the experiment, and a discussion of the results. Lab notebooks must be turned in when the lab reports are due.
Reports must be handed in on or before the due date.