LABORATORY 1
Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers
wisdom.”
— Isaac Asimov
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Expectations
Upon completion of Laboratory 1, you should be able to:
Identify different forms of scientific literature (e.g. primary vs secondary)
Use library resources to find scientific literature, and know where to go for library help
Cite references correctly and prepare a “Reference” section for a lab report
Demonstrate understanding of various aspects of ethics as related to scientific topics and practices
Explain plagiarism, and know when and how to put information in your own words
Use the TurnItin.com system, and understand an originality report
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Reading
All of Lab 1 and page iv to vii
McMillan “Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences” see page references throughout Lab1
Note: the 4rth or 5th edition of this book may be used.
Watch Library Tutorials found on Moodle under the Laboratory section.
York University Academic Integrity Tutorial http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/index.html
Review Computer Lab Policy (Appendix)
Complete Academic Integrity Quiz (see details below, page 1:1)
AND the Lab 1 pre-lab quiz (on Moodle)- covers Library Tutorials and Lab Safety.
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Other
Bring your lab manual
Print, sign and bring Laboratory Safety and Student Conduct Agreement - read and sign - found under
Lab 1 under Laboratory on Moodle
Bring a USB key (flash drive, memory stick) for saving information and files.
Bring McMillan “ Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences” (4th or 5th edition)
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PRE-LAB
Activate your FAS (File Access Service) account - you cannot access any York computer without activation
of this account. Go to Manage My Services (http://mms.yorku.ca), and activate this service (listed on the left-hand
side, under “My Services” when you log in). See http://www.yorku.ca/computing/students/index.html for more
information
Academic Integrity Tutorial and Quiz. - Once your FAS account is working, access and take the Academic
Integrity Tutorial http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/index.html
Once you have completed the tutorial complete the Academic Integrity Tutorial Quiz
http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/testinstructions.html). Click on “Follow this link to log in first, and then
take the quiz.” Bring a hardcopy printout of your quiz results to lab (1 mark)
No printout = grade of zero.
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
Read McMillan “Writing in the Biological Sciences” (4th edition page 29 - 30; 5th edition page 23 24) "Avoiding plagiarism: take notes in your own words"
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What does McMillan recommend as the BEST note taking strategy and the BEST way to
avoid plagiarism? (1mark)
Plagiarism is considered a very serious offense in the university environment, why?
(1mark)
Which of the following is/are considered plagiarism.
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A) A lab report containing only one paragraph that is copied word for word from
an Internet site.
B) A lab report containing two paragraphs copied directly from a primary
resource.
C) A lab report that has a few words altered in a paragraph, but is almost identical
to a paragraph found in a tertiary resource. Information not referenced.
D) A lab report that is extremely similar to that of student who took the course
three years ago.
E) A lab report that presents data found on the Internet and NOT that collected
by the author.
If you have not done so already, Read page iv to vii of the lab manual
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Read, Print and Sign the “Laboratory Safety Rules and Student Conduct Agreement”
and submit the bottom portion to your TA at the BEGINNING of Lab1.
Scientific Literature
Every day, you likely encounter a number of sources of scientific information. You may see newspaper
or magazine articles, or hear news stories on TV or the radio. Your professors communicate scientific
information with you and your fellow students. You may also find information on various websites.
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One of the major activities for scientists involves communicating scientific information. This takes
different forms, depending on the audience. In the scientific community, new findings (or interpretations)
are published in peer-reviewed journals that specialize in particular fields of study. (These may also
be communicated at conferences, through presentations or posters that will be seen by many other
interested scientists.) Scientists communicate less formally with their peers in departments, with their
graduate students and honours students. Scientists who teach also communicate with students in the
classroom or laboratory setting. From time to time, reporters may consult with scientists, which results
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
in some information being communicated through mass media.
You will sometimes need to search for appropriate sources of scientific information. In most of your
science courses, you will be expected to find, read and cite primary literature sources (i.e. reports
of original research) as the major reference sources for statements in your essays and portions of lab
reports (e.g. Introduction, Discussion sections). Secondary literature sources include books and
review articles, and provide a summary of what is known in a particular area; organizing, synthesizing,
and critically evaluating the relevant literature on the topic. Secondary literature can often be very
useful when you are gathering information on a topic, but you will usually need to find and read primary
articles when you are preparing your own written work.
