Planning and writing your final EPQ document

Following our discussions last week, I thought I would try and help with your writing. To begin with, there is a deadline looming: the 24th February, approximately 5 weeks! Again as we discussed this means that you should be aiming to produce around 1000 words per week: at approximately 500 words per page, that's two pages of printed text per week. The key to ensuring you get through this process is planning. The main sections of every report will be organised as follows:

1. Title (10 words)
2. Abstract [optional, but recommended] (150 words)
3. Introduction and background (1000-1500 words)
4. Main content [this depends on the type of EPQ: experimental or literature based] (2000-2500 words)
5. Discussion (1000-1500 words)
6.Bibliography (Exclude the references from your initial word count)

The EPQ should also contain Figures which enhance your message. For experimental projects this will typically include data in the form of graphs and photographs. Exclude the Figures from your word count, and we will review this prior to final submission. Now let's look a little closer at each section and the differences between experimental and library based EPQs.

Title. This should be concise and informative. This must create a strong first impression. Some good and bad examples are below:

Good. Exploring the role metal ions in the active site of the enzyme catalase  

Bad. Experiments on the rate of reaction for the enzyme catalase.

Good. Developing a novel methodology for efficient DNA extraction in high yield

Bad Work on the extraction of DNA from tissue samples

Good. The contribution of Robert Bunsen to the British Chemical Industry

Bad. The life and times of Robert Bunsen

Good Can the UK Fashion Industry help Britain overcome the challenges of Brexit?

Bad A study of the UK fashion industry

Good  Are the scientific metrics used to determine the rate and impact of Global warming fit for purpose?

Bad How strong is the evidence for Global warming?

Why are some good and others bad? First of all, by bad, I don't necessarily mean that the titles are inappropriate: at this stage in your education, I expect the titles to be reasonable (which they all are). However, the better titles should whet the appetite of the marker. They should also convey to the marker that there is a sense of purpose to your EPQ and that it isn't just a well written summary of facts and figures. By "lifting the spirits of the marker," you will improve their assessment: this may not be written down anywhere, but from years of examining student work, I believe it is true. It's human nature to respond favourable to first impressions, but as you can see below, they are not the ONLY thing that will get you the marks (or the job) you want!

Abstract. This is a summary of the entire content and conclusion(s) of your EPQ. A good abstract will use words economically, judiciously and will be engaging. As with the value of a good title, a good abstract can provide a marker (or reader) with a short-cut to a good mark. If I am reading a scientific paper, I scan the abstract as a means of triaging (or filtering) my reading priorities. Below are two related abstracts for different research papers on a similar topic. Don't worry about the detail! I think you will agree, the first is too dense and specialised, the second beckons me to read on and the third is a more detailed abstract, which presents some perspective rather than being simply factual. You should consider the style of the last two examples when you come to write your own.

Abstract 1

The DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus (Taq polymerase) is homologous to Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I (Pol I) and likewise has domains responsible for DNA polymerase and 5' nuclease activities. The structures to the polymerase domains of Taq polymerase and of the Klenow fragment (KF) of Pol I are almost identical, whereas the structure of a vestigial editing 3'-5' exonuclease domain of Taq polymerase that lies between the other two domains is dramatically altered, resulting in the absence of this activity in the thermostable enzyme. The structures have been solved for editing complexes between KF and single-stranded DNA and for duplex DNA with a 3' overhanging single strand, but not for a complex containing duplex DNA at the polymerase active-site. Here we present the co-crystal structure of Taq polymerase with a blunt-ended duplex DNA bound to the polymerase active-site cleft; the DNA neither bends nor goes through the large polymerase cleft, and the structural form of the bound DNA is between the B and A forms. A wide minor groove allows access to protein side chains that hydrogen-bond to the N3 of purines and the O2 of pyrimidines at the blunt-end terminus. Part of the DNA bound to the polymerase site shares a common binding site with DNA bound to the exonuclease site, but they are translated relative to each other by several angstroms along their helix axes.

Abstract 2 

High resolution crystal structures of DNA polymerase intermediates are needed to study the mechanism of DNA synthesis in cells. Here we report five crystal structures of DNA polymerase I that capture new conformations for the polymerase translocation and nucleotide pre-insertion steps in the DNA synthesis pathway. We suggest that these new structures, along with previously solved structures, highlight the dynamic nature of the finger subdomain in the enzyme active site.

Abstract 3 

Among the trending topics in the life sciences, stem cells have received a fair share of attention in the public debate - mostly in connection with their potential for biomedical application and therapies. While the promise of organ regeneration and the end of cancer have captured our imagination, it has gone almost unnoticed that plant stem cells represent the ultimate origin of much of the food we eat, the oxygen we breathe, as well the fuels we burn. Thus, plant stem cells may be ranked among the most important cells for human well-being. Research by many labs in the last decades has uncovered a set of independent stem cell systems that fulfil the specialised needs of plant development and growth in four dimensions. Surprisingly, the cellular and molecular design of these systems is remarkably similar, even across diverse species. In some long-lived plants, such as trees, plant stem cells remain active over hundreds or even thousands of years, revealing the exquisite precision in the underlying control of proliferation, self-renewal and differentiation. In this article, we introduce the basic features of the three major plant stem cell systems building on these facts, highlight their modular design at the level of cellular layout and regulatory underpinnings and briefly compare them with their animal counterparts.

