GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
1
Term Paper: Objectives, Instructions and Topics
The term paper is a very important component of the course, making up 40% of
the total assessment.
I. OBJECTIVES
To provide an opportunity for you to go deeper into a topic of your choice,
related to the physical aspects of life science. It may be a topic you are
interested in or one that may be relevant to your major. A list of suggestions
may be found in the final part of this document.
II. INSTRUCTIONS

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A group size of 3-5 persons is recommended (need not be from the same
tutorial group). To form groups would lessen the work for each member,
and more importantly, it will help in developing a team working spirit,
which is an important element in the 21st century education. Apart from
this, discussing with friends would facilitate learning, and may even lead to
some creative brainstorming.
If you can not find the proper team members yourself, please email to the
teaching Assistant Mr. Lim Zhi Han (Email: phylzh@nus.edu.sg) the topic
you prefer. He will help you with the grouping.
When deciding on a topic, your group must try to gain at least a basic
understanding /overview of the chosen topic and start looking around for
suitable references.
Find your information from one or two main sources, with several ancillary
ones. Please do not obtain your information solely from the Internet as the
material found there often lacks scientific depth and rigor. If you do use
information from the Internet, you should ensure that your sources are
reliable and scientifically sound.
Once your group has finalized a topic, a representative must send an
email to Mr. Lim Zhi Han with the following information:
o Selected topic
o Names and matriculation numbers of every group member
o An abstract of less than 100 words
The deadline for this is May 25, 2006, but you are encouraged to do this
as early as possible so that you can get started on the project.

Your readings must reflect your understanding of the chosen topic. It
should give an overview of the topic. It should be pitched at a level that
your fellow classmates can understand, and written in an interesting
manner.
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
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
Please feel free to contact Mr. Lim Zhi Han or myself at any stage during
the project, if you encounter any difficulty, have a query, or need some
suggestions.

The final report
o It should be about 15 to 25 pages long. Detailed guidelines to the
format of the report is given in Appendix 1.
o It should consist of ~ 15 (3 person group), ~ 20 (4 person group),
and ~ 25 (5 person group) pages, respectively.
o In any case, your report should not exceed 25 pages (inclusive of
everything).
o A title page consisting of the subject title, the names and
matriculation numbers of all members of your group should be
attached. See Appendix 2.
o Abstract (less than 250 words) and a Table of contents should be
provided.
o The report must be properly typed and printed (double-sided). It
can either be stapled or bound. Pages must be numbered.
o It may contain figures, graphs and equations, if you think that they
can help illustrate the points you wish to make. Figures and graphs
are recommended rather than equations. Do not put any equations
which you don’t really understand.
All sources of the arguments, data, figures and facts from literature and
Internet must be referenced properly. All references should be listed at the
end of your report (e.g., author, title, publisher and year, for a book). See
Appendix 1 for more details.

The final report must be handed in directly by June 13, 2006.
Reports received after this date will not be considered.

