AP Biology - Guidelines for presenting a paper

Introduction

• What is important about this topic or this field of research?
• What is already known about this topic? Some brief background.
• Is this research a follow-up to work already done? If so, explain.

The main paper

• What is the hypothesis or goal of the researchers in this article?
• Discuss the most supportive experiment or most supportive result from this paper?
• Briefly describe the method. Include controls used.
• Explain what the results are. Explain the accompanying graphs/tables if applicable.
• How solid are these results?
• What is the author’s conclusion?
• Discuss the least supportive experiment or least supportive result from this paper?
• Briefly describe the method. Include controls used.
• Explain what the results are. Explain the accompanying graphs/tables if applicable.
• Explain the weaknesses of these results?
• What is the author’s conclusion?

Conclusion

• Discussion of the overall conclusion presented by the authors.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the conclusion?
• What is your opinion and why?
• How could this paper be improved?
• What might be done next by these authors?

Grading and Miscellaneous information

- this will be worth ½ test grade, it will appear on the term the presentation is done

- you will work in groups of 2

- - you may pick the article and topic, I will guide you in this

- - this is meant to help your communication skills, critical reading in science and to teach you some current biology

- - I will assist you in any way I can as you move through these

- - your presentation should only be 15-20 minutes long.

- - you may use PowerPoint, the Smartboard , overhead or any other ways to present.

- - be prepared to answer questions from the class or the mean teacher

- - you need to pass in a hard copy of the presentation to me (on disk or paper)

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