Ds100 lab”

Lab 3: Students will design and implement a research project based on a theme related to the previous two labs. Students will first prepare a research proposal or prelab assignment, in which they identify a research question based on at least one reliable scientific research study. Students will then formulate a valid hypothesis addressing their research question and propose methods to test their hypothesis. They will execute the research plan once approved by the instructor. Instructor will assist with project implementation. Students will then tabulate their results and formulate a conclusion.

• Introduction
  • Start with a paragraph that describes the question your project will attempt to answer.
    • Briefly state why the question is interesting–why do you find it interesting, what pattern caught your attention, or why you chose this question to investigate.
  • Then clearly state your hypothesis(es).
    • Remember that your hypothesis is your educated guess about the reason or the mechanism that causes your predicted outcome.
    • This is a statement, NOT a question.
• Literature review
  • You should conduct a library search on your question, so you have an idea of what information is available in the literature.
    • These should be peer reviewed or credible science sources.
    • Be sure to cite your sources of information.
  • This section should be a minimum of two paragraphs describing two different studies on our topic.
  • *This section should have a lot of in-text citations.
• Methods
  • Describe how you will test your hypothesis.
  • Define your study area(s). This is WHERE you plan to collect data
  • What materials will you need? Why do you need these materials?
  • State explicitly how you plan to collect your data:
    • How the data will be arranged or located
    • how the data will be gathered
• Preliminary Results
  • State how you will display your data
    • What types of graphs do you think you will use?
    • How many do you think you will need?
  • What challenges do you expect will arise?
  • How will you overcome these challenges?
  • If we have the time, we may be able to conduct a mini version of your experiment where you will have a table/graph to report on.
• Conclusion
  • What are the impacts of your study?
    • How does it help to improve this field of science?
    • What new information will you discover?
  • If you have some results, do they support or disprove your hypothesis?
  • What ethical considerations need to be accounted for during your study?
  • What future research questions can be asked?
• References
  • Attach a reference page after the text of your proposal.
  • Minimum of 2 sources.
  • These should be peer reviewed or credible science sources.
  • Remember to use in-text citations please!