Running Head: A Staple in Biology 1

Research Papers:
A Staple in Biology

Huy Vu
Writing 2
Professor Johnson
May 9, 2017
A Staple in Biology 2

Abstract
Literacy practices are found across all disciplines. In this paper, the literacy practices in

research papers in biology were analyzed. Important conventions include having topic-specific

terminology that helps fully convey concepts, an organized structure that aids in navigation for

the reader, and an emphasis on accuracy of data. Use and practice of these standards in an

introductory biology lab course condition students to have more logically sound thoughts, to

become more effective at conveying their research data, and to become ethical scientists.

Keywords: literacy practices, conventions, research papers, biology

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Research Papers: A Staple in Biology

Communication, first and foremost, is all about getting information across to a target

audience. In the sciences, specifically biology, research papers are a written form of

communication with the goal of conveying data from a study or experiment. These papers are

laden with a set of rules, or conventions, which dictate the formation of the papers. Conventions

serve as a guideline that helps give the reader better context and, in theory, a better

understanding of the paper. Biologists use context-specific jargon, a clear and concise structure,

and accurate, objective data among other literacy practices. Repetition of a standardized task

conditions the mind to think a certain way, creating one or many new heuristic processes that

will influence how subsequent thoughts form. Such conditionings are present in classes of any

discipline, and can be observed in an introductory biology lab course at the University of

California, Santa Barbara.

To begin understanding any pieces of literature, one must understand the language and

terminology that is present. Biology research papers are chockfull of these context-specific terms

that would leave the unknowing reader in a sea of confusion. It seems counterintuitive to use

such byzantine language when trying to communicate an idea to someone, but it is the only way

to precisely convey certain concepts that would otherwise be fragmentary with common

language. Some papers throw the reader a bone and define such terms before or during the

mentioning of the concepts. Professors David Low and Christopher Hayes of the University of

California, Santa Barbara, do this in their paper Signals of Growth Regulation in Bacteria

when they define the terms contact-dependent growth inhibition and the viable but not

culturable or VBNC state (Hayes & Low, 2009). This is relatively uncommon amongst research

papers as scientists cannot waste too much time or space defining every single term and concept
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(C. Grant, personal communication, May 5, 2017). Other papers, like one written on Alzheimers

Disease, mention things from proteolytic cleavage of proteins to hyperphosphorylated tau

proteins, which would just go over the heads of most readers (Sheng, Sabatini, & Sdhof, 2012).

Therefore, it is a good idea to do some research beforehand to become familiar with the terms in

biology as the concepts are likely to be repeated throughout the paper. Knowledge gained from

research papers tend to become applicable again in one form or another. The introductory

biology lab, MCDB 1BL at UCSB, is not an exception. The most significant assignment in the

class is to construct a research paper on a fruit fly, Drosophila Melanogaster, and one

requirement is to have 10 scholarly sources referenced. The only way for one to read and then

incorporate 10 different articles on the nature of the fruit fly is to be familiar with terms like

natural selection, genetic drift, and selection pressure, just to name a few (Observation, April 26,

2017). Because research papers tend to be such complex, dense sources of information, the

organization of information can help aid in its digestion.

Research papers tend to be organized into a clear, concise structure that guides the reader

to their intended destination and in turn, help ameliorate the understanding and retention of the

material being presented. These papers tend to be compartmentalized into the following

structures: abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and discussion or conclusion. Separated

by subheadings, they allow the reader to navigate through the research paper with much more

ease. There is room for some discrepancies amongst the actual subheadings, but in general they

all follow the rule of categorization. This can be seen in both articles previously mentioned, both

of which include an abstract, an introduction, and a conclusion (Hayes & Low, 2009; Sheng et

al., 2012). The method of having distinct sections allows the reader to have a better context and

sense of purpose before they begin reading. Readers tend to notice more when they know what to
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expect (C. Grant, May 5, 2017). When they notice more, they begin having a deeper, more

complete understanding of the information trying to be conveyed in a paper. The information

usually found in research papers are often not arbitrarily included, but are conscientiously placed

as the scientist has found the data to be of significance.

Arguably, the most important part of the research paper is its inclusion of the accurate,

factual data gotten from the study, without which there would be no purpose. Objective

observational data is the core of science and therefore, research. Journals will not accept and

publish papers without factual evidence. Statistical analysis helps researchers sieve through

papers of inaccurate and insignificant data, but scientists must remain skeptical at times because

although data may seem to be correct it may in fact not be. This is actually a real problem many

journals face, because when a study is shown to be unreliable due to falsification of data or

unreplicable findings, they have to retract the paper. It is also becoming more frequently

occurring problem (Fang & Casadevall 2011). To combat this, scientists replicate studies and

meet at conferences to cross-examine their findings with other scientists to validate the integrity

of these studies (D. Low, personal communication, May 8, 2017). Inaccurate data only tarnishes

the credibility of the scientist(s) and aggravates the already growing distrust of science by the

public (D. Low, May 8, 2017). Students in the introductory biology lab course are constantly

reminded of the importance of being ethical as the rules of misconduct tend to be strictly

enforced. Any false manipulation of data that is identified is not without consequence, in fact, the

paper will scrapped and the student will receive a failing grade in the course (C. Grant, May 5,

2017). All of this is done to hopefully show the importance of accuracy and honesty to students,

so that they may become ethical scientists in the future.

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Having research papers be structurally similar with topic-specific terminology, explicit

sections, and a focus on accurate data reiterates the important aspects required in scientific

research and writing. In this case, research done in the biological sciences was analyzed. The

conventions that are practiced condition students to think in a more logically sound, organized

manner and creates an emphasis on integrity. Classes such as the introductory biology class

introduce these aspects to students to train them to become better scientific writers. When

students become familiar with these literacy practices, it will only aid their research pursuits in

both academia and industry.

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References

Fang, F. C., & Casadevall, A. (2011). Retracted science and the retraction index.

Grant, C. (2017, May 5). Personal Interview.

Hayes, C. S., & Low, D. A. (2009). Signals of growth regulation in bacteria. Current opinion in
microbiology, 12(6), 667-673.

Low, D. (2017, May 8). Personal Interview.

Sheng, M., Sabatini, B. L., & Sdhof, T. C. (2012). Synapses and Alzheimers disease. Cold
Spring Harbor perspectives in biology, 4(5), a005777