The assessment criteria are as follows:
o Content: Does the essay cover the important aspects of the
subject? How much breadth and depth is there? Were figures and
illustrations used appropriately? (50%)
o Originality and creativity: Does your essay stand out from the
others on the same topic? Is there evidence of trying to rewrite in
your own words? Was the topic presented in an interesting or
creative way? (30%)
o Overall considerations: Was the essay clearly written? Was it well
organized and presented? (20%)
o All group members will receive the same grade.
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
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In certain special cases, you may be required to come for an interview as
part of the assessment (e.g., when it is not sure whether you understand
what you are writing about).
IMPORTANT WARNING
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Everybody is expected to complete and hand in a term paper. If you do
not, you would almost certainly fail the course.
All sources that you use must be properly referenced. Any direct copying
of material from your sources must be acknowledged, by placing quotes
around the excerpted material and referring to the source in the footnotes
or reference section. The direct use of material from any source
without such acknowledgement constitutes plagiarism, and, if
discovered, would result in your term paper receiving a fail grade.
Direct copying entire paragraphs or sections from a source with only minor
paraphrasing is not allowed.
In view of the preceding warning, it is your responsibility to ensure that
your group members do not plagiarize any material.
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
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III. ESSAY TOPICS
Note: the references provided in the following subjects just serve as a starting
point for the paper. In order to complete the term paper, you may have to go
beyond the provided references to search for more comprehensive information
either from Internet or other sources.
Subject 1: Anomalous properties of water
Description: Life depends on anomalous properties of water; for e.g., large heat
capacity, high thermal conductivity and high water content in organisms
contribute to thermal regulation and control of body temperature. The high latent
heat of evaporation prevents dehydration and provides evaporative cooling.
Water is an excellent solvent and has unique hydration properties towards
biological macromolecules which stabilize their structures, and hence their
functions, in solution. Water has properties at low temperatures that are quite
different from its properties at high temperatures. In this essay you are
encouraged to discuss the structure of water and its important properties that
support life on earth.
References:
Martin Chaplin, http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/anmlies.html#1a and references therein.
Subject 2: Molecular self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules and the structure
and functionalities of biomembrane.
Description:
In preparing this essay, you should at least cover the following points:
 Intermolecular interactions between amphiphilic molecules and molecular
packing parameter
 The formation of molecular bilayers
 Cell and biomembrane
 The structures and biological functions of biomembranes
 The role of biomembrane in transporting materials and bio-signals
between cells and their environment.
 The formation of biomembranes and artificial biomembranes.
 The applications of biomembranes in other areas of life science.
References:

D.F. Evans, and H. Wennerstrom, The Colloidal Domain, where Physics, Biology, and
Technology Meet, (VCH, 1994).