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Many Internet sites are not peer reviewed and cannot be assumed to be reliable sources
of information. Many university courses, including Biol1000, do NOT accept Internet sites
as references. Use peer reviewed primary, secondary and tertiary literary sources only.
Library Tutorials and pre-lab Quiz (1 mark). Watch and understand the material presented
in the 4 library tutorials found on Moodle under “Laboratory”. When finished, take the Lab 1 Pre-Lab
Quiz. This must be completed BEFORE your lab. Failure to do so renders a grade of zero on the quiz.
Quiz covers the Library Tutorials and Lab Safety.
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HAVE YOU COMPLETED THE Lab 1 Pre-lab Quiz? _________________________
-- end of Pre-Lab ---------------------------------------------------------ACADEMIC INTEGRITY and ETHICS
Ethics is broadly defined as the application of values and moral rules to human activities. Bioethics is a
subsection of ethics that uses ethical principles and decision making to solve dilemmas in biology and
related areas such as medicine and the environment.
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Moral dilemmas will be encountered by each of us many times in our lives. In each case, we must form
our own opinions. Making ethical choices involves seeking evidence-based, consistent, and defensible
solutions to moral problems. As educated citizens, you will be called upon to make informed decisions
in many areas, and be expected to use scientific evidence and consider expert opinions as you make
your choices.
Researchers are expected to behave in an ethical manner in all aspects of their work. In terms of
scholarly/professional publishing, there are some common guidelines relating to what is expected (see
the Elsevier Position on Journal Publishing Ethics and Responsibilities: Duties of Authors site - http://
www.elsevier.com/wps/find/intro.cws_home/ethical_guidelines#Duties%20of%20Authors). Many of the
guidelines apply not only to journal authors, but to anyone preparing a piece of science writing.
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As students, you are also going to encounter ethical dilemmas. York University has resources to help
you make decisions that reflect ethical principles in your academic and scientific work. Two of the main
websites that students should be familiar with:
York University Student Code of Conduct:
http://www.yorku.ca/scdr/CodeOfConduct.html
Academic Integrity (including Academic Honesty)
http://http://www.yorku.ca/academicintegrity/
Another helpful resource is the Department of Biology Undergraduate Handbook
http://ugbio.apps01.yorku.ca/index.php/Calendar/supplementaryundergraduate-calendars.html
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
PLAGIARISM
The following is taken from the York University Senate Policy on Academic Honesty:
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“Plagiarism is the misappropriation of the work of another by representing another person’s ideas,
writing or other intellectual property as one’s own. This includes the presentation of all or part
of another person’s work as something one has written, paraphrasing another’s writing
without proper acknowledgement, or representing another’s artistic or technical work
or creation as one’s own. Any use of the work of others, whether published, unpublished or posted
electronically, attributed or anonymous, must include proper acknowledgement.”
Refer back to the multiple choice question on page 1:2.
Note: providing another student with your new or old report(s) can also be an academic offense.
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• AVOIDING PLAGIARISM - PARAPHRASING
(writing information in your own words)
One of the skills that you will need is the ability to put information into your own words – to paraphrase.
Direct quotations are rarely used in science – avoid using them under most circumstances.
Read McMillan “Writing in the Biological Sciences” (4th edition page 124-125; 5th
edition page 113 - 114) - “Use quoted material sparingly”
Paraphrasing is more than changing a few words in a sentence – it’s your own way of presenting the
information. Effective paraphrasing requires that you understand the information very well!
Refer to McMillan “Writing in the Biological Sciences” (4th edition page 29 - 30; 5th
edition page 23 - 24) “Avoiding plagiarism: take notes in your own words”
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It is suggested that when you are trying to paraphrase something, that you
• Begin by making handwritten notes of the information after reading the source(s).
You will be practising this later in this lab.
• Do NOT ever copy and paste material directly from a source, even if you think you will be able to put
it in your own words later.
• NEVER work directly from the reference source when writing your report.
• It is best to describe the major points from the work without actually consulting the original article.
If you describe the key aspects in this way, then you will likely avoid using original words or phrases.
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Putting things in your own words involves more than changing a word or two, or the order of
words in a sentence. Even following the order of particular sentences in a paragraph from a source
is not appropriate paraphrasing. If you have questions or concerns about paraphrasing/plagiarism,
be sure to consult with your TA, course director, or individuals at the Bethune Writing Centre .
