Analysis of a Classic Scientific Paper
The purpose of this activity is to analyze an original and notable piece of science as reported in a scientific journal.
- By "piece of science" I mean an article, essay, paper, or report.
- By "scientific journal" I mean a scientific journal (Science, Nature, JAMA, Annalen der Physik, PNAS, etc.). No newspapers (New York Times), science magazines (Scientific American, Discover), special interest magazines (Wired), or general interest magazines (Time, Newsweek). Short, original pamphlets are also OK, if that was how the author communicated with the public.
- The word "original" means that the concepts presented should be those of the author and not a summary or restatement of another scientist's work.
- A piece of science that is "notable" is one that is now so generally regarded as correct by the scientific establishment that is an indispensable part of contemporary scientific thought. Such papers are often known by shorthand names.
For example, there is at least one original and notable paper associated with each of the following scientific theories …
| Biology |
Chemistry |
Earth/Space Science |
Physics |
- Blood pressure
- Endosymbiosis
- Germ theory of disease
- Miller-Urey experiment
|
- Alpha helix & beta sheet
- Discovery of the neutron
- Electron spin
- Rutherford model
|
- Continental drift
- Greenhouse effect
- Giant impact theory
- Alvarez hypothesis
|
- Charge of the electron
- Superconductivity
- X-ray diffraction
- Davisson-Germer experiment
|
Your analysis should be written as a series of sentences, appropriately grouped into paragraphs, that address the following questions in this exact order …
- What events or objects were studied?
- What records were made of these of events/objects?
- What facts were extracted from these measurements? (How were the records turned into data for later analysis?)
- What transformations were the data put through? (How were the data ordered, classified, or otherwise "cleaned up"?)
- What results were obtained from the data? (In what form was the transformed data represented — tables, charts, graphs, cartoons, etc?
- What interpretations, explanations, generalizations were made from the results?
- What knowledge claims is the author making? (What new knowledge has the author discovered or generated?)
- What value claims did the author make or did the author's discovery acquire? (Why is this important today?)
Some additional bits of information.
- Since your analysis must be written according to the format described above, you should try to select a paper that can be analyzed easily using this format. Look for papers that take observations of events or objects and transform them into new scientific knowledge. Avoid purely theoretical speculations.
- Important scientific papers are often shorter than 5 pages. Don't let a page count be your guide.
- Try to find something interesting.
- One student per paper. Select a paper and then send me an email with the bibliographic information and the url. If someone else has already laid claim to it, you must find another one.
- Make a hard copy of the paper.
When you submit the analysis for grading, please observe the following conventions …
- Double-space.
- One inch margins all the way around.
- Type the bibliographic information for the paper at the top.
- Don't forget to include your name.
- Attach a hard copy of the paper to your analysis. (Analysis on top, please.)
Due dates will be announced when I get around to it. Plan on …
- Identifying a paper …
- Writing a rough draft …
- Submitting the finished product …
Some sample papers for practice.
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