Biophysics, An Introduction, by R. M. J. Cotterill, John Wiley & Sons (2002).
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
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Subject 3: Freezing and anti freeze protein
Description: When freezing occurs in cells of a biological system, formation of
ice crystals may damage the cell. Nevertheless, some plants, fish and insects
can survive at temperatures well below zero. The secret is that they have certain
proteins, the so-called anti-freeze proteins, which prevent the formation of ice
even at subzero temperatures. These proteins have some important applications
in food processing, and life sciences such as the preservation of organs. You
should at least cover the following points in your essay:
 How does freezing take place?
 Physical principles of ice crystallization.
 How do anti-freeze proteins stop the formation of ice?
 How can we produce anti-freeze proteins artificially?
 The applications of anti-freeze proteins in life sciences.
References:
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N. Du and X.Y. Liu, Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 445-448 (2002).
D. Rosenfeld and W. L. Woodley, Nature (London) 405, 440 (2000).
P. L. Davies, G. L. Fletcher, and C. L. Hew, in Environmental Stress and Gene
Regulation (BIOS Scientific, Oxford, 1999), p. 61.
C. A. Knight, Nature (London) 406, 249 (2000).
Subject 4: Bioelectricity
Description: In preparing this essay, the following points should be covered
 Physical principles of bioelectric signals.
 How are bioelectric signals produced, and transmitted in human bodies?
 Bioelectric signals and receptors
 The imaging of bioelectric signals and disease diagnoses.
References:
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Life (5th edition) by R. Lewis, D. Gaffin, M. Hoefnagels and D. Parker, McGraw Hill
(2004).
John D.Cutnell and Kenneth W. Johnson, Physics, Wiley, 6th edition.
Biophysics, An Introduction, by R. M. J. Cotterill, John Wiley & Sons (2002).
Biology in Physics – Is Life Matter? by Konstantin Bogdanov, Academic Press
(2000).
Subject 5: Gel Electrophoresis and DNA finger Printing
Description: Electrophoresis is a technique used to separate charged molecules
in an electric field based on their sizes. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a
negatively charged molecule having a uniform charge distribution. In agarose gel
electrophoresis, DNA molecules move through the agarose gel pores toward the
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
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positive terminal. The DNA molecules are separated by size because the smaller
molecules can move through the pores in the gel faster than larger ones.
In preparing this essay, the following points should be covered:
 Basic theory of electrophoresis
 Agarose gel – preparation and properties
 Preparation of DNA sample
 DNA specific dye to visualize the DNA bands.
 DNA finger printing, a technique widely used in crime detection, medical
laboratories etc.
References:
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David Sheehan, “Physical Biochemistry: Principles and Applications”, Wiley, 2000.
Methods and techniques in virology, Eds. Pierre Payment and Michel Trudel; Marcel
Dekker, New York, 1993.
The nucleic acid protocols handbook, ed. Ralph Rapley, Humana Press, N. J, 2000.
Life (5th edition) by R. Lewis, D. Gaffin, M. Hoefnagels and D. Parker, McGraw Hill
(2004).
Subject 6: Optics and vision
Description: In preparing this essay, you should at least cover the following
points
 The structure of eyes
 Physics principles of imaging in human eyes
 Eye defects.
 Principles and techniques of improving vision
 Lasers: Principles of production and properties
 Use of laser technology in ophthalmology
References:
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J.H. Postlethwait & J.L. Hopson, The Nature of Life (the 3d edition), McGraw-Hill, Inc.
John D.Cutnell and Kenneth W. Johnson, Physics, Wiley, 6th edition.
Subject 7: The structure of protein and protein crystallization
Description: In preparing this essay, you should at least cover the following
points
 Structures and types of proteins
 Bio functionalities of proteins
 Methods of determination of protein structures
 Principles of X-ray diffraction
 Principles and methods of protein crystal growth
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
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Protein crystallography
References:
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A. Ducruix, and R.Giege, Crystallization of Nucleic Acid and Proteins, (Oxford Press,
Oxford, 1999).
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M. Daune, Molecular Biophysics, (Oxford Press, Oxford,1993).
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David Sheehan, “Physical Biochemistry: Principles and Applications”,
Wiley, 2000.
Subject 8: Biosensors
Description: Biosensor is a new high-tech which concerns biology, material
science, IT, physics, chemistry, medicine and environment.
Bio-sensing
technologies play a very important role in life sciences and other important fields
closely related to our life. In the report on this subject, the following points should
be covered:
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Transmission of Information in a biological system
Artificial biosensors and technologies.
Bio-sensing and transduction elements and devices.
Applications of biosensors
Future prospects of biosensors.
References
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A.P. Turner et.al, Biosensors: Fundamentals and Applications, (Oxford University Press,
1987).