GIVING CREDIT TO SOURCES of information used - Avoiding plagiarism
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When you prepare written works, be sure to acknowledge any information (results, theories, ideas) that
you have gained from the scientific community and presented in your report (in a paraphrased format).
The source of your information is included with the presented material.
For Biol 1000, CSE style listed in McMillan “Writing Papers in teh Biological Sciences” is used.
• CITING YOUR SOURCES in the main text of a report (IN-TEXT CITATIONS)
See McMillan “ Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences” (4th edition page 137
-144; 5th edition page 124 - 130) - (CSE Name - Year System)
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
The sources of the information you are writing about, unless it is very very common public knowledge or from
your own results, must be cited in the text of your paper. Each reference you use must be cited using the
surnames of the authors, and the year of publication (CSE Name-Year System).
If there is one author, list his/her last name with the year — (Gage 2004).
If there are two authors, list both authors and year — (Simons and Johnston 2000).
If there are more than two authors, the citation should provide the name of the first author followed by
et al. (latin for “and others”) and the date — (Eppelmann et al. 1991).
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One to two authors are presented as follows (depends on sentence structure)
(Author(s) last name date of publication).
Note that in each case the information from the resource is paraphrased and is followed by the
citation (which indicates where the information was found).
The peptide’s ability to increase EJP amplitude requires
calcium/calmoudulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMKII) (Dunn and
Mercier 2005).
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Simons and Johnston (2000) demonstrated significant effects of
seed size and germination timing on fitness and survival using L.
inflata.
Three or more authors are presented as follows. Et al. is a space saving technique used when there
are three or more authors. It refers to “and others”. Et al. is only used for an in-text citation. Some
journals italicize this, where as others do not.
(Last name of the first author et al. date of publication).
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Staphylococcus aureus collagen binding protein is involved in
bacterial adhesion to tissues containing collagen, including
cartilage (Switalski et al. 1989).
Be sure to include the citation for a particular topic/idea in the sentence where they are used. Do not wait until
the end of a paragraph to cite your sources, unless it very obvious that these sentences are relating to the
same source.
• More than one literary resource for the same information.
In some cases, you may need to use more than one citation in a sentence. This occurs when multiple authors
have reported similar findings or information.
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Penicillin binding protein PBP2a has reduced affinity for beta-lactam rings but efficient
transpeptidase activity, conferring resistance to methicillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics
(Brown and Reynolds 1980; Guinard et al. 2005).
How would the following references/citations appear as an in-text citation.
Lange, A.B. 2004. A neurohormonal role for serotonin in the control of locust oviducts. Arch. Insect. Biochem. Physiol.
56(4):179-190
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Sterling, J.T., and Ream, R.R. 2004. At-sea behavior of juvenile male northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). Can. J. Zool.
82(10): 1621-1637
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
• REFERENCE SECTION of your lab report
Do not use footnotes, or ibid. Full reference citations must be included in your Reference section.
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See McMillan “ Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences” (CSE Name -Year System) (4th edition
page 152 - 159, page 111-112 for an example; 5th edition page 133 - 143, page 101 - 103
for an example)
**Note in Biol1000 ONLY the “Name-Year System” is used.
Do NOT use the “Number Systems”.**
Look at the example reference sections in McMillan (4th edition page 111-112; 5th edition
page 101 -103). What do you notice about the order in which the citations are presented?
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You have given credit to your sources using in-text citations, but your readers need more information
to be able to consult those sources, themselves. Your Reference section provides a complete list of
all the sources you have cited in your work.
Different disciplines (and different journals) use different styles for formatting references. In BIOL
1000, we are using the CSE format presented in McMillan “Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences”.
REMEMBER: INTERNET SITES CANNOT be ASSUMED to be RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION. As
such, INTERNET SITES SHOULD NOT BE USED AS REFERENCES unless indicated otherwise by your
professor.
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Reference items are listed alphabetically by the last name of the first author. (Note – the
order of a list of authors has meaning – be sure to list the authors in the same order as given in the
original source.) When creating a Reference Section REMEMBER TO PAY ATTENTION TO FORMATTING,
AND TO BE CONSISTENT. Marks are removed for incorrect reference formatting.
Journal Abbreviations. You will notice that abbreviated forms of the journal name are included in
the reference and NOT the full journal name (see the two examples at the top of this page). Never
create your own abbreviations!
