​Lab 6: Pre-Lab
Part 1 Online Only

Your task in Unit 2 is to explore the factors that may affect metabolic rate (cellular respiration and photosynthesis). In the first lab (Lab 6) you will be designing two research proposals to help answer this question. Please review this pre-lab and external links to prepare for our in-class work. You will review the scientific method and research proposals, and learn about scientific posters. You will be choosing which experiment (respiration in Lab 7 or photosynthesis in Lab 8) to include in your scientific poster at the end of Unit 2. 

This is an ONLINE-ONLY Lab. In class this week for BIOL 121, MOST of you will be taking your BIOL 120 Midterm Exam. BIOL 120 Honors students will not be coming to lab at all this week.

• Introduction / Review
• Do you know enough?
• What will we do in lab?
• LABridge

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The Scientific Method & Research Proposals

In our coming lab, you will be completing two research proposals, one for your experiment on cellular respiration to be completed in Lab 7 and another for your experiment on photosynthesis to be completed in Lab 8. You will then decide which project you would like to use for creation of a scientific poster.

Please review the steps of the scientific method and research proposals in the Lab 1 Pre-lab if necessary.

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Requirements of a quality research roposal.

1. Ask a Question: Questions can arise from observations in the field, in the lab, from the scientific literature (e.g., scientific posters, presentations or papers), or from preexisting data. 
2. Conduct Background Research: This is a literature review process, in which researchers dig deep into what is already known about their topic of choice and what questions still remain. Often, the literature review helps to refine questions and direct hypothesis formation. 
3. Construct a Hypothesis. A quality hypothesis must be objective, measurable and testable. It must also include a prediction and potential rationale (examples) based in the literature or from previous work. 
4. Test the Prediction. There are various approaches to research design, based on your research question. These range from purely descriptive, to experimental designs, which involve manipulation of a variable or variables. Regardless of the method selected, the design should have clearly identified variables by type, and should be both valid and reliable. 
5. Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions. The methods used for analysis are largely based on the research design. In the biological sciences, analysis almost always involves the use of statistical tests and graphical representations of data. 
6. Communicate Results. This last step is essential. For our understanding of the natural world to grow, new research must be shared, so others can draw on what's known to learn more. Results can be communicated through technical reports, presentations at conferences, scientific posters, and manuscripts which appear in scientific journals. 

What is a Scientific Poster?

You will use your research proposals to conduct your own experiments in Lab 7 and Lab 8. You will then communicate the results of whichever experiment you chose in a scientific poster. 

 ​The scientific poster is a form of scientific expression and one way researchers communicate their work with the wider scientific community, Most often, researchers will use the poster format as a way to put their preliminary research together and test the waters of scientific critique. Posters often come before presentations and manuscripts and they are presented at scientific conferences in large halls or rooms. Attendees wonder from poster to poster, get a 5 minute brief from the researcher and then a discussion begins. The appearance/content varies widely by field or lab, but they are often produced in PowerPoint and printed as 36" x 48" posters for display.

Example poster session.

Your Poster: Will be over either your respiration experiment (Lab 7) or your photosynthesis experiment (Lab 8). It will be created in PowerPoint using a provided template.  We will print & display the 3 best, which will earn extra credit (TBD).
Lab Groups: You will work in your lab group. You must be an active participant in this assignment. You will be evaluating each other’s contributions via a peer evaluation form.
​Content: Specific directions on what to include in each section will be made available on a poster template and the evaluation measures will be available in the rubric.

​Review the poster examples below for ideas!

What will we do in lab and how will we do it?

In Unit 2, you will be constructing your own hypotheses and developing your own experimental designs to test the affect of different variables on metabolism, specifically on the rate of cellular respiration in crayfish and the rate of photosynthesis in active chloroplasts. Unlike in Unit 1, you will be conducting your own literature search for information of these topics. You need to find and correctly cite 5 articles for each project.

During this online lab activity:

• You will get a basic idea of the research questions we will pursue in Unit 2.
• Unlike the work we did in Unit 1, you will be doing much of the preliminary research required for Unit 2. 
• You will learn how tell if a paper has been peer-reviewed, how to find scientific journal articles and how to cite them correctly.
• You will begin finding sources for your Unit projects.

KAS (Kentucky Acamdeny of Science) is a membership-based scientific society with thousands of members across Kentucky. They publish peer-reviewed scientific articles, primarily from our state. Joining a scientific society gives you access to their journals and articles they have published. 

​Visit the KAS website. Review their mission and member benefits.

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Link to KAS. Become a member?

​WKU is a KAS Enhanced Affiliate and faculty, staff, and students may join KAS for free.

• visit www.kyscience.org
• select “Join”, then “Join and Pay on line” (no fee will be charged)
• select “Yes” to the Enhanced Member option
• Use your Western Kentucky University e-mail address for registration

No LABridge This Week!

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​Lab 6: Part 1 Online Protocol

Your task in Unit 2 is to explore the factors that may affect metabolic rate in two experiments involving:

• cellular respiration in crayfish 
  
• the rate of photosynthesis in active chloroplasts
  

In this online lab you will begin conducting background research on each topic to prepare for experimental design in our net lab.
​Exercise I. How to find and distinguish scientific, peer-reviewed journal articles
Exercise II. How to cite scientific journal articles
Exercise III. Find and cite your references

Lab 6 objectives: Following this lab you should be able to...(click to enlarge)

• Exercise I
• Exercise II
• Exercise III

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Exercise I. What is a peer-reviewed article? Where do I find them?