Brian Eggins, Biosensors: an introduction, John Wiley & sons, 1996.
Subject 9: Photosynthesis
Description: Photosynthesis is the process by which the energy of sunlight is
captured and used to sustain life on earth. Green plants, algae and some
bacteria are capable of carrying out this process which takes place in the
thylakoid membranes of the organelle called chloroplast. Light is absorbed by the
pigment molecules (carotenoids, chlorophylls and phycobillins) in these
membranes and is transferred to the so called photosynthetic reaction centers.
The light energy is converted into chemical energy at these centers.
In the report on this subject, the following points should be covered:
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Basic principles of photosynthesis
Structure of photosynthetic reaction centre
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
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Fluorescence and resonance energy transfer
Reaction center protein and prosthetic molecules
Electron transfer in the reaction centre
Light and carbon reactions
Reference:
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Biochemistry by Garrett & Grisham 2nd Ed.
Life (5th edition) by R. Lewis, D. Gaffin, M. Hoefnagels and D. Parker, McGraw Hill
(2004).
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Biophysics, An Introduction, by R. M. J. Cotterill, John Wiley & Sons (2002).
Subject 10: Optical and electron microscopy
Description: You should at least cover the following points in your essay:
 Eye and the need for microscopy
 Types of microscopy
 Resolving power of optical microscopy and electron microscopy and the
governing physics
 Imaging principles of optical, electron, and atomic force microscopy
 The applications of microscopy in biological specimens
 Comparison of the applications of different types of microscopy.
References:
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J.H. Postlethwait & J.L. Hopson, The Nature of Life (the 3rd edition), (McGraw-Hill, Inc.).
John D.Cutnell and Kenneth W. Johnson, Physics, Wiley, 6th edition.
Biophysics, An Introduction, by R. M. J. Cotterill, John Wiley & Sons (2002).
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GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
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Appendix 1
Guidelines for Term Paper
Please read these pages carefully. Meticulous attention to these instructions
will benefit you in the careful preparation of the report.
1. General Instructions
a. An abstract consisting of less than 250 words should be given at the beginning.
b. Including the title page, the report should not exceed 25 pages.
c. The original printout of the report including all the necessary references, tables, artwork,
photographs, line drawings, etc., must be submitted to the lecturer in charge.
d. The report must be printed in the font size of 11pt, 1.5-SPACE on double side of good-quality
white or near-white A4 paper, approximately, with margins of at least one inch on all sides.
Illustrations and tables must be prepared as specified in Sections 2 and 3.
e. The first page of the report should give the title of the essay and the FULL name(s) and
MATRICULATION NUMBER (s)
f.
of the author(s).
Figures and tables (detailed, single-spaced) should be inserted in the proper places in the
report.
g. Footnotes should be used only if it is not possible to incorporate the thought into the text
without disrupting the flow of the argument. The placement of footnotes is indicated in the
text by asterisks (or daggers, double daggers, etc., if there is more than one footnote on a
page).
h. Current American spelling should be used. Webster's Third New International Dictionary
should be used as final authority for spelling and hyphenation.
2. Illustrations
a. Original inked drawings, high-quality (300 dpi) laser printouts, or high-quality ink jet prints
(minimum 600 dpi on high-quality/photo paper) yield the best results and should be
submitted with the report.
b. The illustrations should be fully lettered, and the lettering must be large enough to remain
legible.
c. ILLUSTRATIONS SHOULD BE FREE OF UNNECESSARY DETAIL. Graphs should be prepared with
ticks on the axes rather than grid lines. Shading should be avoided if it is not essential to the
understanding of the illustration.
d. Photographs should be used conservatively.
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GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
e. Generally, the illustrations should be numbered in a single sequence of Arabic numbers
throughout the report, in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. All text references
should employ the word “figure” rather than such varied designations as “diagram,” “chart,”
“photograph,” etc.
3. Tables
a. All tables should be numbered consecutively throughout the report, using Arabic numbers.
The sequence of table numbers should be independent of those used for figures or other
sequentially numbered elements.
b. Each table should be mentioned in the text, the reference being made by number and not by
such words as “above” or “below.”
4. Numbers, Units, Symbols, and Equations
a. Numbers up to ten should generally be spelled out, but numerals should be used for numbers
from 11 up, except that numerals are always used in conjunction with symbols and units of
measurement. Commas should separate groups of three digits in numbers of FIVE or more
digits (12,583) but no commas should be used in numbers of four digits (5837) unless they
are aligned in a column with numbers that do contain commas:
1,356,789
78,652
5,382
Numbers between zero and one should be written with a cipher in front of the decimal point
(0.5—never .5).
b. The International System (SI) of units should be used. Units should be abbreviated when used
with numerals but written out when they occur in the text without numerals. The
abbreviations listed below should be employed. Note that these abbreviations are used
without periods:
ampere
calorie
candela
coulomb
cubic meter
curie
decibel
degree Centigrade
degree Kelvin
degree (angle)
dyne
A
cal
cd
C
m3
Ci
db
C
K

dyn
meter
mho
micrometer
microliter
milligram
milliliter
millimeter
millimeter of mercury
million electron volts
millivolt
mole
m
spell out
m
l
mg
ml
mm
mm Hg
MeV
mV
mol
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GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
electron volt
erg
farad
gauss
gram
henry
hertz
hour
joule
kiloelectron volt
kilogram
kilometer
kilovolt
kilowatt
lambert
liter
lumen
lux
eV
spell out
F
G
g
H
Hz
h
J
keV
kg
km
kV
kW
L
spell out
lm
lx
nanometer
newton
ohm
ohm-centimeter
parts per million
percent
radian
roentgen
second (time)
second (angle)
square meter
steradian
tesla
torr
volt
watt
weber
nm
N