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Journal abbreviations can be found through NCBI. Access through the library by entering NCBI into
the keyword search. Click on NLM catalogue on resulting list. Scroll to bottom and click on “click
to access this resource”
Access the NCBI site. Beside the upper “Search”, “NLM Catalog” should be listed. Enter the
journal or abbreviation into the lower search box and click on the blue “search”.
Find abbreviated name for ”Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A,
Molecular & Integrative Physiology” and “Plant Biotechnology Journal”?
The reference section of a journal article is a valuable literary resource. If abbreviated journal names
are used you will need to determine the full name to find the article through the library.
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Find full journal name for ”J Pediatr Biochem” and “Insect Mol Biol” and “Plant Ecol Evol
“ using the NCBI search
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
FINDING SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE - Using the Library.
Your TA will provide a brief overview of York University library resources. Information regarding how
to locate scientific articles is also available through the library website. For example, see “Finding
Journal Articles” at York Libraries http://researchguides.library.yorku.ca/journalarticles
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List at least TWO Biological Databases, available through the library, that you could use
for all future biological journal article searches? (0.5 marks)
List the steps you would take to access each database? This is for your future reference.
(0.5 marks)
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FINDING SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE - EXERCISE # 1
• Write down the first TWO biological topics that pop into your mind.
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• Exchange topics with a lab mate. What is your lab partner’s name?___________________
• Use a biological database to locate journal articles on the 2 topics provided by your lab mate.
1. How many articles did each the search render? 1.______________ 2.______________
2. Write the full citation as they would be found in a Reference section for ONE paper on each
topic - See McMillan (see top of page 1:6 for McMillan page numbers)
Citation for Topic 1 Paper
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Citation for Topic 2 Paper
• REVIEWING THE WORK OF YOUR PARTNER. Switch lab books with your lab mate. Review the citations
(citation 1 and citation 2) written out by your lab mate. Were they done correctly? Is any information
missing? Is the formatting done correctly - look carefully? Circle any errors found. Make corrections
beneath the original citation.
• Verbally explain to your partner where error(s) were found and the associated correction(s)
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
WHAT DOES THE INFORMATION IN THE CITATION TELL YOU? AND WHAT USE IS IT TO YOU?
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The information presented in the full citation gives you all the information you need to find the full article. The
reference section of a primary journal article is an excellent resource for finding papers on topics similar to
those of the article itself. Remember the in text citation tells you the article where the information in that
sentence(s) was found. Look up the full citation in the reference section to find the information you need to
track down the entire article.
Let’s break down the information in the full citation using the following example citation.
• Lange, A.B. 2004. A neurohormonal role for serotonin in the control of locust oviducts. Arch. Insect.
Biochem. Physiol. 56(4):179-190
Lange = last name of first author (or only author in this case). Remember for multiple authors do NOT alter
the order in which the authors are presented. The order has important meaning.
A.B. = initials of author
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2004 = date of publication
A neurohormonal role for serotonin in the control of locust oviducts = name of the article
Arch. Insect. Biochem. Physiol. = acronym of Journal name
56 = volume number
(4) = issue number
179 - 190 = page numbers
• Sterling, J.T., and Ream, R.R. 2004. At-sea behavior of juvenile male northern fur seals (Callorhinus
ursinus). Can. J. Zool. 82(10): 1621-1637
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Identify the following in the above full citation:
First author:_______________________________________________
Year of publication: _________________________________________
Volume number: __________________
Issue number: ____________________
FINDING SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE - EXERCISE # 2
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• Go to the library website http://www.library.yorku.ca/
• Locate and access the journal “Nature” online. On the main library search screen. Select “Periodical Title”
and type in the name of the journal. Click “Go”
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• You will need to access issues from 2005 - 2010. Determine how this is done. (Hint: when you access the
journal website, look for “Archive”)
• The information you collect for Article 1 to 3 will be used by a lab partner, so be accurate!
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
ARTICLE 1
1) Select any issue from the year 2005. Record the citation information in Box A below (e.g. 17 November
2005; 438 (7066): 257 - 394), so that you may readily find this issue in the future. Note: in the example
above “438” is the volume and “(7066)” is the number of the issue.
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BOX A What is the citation information?
2) If you have not done so yet, open the issue and look for the heading “Research Highlights”; open as PDF
(or select a “research highlight” from a list if this option is available)
3) Select a biological “ research highlight” of interest.
BOX B What is the title of your chosen “research highlight”
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4) Download and save PDF of your selected “Research Highlight” onto your USB key. Provide a meaningful
label/title. Do NOT save onto the desktop hard drive as these are erased at the end of each day. Have your
saved the Research Highlight to your USB?___________________
5) Complete Box C.
