Biology 122 writing assignment #1  15 points
Dr. Decelles Spring 2007

The goal of this assignment is to expose you to popular science writing through the New York Times. You should select an article related to Biology or Health from a recent NY Times Science or Health section.  Pick an article that interests you and write a brief review of the article in your own words. You should briefly summarize the article including any controversial issues raised by the article. Also explain the importance of the article for some aspect of science and relate the article to something in your own life. 

The assignment is due Wednesday February 21 in class.

Assignments must be edited and word processed (Double spaced).  Put you name, class and time, date in the upper right hand corner of your paper.
Next put the citation information for the article. Author or authors, date of publication, title of  the article, New York Times.
Include the URL (web address)
Your summary follows next. Double spaced-written in proper English please. No slang. Maximum length 2 pages about 400 words.
Staple all pages. Unstapled papers will not be accepted.
Use a readable font and point size. New Times or Courier 12 point or 14 point are good choices. Fancy script fonts will not be accepted.

Grading criteria:

Editorial score  5 points maximum.
Based on proper spelling and professional use of English.
Accuracy score  5 points maximum.
Degree to which the summary accurately interprets the article
Relevance and reaction score. 5 points maximum.
Honest attempt to explain controversies raised by the article and relevance to society or your own life.

Signing on to the NY times. (Another option is to use the NY Times in the Library) :-)
 Open your web browser and go to http://www.nytimes.com
Click on the registration link in the far upper right hand corner.
Fill out the registration information and provide an e-mail address.
You have to give some limited demographic information. The Times is really good about not sending spam.
Once you have registered, log in and go to the times home page. Select either science or health and surf away.
Print the article you want if you want. Make sure you have the required citation information.

Be aware that though the NY Times has some of the best science writers in the world, this literature is not the primary peer reviewed literature that scientists would use to report their work. You will get some experience with actual science literature later this semester.

Sample screen shots:

Location of registration material

Registration page

Log in page

Location of science links on nytimes homepage

Screen shot of Science Page - Tuesday Feb 14, 2007


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