-cm
ppm
%
rad
R
s
"
m2
sr
T
Torr
V
W
Wb
c. The unit abbreviations listed above stand for the plural as well as the singular. Write 5 cm, not
5 cms.
d. The following prefixes may be combined with the basic unit abbreviations:
e.
d
deci
(10-1)
p
pico
k
kilo
(103)
M
mega
(106)
deka
(1012)
(1015)
(10)
c
centi
(10-2)
f
femto
m
milli
da

micro
(10-3)
(10-6)
G
giga
hecto
(102)
T
tera
(109)
(1012
)
h
n
nano
(10-9)
Display equations should be numbered using sequential Arabic numbers in parentheses in
the right margin. (Only one sequence should be used for both mathematical and chemical
equations.) In the text, equations should be referred to as Eq. (1), Eqs. (3)–(5); if the word
“Equation” begins a sentence, it should be written out in full. If a parenthetical reference to
an equation is made, the parenthesis around the number should be omitted, e.g., “A
relationship (Eq. 4) is derived….”
f.
A displayed equation should be treated grammatically as part of a sentence, and THE TEXT
IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING
a displayed equation punctuated according to the position of the
displayed equation in the sentence. (However, please note that PUNCTUATION SHOULD NOT
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
BE USED WITHIN THE DISPLAY EQUATION.)
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Also, please remember, there should be a thin
space on both sides of an equals sign and any other operators.
g.
The sequence of signs of aggregation should in general be {[( )]}, with due account taken
of the special meaning of the certain types of brackets.
h.
Follow customary practice and do not use parentheses around simple arguments of
functions such as the sine, cosine, and logarithm, e.g., use sin 2ax, cos(2x/b), log2 2m.
i.
Mathematical and symbolic material in display equations and in the body of the text must
be typed (or written) with great care. (If possible, avoid the handwriting of Greek letters and
other special symbols. If you cannot, they must be identified by name at their FIRST
occurrence.) If bold is unavailable, bold letters must be identified by a wavy underline at
EACH
occurrence. If it is necessary to use symbols from fonts other than the usual italic or
bold (script, German, etc.), this may be indicated by color-coded underscores, but must
somehow be clearly identified.
j.
Particular care must be taken to differentiate clearly between the letter l and the numeral 1,
the italic letter k and the Greek kappa, the italic w and the Greek omega, and also between
the capital and lower-case forms of such letters as c, k, o, p, s, u, v, w, x, and z.
k.
Built-up fractions and other notation requiring more than one line of type (this does not
include subscripts and superscripts) should be avoided in the text proper, but if used, should
be displayed. Simple fractions can be converted to one-line form, using the solidus:
ab
 ( a  b) / c
c
x
cos  cos( x / 2)
2
Parentheses must be used when ambiguities would otherwise result.
l.
In text, the upper and lower limits on, e.g., summation symbols, should be placed to the
right of the symbols in the sub-and superscript positions, e.g., i ai; they may be typed in
the customary position in displayed material, e.g.,  ai.
i
m.
The form exp (...) rather than e... should be used for complicated exponents, e.g., exponents
with sub-or superscripts; appropriate brackets should be used for the exp form following
point d above.
n.
Instead of square root signs, the exponent 1/2 should be used with appropriate brackets.
o.
Use forms such as ith rather than ith or ith.
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
p.
13
The chemical notation selected should avoid ring structures and vertical side chains
whenever possible. Cl
CH3
OH may without loss of clarity be written as p-C1C6H4OH or