Introduction. This is your first substantive section and can be broken down into several sections. I favour the use of numbered sections eg here is an example of an Introductory layout that I have made up.

Title The relationship between DNA structure and the mechanism of DNA replication in bacteria.

Abstract

Introduction

1.1 Background to the project.

Watson and Crick published their iconic paper on the double helical structure of DNA over 60 years ago (Watson and Crick, 1953), and since then it has remained largely unchallenged. The DNA double helix comprises a complementary pair of polynucleotide strands that suggested to the authors a simple mechanism for replication that would retain the sequence of the bases in the genome as one generation produces the next. Etc....

1.2 The molecular structure of the Watson and Crick double helix

Fig. 1

DNA was shown by Avery, MacLeod and McCarty (1944) to provide the information needed to produce a living organism. This provided Watson and Crick (and others) with the justification for determining the three dimensional structure of DNA. Armed with the pre-publication data of Franklin and Wilkinson (1953) and the earlier X-ray data from Astbury's (1938) group, the proposed model for DNA, which is shown schematically in Figure 1, comprises.....

1.3 The enzymes involved in DNA replication in E.coli.

Arthur Kornberg was the first scientist to investigate the mechanism of DNA replication. He selected the emerging model organism as his choice of experimental system and began a period of investigation that lasted for over 5 decades. During this time he would identify the DNA Polymerases, win a Nobel Prize and then others would prove that his enzyme (DNA Polymerase I used to be called the Kornberg Polymerase) was not in fact essential for DNA replication......

The use of sections allows you to build a structure, to write "bite-sized" narrative and is VERY EASY to mark!

Finally 1.12 Aims of the project

Here I will demonstrate that the experiments performed over 50-60 years ago require some revision in the light of new technological breakthroughs. I shall establish what features of the original Watson and Crick model remain correct and how the structure provides an elegant solution to its replication, but also what barriers it presents in the light of the need to package the DNA genome into a highly compact three dimensional space in the cell......

The introduction should provide a basis for the research question. It should provide the reader with a collection of facts that relate to the topic and should be written in a succinct way, illustrated where possible. You MUST incorporate key references in the correct way (see resource files) and finally summarise what your aims/questions are and how you will address them. 

Main content

In this section let us consider a project that relates to Robert Bunsen. In the introduction you will have given a biographical sketch and explained who he is and what he is known for (if you didn't know, think Bunsen burners!). Here you are going to explore how he influenced the development of the Chemical Industry in Britain at the outset (around 1840-1890).

Robert Bunsen was a pioneering chemist, specialising in analytical methods (flame tests to determine the composition of matter) and the development of instruments to facilitate analytical and preparative chemistry. I shall consider first his direct contribution to the science underpinning the major chemical processes that would form the core of the UK (and German) chemical industry sector. In the second half, I shall consider the scientists who received their academic training from Bunsen, and how this group of extraordinary individuals, including Ludwig Mond, went on to shape the British Chemical Industries until their decline in the last half of the twentieth century......

Again use sections, for example:

2.2 Bunsen's published academic work

Robert Bunsen published a significant body of work between the years....

2.3 Bunsen's views on patenting

Unlike most scientists, who were pioneering process development .....

Discussion

Fig.2

The British Chemical Industry formed a major part of the overall  UK economy from 1840 until 1900 (See Figure 2), when competition began to emerge from ..... 

In this section, you MUST incorporate your critical insight. What do you see as important, unimportant etc and use evidence to justify your opinions. This is an important section since it LIFTS your project to an encyclopaedia account, in which the facts are distilled and re-presented, to a critical evaluation of a complex issue. Which is exactly what an EPQ should be all about!

Bibliography

Here, you must list in full, all of the references cited in your EPQ. There are instructions provided in the Google Classroom folder. Importantly, you must be consistent in your referencing. You can use numbers as in:

Narrative Watson and Crick [1] were the first authors to correctly interpret the X-ray data produced by a number of different research groups, including Wilkins and Franklin [2,3] and Astbury [3-9]. 

1. Watson, J and Crick, F.H. (1953) Nature 171, 737–738 Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid

Alternatively, you can cite the authors in the narrative and then list them alphabetically at the end.

Astbury, W. (1938) Nature 162, 235-237 X ray diffraction of the sodium salt of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid I

Astbury, W. (1939) Nature 167, 435-442 X ray diffraction of the sodium salt of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid II

Astbury, W. and Jones, G. (1938) Nature 168, 2-9 X ray diffraction of the sodium salt of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid III

This will hopefully help you get underway! Any questions, come and find me.