In Unit 2, you will be constructing your own hypotheses and developing your own experimental designs to test the affect of different variables on metabolism, specifically on the rate of cellular respiration in crayfish and the rate of photosynthesis in active chloroplasts. Unlike in Unit 1, you will be conducting your own literature search for information of these topics. You need to find and correctly cite 5 articles for each project.

Procedure

​Think back to the TedTalk last week where we learned some things about peer review. Now, let's focus on what a peer-reviewed papers actually look like.

1. Review these 5 Ways to Tell If an article Peer-reviewed … or Academic, from the Prairie State College Library.
2. View this informative video from the University of Alberta

Now, how do we find them? Most scientific articles are not free to the public, so large institutions, like universities, pay fees for access.

1. If you are logged on to a campus computer or network, use Google Scholar for your searches. If the resource is available through WKU, you'll see the download option to the right of the article. 
2. However, if you cannot find what you need through Google Scholar, OR, if you’re not on a campus computer you will need to sign-in to the WKU library for access to scientific journals. 
   1. Go to  WKU Library and click “databases.”  There are 3 popular databases (EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Google Scholar).
   2. View them all. When you find an article of interest, click “Check for Full Text at WKU Libraries." Click on one of the links under “Full Text options."

Link to Article.

Link to Video.

Link to Library.

Exercise II. How do we cite journal articles for BIOL 121?

​Procedure​: Once you have your article, we need to ensure you cite your references correctly. Citation and style guidelines vary by journal but are usually some type of modified-APA format. We will be following formatting guidelines of the Kentucky Academy of Science. Review their guidelines and examples below both in-text and end-of-document citations.

Formatting Guidelines from KAS. Click to Enlarge.

IN-TEXT CITATION OF LITERATURE

• Cite publications in the text  by author(s) and date – e.g., (Readley 1994)
• Multiple citations should be  in chronological order and separated by semi-colons – e.g., (Foster 1976; Ashley et al. 1987; Brown 1994)
• Multiple citations of works by one  author(s) should be in chronological order – e.g., (Jones 1978, 1983).
• Publications by one author(s) in the same year should be distinguished by a, b, c, etc. – e.g., (Smith 1994a, 1994b).
• For in-text references to works with one or two authors use names of both authors – e.g., (Jones and Williams 1991).
• For works with three or more authors use name of the first  author followed by et al. – e.g., (Lee et al. 1985).
• Do not include any reference  unless it has been published or accepted for publication (“in press”; see below).

​Examples of common types of references are given below:

• JOURNAL ARTICLE: Lacki, M. J. 1994. Metal concentrations in guano from a gray bat summer roost. Transactions Kentucky Academy Science, 55:124-126.
• BOOK: Ware, M., and R. W. Tare. 1991. Plains life and love. Pioneer Press, Crete, WY.
• PART OF A BOOK: Kohn, J .R. 1993. Pinaceae, Pages 32-50 in J. F. Nadel (ed). Flora of the Black Mountains. University of Northwestern South Dakota Press, Utopia.WORK
• IN PRESS: Groves, S. J., I. V. Woodland, and G. H. Tobosa.  In press, Deserts of Trans-Pecos Texas.
• WEB PAGE:  Smith, A.W. 1999. Title of web site. Web site address. Date accessed (06/12/2005)

Exercise III. Find and cite 10 peer-reviewed articles

In Unit 2, you will be constructing your own hypotheses and developing your own experimental designs to test the effect of different variables on metabolism, specifically on the rate of cellular respiration in crayfish and the rate of photosynthesis in active chloroplasts. Unlike in Unit 1, you will be conducting your own literature search for information on these topics. You need to find and correctly cite 5 articles for each project.

Procedure: Use the information and skills in Exercise I and II to find and cite 10 scientific articles as background research for our upcoming experiments.

1. Create two folders in your BIOl 121 folders. One entitled "Respiration" and one entitled "Photosynthesis."
2. Save every article you find in the relevant folder. 
3. Use the example table below to record your citations. It also includes some good key words to use in your literature search.
4. Find and cite 5 scientific articles regarding respiration and the crayfish. Specifically we will be testing the effect of glucose (a metabolic stimulant) or temperature on the rate of crayfish respiration.
5. Find and cite 5 scientific articles regarding photosynthesis and chloroplasts. Specifically we will be testing the effect of various types and color of light on the rate of photosynthesis. ​
6. Save all your files and the table of references for next week!
7. There is NO Lab Notebook Guide for this lab, but you will need the content to complete the one for next week.

* Yes this will require some thought! 

Click to download the Word.doc with fillable citation table.

Lab 6 BIOL 120 CONNECTIONS
Section 1.6: Doing Biology
Big Picture 1: How to Think Like a Scientist
BioSkillls 2: Reading & Making Graphs
BioSkillls 3: Interpreting Standard Error and Using Statistical Tests
BioSkillls 4: Working with Probabilities
Chapter 9: Cellular Respiration
Chapter 10: Photosynthesis