CH3-CH2-C-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH3

CH3
as
CH3CH2C(CH3)2(CH2)3CH3
Single bones are normally omitted. Indicate where long formulas may be broken.
5. References
a.
You are responsible for the accuracy of your references. All names; dates; article, journal,
and volume titles; and volume and page numbers should be checked and double-checked
before the report is submitted.
b.
References should be numbered in the order of their first mention in the text. The citation
may be used with or without the author’s name: “…it has been shown by Johnson17 that…”
or “…experiments with calcium,6 potassium,7 and strontium8 have shown….” Several
references may be cited together, the numbers being separated by commas and spaces:
“several recent investigations7, 9, 15 indicate….” If three or more consecutive references
are cited together, an en dash should be used between the lowest and highest reference
numbers: “…while others10–14, 17–19 show that….”
c.
The reference list must be printed 1.5-SPACED with one extra line of space between each
reference, in the style indicated by the following examples:
1. G. Bhatt, H. Grotch, E. Kazes, and D. A. Owen, Relativistic spin-dependent Compton
scattering from electrons, Phys. Rev. A 28(4), 2195–2200 (1983).
2. R. W. Arnett, K. A. Warren, and L. O. Muller, Optimum Design of Liquid Oxygen Containers,
Wright Air Development Center Technical Report No. 59-62 (August, 1961), pp. 118–120.
3. M. Wellner, Elements of Physics (Plenum Press, New York, 1991).
4. A. J. Duncan and Z. A. Sheikh, in: Polarized Electron/Polarized Photon Physics, edited by H.
Kleinpoppen and W. R. Newell (Plenum Press, New York, 1995), pp. 187–196.
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GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
5. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers (New York, January 1, 2000); http://www.wkap.nl.
The examples illustrate the following characteristic cases:
1. A journal article. ALL of the authors are given, initials with a space between, then
surname, followed by a comma. The full title of the article is given. Capitalize only the first
word of the title, the first word of the subtitle (if any), and proper nouns, proper adjectives,
or terms commonly capitalized. The abbreviated name of the journal follows (in the form
listed in Chemical Abstracts - List of Periodicals; names of journals or other periodical
publications not listed there should be spelled out). The volume number is bold and the first
and last page numbers are given (separated by an en dash), rather than just the first. For
journals with unnumbered volumes, the year takes the place of the volume number: J.
Chem. Soc. 1965, 2516–2522. For journals that start the pagination of each issue with 1, the
issue number must be given in parentheses following the volume number: Pribory i Tekhn.
Eksperim. 7(3), 53–57 (1962).
2. For pamphlets, bulletins, or any publications other than “regular” books or journals, give
all the information available and do not use abbreviations. Do not italicize the title. For
unpublished theses and dissertations, be sure to specify degree and institution (for
unpublished material, “unpublished” “paper,” “essay,” “report,” etc., or “personal
communication,” “in press,” etc., should be the final, PARENTHETICAL element in the
citation).
3. A single authored book reference.
4. A report in a multiauthored edited volume.
5. A website. The first element would be the individual or registered name (again, give as
much information as possible), then the affiliation/city, and the revision date (THE REVISION
DATE
MUST
BE
GIVEN),
the
actual
address
is
last.
An online journal would be as the above examples of journal citations with the addition of a
“(Online)” immediately following the journal title.
d.
Do not use “ibid.,” “op. cit.,” or “loc. cit.” references, and do not use the abbreviation “et
al.” in the reference list, but list all authors, even when there are very many. However, the
text reference in such a case may take the form “…shown by Jones et al.7….”
GEK 1521 / PC1326 Special semester 2005 guidelines for Term Paper
APPENDIX 2 THE FORMAT OF TITLE PAGE
GEM1521K: PHYSICS IN LIFE SCIENCES - TERM PAPER
Subject 6:
Optics and vision
By
Tan Yi Lin (Uxx066253)
Ng Hoon Hwee (Uxx036250)
Chung Eric (Uxx077263)
June 12, 2006
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