- An introduction that describes and defines the topic area, provides background about the topic area, communicates what is known already about the topic area and why it is important to investigate the topic area. Also include a summary of the knowledge gaps that you will address in your paper.
- A description of the major methods and techniques used to investigate the topic area.
- A summary of the current state of knowledge in the topic area, focusing on the knowledge gained in the studies described by the papers you read. For this section, be sure you provide sufficient technical detail and sufficient evidence to convince your readers that the knowledge is reliable.
- A review of what your research has uncovered about the topic area, how this new knowledge fits into what has been learned in the topic area to date, and how the new knowledge has contributed to advances in the field. End with sentences that describe what still needs to be accomplished.
Reference formats are below.
Sanger, F. & Coulson, A. R. (1975). A rapid method for determining sequences in DNA by the primed synthesis with DNA polymerase. J. Mol. Biol. 94, 441-448.
Goto, Y., Calciano, L. J. & Fink, A. F. (1990). Acid-induced folding of proteins. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 573-577.
Articles in books should include the title of the article, the name of the book, editor(s), edition number, first and last page numbers, the name and the location of the publisher, e.g.,
Hanks, S. K. & Hunter, T. (1995). The eukaryotic protein kinase superfamily. In The Protein Kinase FactsBook: Protein-Serine Kinases (Hardie, G. & Hanks, S., eds), pp. 747, Academic Press, London.