Forum:Seminar papers/Biophysics/2. LF/2016-2017

Seminar papers for the year 2016-2017
'''!! DEAR STUDENTS THE FOLLOWING IS STILL IN DRAFT FORM AND IS STILL BEING DISCUSSED WITH YOUR CZECH TUTORS. I WILL REMOVE THIS WARNING WHEN IT IS FINAL!!'''

HINTS ON WRITING YOUR SEMINAR PAPER

Professor Carmel J. Caruana

Dear students here are some hints on writing your Seminar Paper:

AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR SEMINAR PAPER PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PRODUCE THE SEMINAR PAPER CAN BE FOUND HERE: http://www.wikilectures.eu/index.php/Help:Editing

VERY IMPORTANT Aim for quality not quantity! A lot of copying and pasting without true understanding would be easily detected by the examiner. Make sure you have some good diagrams. If it is copyrighted material, just describe it briefly in your own words, give the author and year of publication and provide a link to it.

Your seminar paper should consist of the following parts:

1.	Introduction (150 - 200 words)

a.	Start with a good definition of the terms in the title which shows that you have understood clearly what the title of your seminar paper is about!

b.	Explain the definition in more detail - as if you are explaining it to a colleague who does not know it.

2.	Importance in clinical medicine (150 - 200 words)

a.	In which branches of medicine is it important?

b.	What is its role in practical medicine e.g., diagnosis, therapy, prevention...?

3.	BRIEF literature review (400 – 450 words)

Say briefly what the literature says about it. Answer a few of the following questions:

a.	 What are its advantages and disadvantages?

b.	How does it work?

c.	Are there any risks involved in it’s use (for patients and the clinical staff)?

d.	Are there ethical issues associated with the topic?

4.	The equipment (number of words as necessary, BUT AVOID REPETITION)

Write a list of the equipment (numbered list please). Add photos and well-labelled diagrams as necessary.

5.	The methodology (number of words as necessary, BUT AVOID REPETITION)

Write a STEP-BY-STEP description of the methodology (numbered list please).

6.	Conclusion (100 – 150 words)

What future developments are envisaged in the area and what are the possible impacts on medicine?'''

Reference List Give 3 - 5 KEY references (not the first ones you come across but those which provide real good information and which you can recommend to your colleagues).

The following information should be given for each reference:

Book: name of at least one author or organization; title; edition; year; isbn

Article in journal: name of at least one author or organization; title; journal; pages; year; volume; issn.

Webpage: name of at least one author or organization; url.

(For more information on referencing go to http://www.wikilectures.eu/index.php/Template:Cite/documentation)

WORD-LIMIT FOR THE SEMINAR PAPER

I must emphasize that it's the QUALITY that counts - this means whether you have followed the structure in the 'Hints' or not. Word-counts below or above the word-limit are NOT ACCEPTABLE. If your word-count is below the word-limit it means you have not put enough work into it. Word-counts over the limit are also not acceptable - one of the things that you must learn at university is to choose what are the most important facts (what to include and what to leave out are important decisions which you must learn to make) and to summarise these according to the given word-limit (one of the techniques you must learn for research is how to write a research paper for a journal and such papers always have word-limits). You should ask yourself if I were in an exam and my time is limited what shall I include and what shall I leave out? The list of references is NOT part of the word-count, nor are diagrams and tables.

Before you submit your seminar paper go through each part and ask yourself - is ALL of this really about my topic or not? Going out of subject is one of the worst things you can do at university because it shows that you cannot focus on your particular topic. You should ask yourself “Have I written something to be proud of and be of interest to my colleagues?”

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask your Czech tutors or send me an email on carmel.j.caruana@um.edu.mt. The email subject should be 'Seminar Paper - your name and surname"

For questions of a general nature which would be of interest to everybody please use the MOODLE forum.

Best regards to all,

Prof. Caruana