General Instructions

The final research project of this course consists on building a report about an enzyme that contributes to biological life. Enzymes help catalyze chemical reactions and some enzymes are special in that they help biological beings function more efficiently at a cellular level!

Paper Requirements

There are several key components to consider for your paper:

In the body of your paper you will need to include certain topics/answer certain questions:

• What is the enzyme and what does it do?
  • Include a brief overview of how it functions
• When and how was it discovered?
  • Provide a brief general history of the research including any noteworthy scientists
• Is it found in humans or other biological organisms (like bacteria)?
  • If found in humans, where in the body is it found?
• How does this enzyme contribute to life?
  • Generally explain how it makes a biological process happen easier (ex: sucrose can breakdown on its own, but it happens so slowly it is not biologically beneficial so sucrase speeds up this process to allow the body to absorb glucose and fructose more efficiently)

Title of the Paper

Include the name of your selected enzyme in the title of each section paper (ex: Meet Sucrase: the Destroyer of Sucrose)

Tone and Target Audience

The section papers and the overall research project must be written is plain English as you were introducing your selected bacteria to people that have never taken a chemistry or biochemistry class.  Do not simplify by excluding details but rather explain them.

Writing in the tone that corresponds to the target audience is an important component of this assignment. Most references that you will find in your research are likely to be at college level or beyond. It is your job to select the few details that are relevant and leave behind those that are not. You need to understand very well the different aspects of this research project to be able to write about it in clear and simple terms.

Attributions and References

Please include the sources of information you used with in-text citations and a reference list in APA format.

When to cite and not to cite:

 If the information is common knowledge: Vaccines are preventive treatment to avoid contracting certain illness; or even knowledge within a core discipline: Do not cite.

If the information is a new or a not well-known discovery, or has opposing views, please cite.  When in doubt, please cite. Use in-text citation format (author, date) and entry in the reference list.

If the information and words in the source are used in your paper, this is a quotation and needs to be treated as such. Please cite. Enclose quotation in quotation marks and include the author, date, and page or paragraph number in the in-text citation (Author, date, page).  Avoid quotations as much as possible. Writing in simple and clear terms is very important for this assignment.

Cited References

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2018). Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for Exploratory Papers. A. Brizee (contributor). Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/728/01/