BOX C A Research Highlight summarizes information found in one or more full journal
articles. Citation information for the full journal article(s) is located either immediately
under the Research Highlight title or at the end of the Research Highlight writeup.
Record this citation information. This is needed to locate the full journal article later. If a
“DOI” (digital object identifier) is present, also record.
(e.g. 22 December 2010 | Nature 468, 1012 (2010) | doi:10.1038/4681012a ). In this example
10.1038/4681012a is the DOI.
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6) Read your chosen Research Highlight and complete Box D
BOX D What is the general topic of the chosen “reserach highlight” - 5 words maximum.
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7) Repeat Exercise#2 (parts 1 to 6) for Research Highlights from 2 (TWO) other years between
2006 and 2010. Make sure at least 1 choice has a DOI number in the line under the title. Write
this information (Box A-D) in the space provided below under Article 2 and Article 3. Remember to
accurately complete ALL boxes. A lab partner will be using this information later.
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
ARTICLE 2
BOX A What is the citation information?
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BOX B What is the title of your chosen “research highlight”
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BOX C A Research Highlight summarizes information found in one or more full journal
articles. Citation information for the full journal article(s) is located either immediately under
the Research Highlight title or at the end of the Research Highlight writeup. Record this
citation information. This is needed to locate the full journal article later. If a “DOI” (digital
object identifier) is present, also record.
(e.g. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci.USA doi:10.1073/pnas.1001394107 (2010))
BOX D What is the general topic of the chosen “reserach highlight” - 5 words maximum.
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ARTICLE 3 (make sure this article has a DOI identifier if Article 1 and Article 2 did not)
BOX A What is the citation information?
BOX B What is the title of your chosen “research highlight”
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BOX C A Research Highlight summarizes information found in one or more full journal
articles. Citation information for the full journal article(s) is located either immediately under
the Research Highlight title or at the end of the Research Highlight writeup. Record this
citation information. This is needed to locate the full journal article later. If a “DOI” (digital
object identifier) is present, also record.
(e.g. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci.USA doi:10.1073/pnas.1001394107 (2010))
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
BOX D What is the general topic of the chosen “reserach highlight” - 5 words maximum.
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8) When complete, write your name at the top of pages 1:9 to 1:10.
9) Exchange your lab book (opened to page 1:9) with a lab mate. Make sure that the lab manual you receive
contains all the information (Box A to D completed for 3 Research Highlights - Article 1 to 3).
THE AMAZING LIBRARY RACE
Scientists often need to find scientific literature in different situations, and often searching is required.
This exercise will give you some practise doing various types of literature searches, and keeping track
of your reference citations.
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EXERCISE #3
You will be compiling a Reference section, as presented in a lab report, for literary resources
you locate. This means that you need to keep track of ALL the citation information for each of the
literary resources you find. A “Word” document, that can be saved frequently, is useful for this task.
The Reference section will contain 10 citations and should follow CSE Name -Year System- See McMillan
(4th edition page 152 - 159, page 111-112 for an example; 5th edition page 133 - 143, page 101 - 103 for
an example)
Pay close attention to formatting details, marks will be lost for any deviations (even missing a “,”
or”.”).
1. Your TA will provide you with a couple/few sentences from a journal article. Using your literary
search skills locate the paper from which the excerpt was taken. When you locate the paper, save it to
your USB key and record all the information you would need to properly cite this paper in the Reference
section of a report.
2. Refer to page 1:9 Article 1 from your lab partner. Find the full research journal article
which Article 1 Research Highlight was based (use information in Box C page 1:9). If the “Research
Highlight” was based on more than one article, find only one. Remember you may need to use the
NCBI site (page 1:6) to determine a full journal name. Save the full journal article to your USB key and
record all the information you would need to properly cite this paper in a Reference section. The first
page of this full journal article will be printed and attached to your reference list (see “Homework”
below).
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3. Scroll to the Reference section of the paper found in #2 (full journal article on which Article 1
Research Highlight was based). Choose a journal article and locate that paper. Save the paper to your
USB key and record all the information you need to properly cite this paper in a Reference section.
4. Refer to page 1:9 Article 1 from your lab partner. Look at the general topic indicated in “Box
D” page 1:9. Find a BOOK on this topic or a closely related topic. Record all the information you would
need to properly cite this book in a Reference section.
