BIO3197 : Biological Literature Review
- Offered for Year: 2020/21
- Module Leader(s): Dr Tahar Taybi
- Lecturer: Dr Ethan Hack, Dr Martin Edwards
- Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 40 |
| ECTS Credits: | 20.0 |
Aims
To write scientific reviews in the style of a peer-reviewed journal. To develop communication skills by making a technical presentation to an audience of peers and producing a poster for a lay audience.
Outline Of Syllabus
The project is largely completed through independent study with regular supervisory meetings. Training is provided via a series of lectures and workshops.
The first literature review is shorter and has a focussed content. The second literature review is longer, more comprehensive and involves the novel synthesis and interpretation of data or concepts. The presentation given to staff and peers should introduce and summarise one or two key papers from the longer review. The poster will explain the project to a lay audience.
Lectures and workshops will provide guidance on the following topics:
Project safety
Literature search skills
Using Endnote
Writing a Literature Review
Writing originally
Producing and using figures and tables
Marking criteria
Teaching Methods
Please note that module leaders are reviewing the module teaching and assessment methods for Semester 2 modules, in light of the Covid-19 restrictions. There may also be a few further changes to Semester 1 modules. Final information will be available by the end of August 2020 in for Semester 1 modules and the end of October 2020 for Semester 2 modules.
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Canvas/Zoom- Module introduction, guidance on project tasks, Scientific writing |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 30:00 | 30:00 | Writing the short literature review |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 94:00 | 94:00 | Writing the Long literature review |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 21:00 | 21:00 | Poster preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 21:00 | 21:00 | Presentation preparation |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 4 | 1:30 | 6:00 | Canvas/Zoom - Tutorials on Scientific writing |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Canvas/Zoom- Online training session on how to best use word |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 1 | 196:00 | 196:00 | Reading of the literature and development of a review plan |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | Zoom- Online - small group sessions to give presentations |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | Zoom- Online Poster Drop In session |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 4 | 1:30 | 6:00 | Preparation and follow up of workshops |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 1 | 12:00 | 12:00 | In persom/Zoom Meetings with the supervisor |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Poster conference via a zoom meeting to about 20 students, 10 min per student |
| Total | 400:00 |
Jointly Taught With
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| BIO3198 | Biological Information Project |
| BIO3199 | Biological Research Project |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures and workshops are designed to provide training in the skills and techniques required to complete the reviews, presentation and poster. Regular supervisory meetings enable the extent and quality of progress to be monitored, whilst allowing for detailed technical discussions on the project progress.
Assessment Methods
Please note that module leaders are reviewing the module teaching and assessment methods for Semester 2 modules, in light of the Covid-19 restrictions. There may also be a few further changes to Semester 1 modules. Final information will be available by the end of August 2020 in for Semester 1 modules and the end of October 2020 for Semester 2 modules.
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 15 | Short Review (3000 words) |
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | 10 | Professional Performance Assessment |
| Dissertation | 1 | M | 55 | Long Review (6000-8000 words) |
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | 10 | Presentation session (10 minutes plus 5 minutes questions) |
| Poster | 1 | M | 10 | Poster for lay audience |
Formative Assessments
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | Project Plan |
| Written exercise | 1 | M | Progress report |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The short review gives students experience at summarising material in the published literature and producing a focussed overview.
The presentation session assesses the ability to communicate the technical material in one or two key papers to an audience of peers.
The long review offers the opportunity to demonstrate sophisticated thinking skills, including the ability to integrate and synthesise information from the primary scientific literature, show insight and imagination, and produce novel summaries as graphics, tables, diagrams etc.
The poster assesses the student's ability to translate their technical knowledge into a form easily understood by a lay audience.
The formative Project Plan (submitted early in Semester 1) helps students to recognise the key questions relating to their project and formulate an appropriate plan of work to meet the objectives. The formative Progress Report (submitted early in Semester 2) re-visits the Project Plan and asks students to record any changes to the project and update the plan of work.
Technical proficiency, academic engagement and industry will be assessed by the supervisor who will have been in regular contact with the student throughout the project.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- BIO3197's Timetable