5. Repeat steps #2 - 4 (Exercise #3) using the information provided by your lab mate for Article 2
and Article 3 (page 1:9 to 1:10 from your lab partner).
6. When complete you should have the citation information for 7 journal articles and 3 books.
7. Save the “Word” document where you have saved all your citation information to your USB key
8. Return the lab manual to his/her rightful owner (your lab mate).
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
TURNITIN
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TurnItIn is a program that, in Biol1000, is used as a writing aid for students and a method to help detect
plagiarism by instructors.
TurnItIn is a technology to help improve your paraphrasing abilities. TurnItIn analyses uploaded documents
and makes comparisons to other documents in its database. An originality report demonstrating similarity
to other resources (originality report) is presented to the author typically within 24hours of uploading.
It is important that you examine the entire originality report and not focus only on the total score. A
total score of 20% or higher may indicate that your paraphrasing is inadequate, but you must check the
breakdown for confirmation. If the 20% consists of 20 entries of 1% similarity, where the similarity is to
terms that are common to the lab (e.g. mitosis), then you will not need to re-write the report. If there is a
2% similarity that is the result of an entire sentence or more being similar to another piece of literature,
then you should re-write this section and re-submit. If ever in doubt ask your TA, Lab Coordinator or the
Lab Director. Remember that TurnItIn is not perfect and the human factor (e.g. the TA) has the final say.
It can take up to 24hours to receive an originality report and longer for re-submissions. It is your
responsibility to plan accordingly and schedule plenty of time for originality score processing and hardcopy
printing. Most homework assignments must be uploaded to TurnItIn and a hardcopy printout of the
originality report attached to the assignment you submit to your TA.
Setting up a TurnItIn Account – In Class
• Go to http://turnitin.com/static/index.php
• Click on “create an account” (top right of page)
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• Click on “Student”
• The enrolment code and password will be provided by your TA.
• Complete the profile information
Practise Uploading to TurnItIn (1 mark)
EXERCISE #4
1. Open the PDF file containing your chosen “Research highlight”, Article 1 from page 1:8. Locate the
“Research Highlight” of interest.
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2. Copy and paste the “Research Highlight” into a “Word” document. Save the file to your USB key and
give it a meaningful label/title. You will need to locate and use it later. To start “Word”, go through the
“Programs” menu, and into the Microsoft Office Folder.
3. This file, containing the “Research Highlight”, will be uploaded into TurnItIn. Follow the directions of
your TA. This MUST be uploaded to TurnItIn before leaving class.
Write out instructions for uploading to TurnItIn
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• Note: This is the ONLY time that you should upload material that is not original to you. This exercise is
for uploading practise and to demonstrate the originality report. Your originality report in this case will
be above 90%.
• As homework, you will also prepare a short paragraph in your own words (paraphrasing), describing
the information in the “Research Highlight”. Your paraphrased piece will be also be submitted to TurnItIn.
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Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
This assignment is detailed below (page 1:13) (“Paraphrasing and TurnItIn”).
REFERENCE SECTION - HOMEWORK
1. Compile a Reference section, as it would appear in a lab report for the literature found in Exercise #3 above. This means
your Reference section will contain 10 citations. Use the CSE Name -Year System - See McMillan (4th edition page 152 - 159,
page 111-112 for an example; 5th edition page 133 - 143, page 101 - 103 for an example)
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2. You found the full journal article for 3 Research Highlights (see #2 in Exercise #3 above) and saved these to a USB key.
Print the first page of each of these journal articles. Neatly and largely hand write (print) the associated general topic (Box D
in Exercise #2) at the top of each printed journal page. Attach these three pages to your reference section. The first page of
the journal article will contain the title of the article, authors, abstract, and at least part of the introduction.
PARAPHRASING AND TURNITIN - HOMEWORK
1. Open your saved “Research Highlight” (see Article 1, Box A & B page 1:9)
2. Print your chosen “Research Highlight” (Article 1). This will be handed in.
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3. Read your chosen “Research Highlight” (Article 1) and make notes based on your interpretation of the information.
Do NOT copy any segment word for word. These notes will be handed in.
4. Using your notes as a guide, rewrite the information in your own words (paraphrasing). Do NOT look at the original
“Research Highlight” when writing your paragraph. (See McMillan 4th edition page 29 - 30; 5th edition page 23 - 24
for review)
o ¾ page maximum
o Type report. Use 1 inch (2.5cm) margins, 12 point font, double spaced.
5. Submit/upload your paraphrased paragraph to TurnItIn. Remember to take note of the overall score and the
scores making up the total. See page 1:12 to review how to interpret the originality score.
If any portion of your paragraph contains high similarity, re-write and re-submit.
o It can take up to 24hours to receive an originality report and longer for re-submissions.
It is your responsibility to plan according and schedule plenty of time for originality score
processing and the printing of a hardcopy.
o Remember TurnItIn is a tool and not perfect. Your TA has the final decision regarding the
quality of your paraphrasing.
o Print the originality report and attach to your paraphrased paragraph
o Note that the uploaded document must be identical to that submitted to your TA.
Homework to be submitted by the start of the next lab.
1. Reference section (see “Reference Section - Homework” above)
2. Printed first page of full journal article associated with each “Research Highlight” and associated topic. see
“Reference Section - Homework” above for details)
3. Hardcopy of original “Research Highlight” (the one your paraphrased paragraph is based on).
4. Your Notes based on original “Research Highlight” (see Paraphrasing and TurnItIn - Homework)
5. Paraphrased paragraph (see Paraphrasing and TurnItIn - Homework)
6. Hardcopy (printout) of TurnItIn originality report (whole report, not just the score), for paraphrased paragraph.
This is accessed in TurnItIn by clicking on the originality score for the report in question.
7. Don’t forget a title page. Includes an appropriate title upper centre of page. In lower right hand corner include
your name, student number, lab section, and TA name.
8. Visit Steacie Library and sign the Biol1000 binder at the Reference Desk by the next lab.
1:13
3
4
5
5
Laboratory 1 – Scientific Literacy Skills and Ethics
Mark Distribution and Scheme - Pre-Lab, In-Lab and Homework
1
All components of Lab 1 (pre-lab, in-lab and homework) are collectively marked out of 17, but Lab 1 is worth 10
marks of your final laboratory grade.
PRE-LAB
• Lab 1 Pre-Lab Quiz (completed on Moodle)
1 mark
• Complete Academic Integrity Tutorial – bring print out to lab
• page 1:2 plagiarism questions based on McMillan reading
IN – LAB “Finding Scientific Literature”
• Record, in lab manual, of biological databases (page 1:7)
• Written directions on accessing the databases (page 1:7)
• TurnItIn - Submission of plagiarized paragraph in-lab to TurnItIn
2
1 mark
2 marks
0.5 mark
0.5 mark
1 mark
HOMEWORK – (11 marks total)
DUE DATE: Your laboratory assignments are due within TWO weeks of executing Lab 1, and must be
submitted by the start time of your executed lab. Therefore, if you conducted Lab 1 in a lab that started at
2:30pm, your lab is due by 2:30pm.
• Early submissions can be submitted to your TAs drop box (2nd floor LSB, east end hallway)
• If you attended a makeup lab, your report is due within TWO weeks of executing your makeup
lab and is submitted to the “makeup” lab drop box.
• If you are unable to attend school on the due date, and have yet to submit the assignment, the
report is still due in hard copy form by the due date and time.
• Late penalty is 10% per day. Note: if the final submission time of your report is 2:30pm, any
submissions after this time (even a couple minutes) are considered late.
3
1. Reference Section
5 marks
Create a properly formatted reference list for the literature located during the “Amazing library race”. See page 1:13
for details and 1:6 for review.
• Marks deducted for:
• Each formatting error.
• content errors (literature NOT located during the “Amazing Library Race” presented)
2. Printed first page of full journal article associated with each “Research Highlight” and associated topic. (See
“Reference Section - Homework” on page 1:13 for details).
2 marks
4
3. Hardcopy of original “Research Highlight” (the one your paraphrased paragraph is based on -1mark if missing
4. Notes based on original “Research Highlight”
1 mark
5. Paraphrased paragraph (see page 1:13)
2 marks
6. Hardcopy (printout) of TurnItIn originality report (whole report, not just the score), for paraphrased paragraph.
This is accessed in TurnItIn by clicking on the originality score for the report in question.
-1mark if missing
o If paraphrased paragraph NOT uploaded to TurnItIn your paragraph will NOT be marked! (zero)
7. Visit the Steacie Library
Sign the Library Sign-in form, located at reference desk, signed by next lab
5
1:14
1 mark