180 likes | 386 Views
Parasitology Seminar. TRMD 7020. http://www.tulane.edu/~wiser/seminar/. Student Responsibilities. Prepare an oral report and written abstract on a scientific paper Attend class >1unexcused absence will lower grade Be on time Actively participate in discussions
E N D
Parasitology Seminar TRMD 7020 http://www.tulane.edu/~wiser/seminar/
Student Responsibilities • Prepare an oral report and written abstract on a scientific paper • Attend class • >1unexcused absence will lower grade • Be on time • Actively participate in discussions • Ask questions if something needs clarification • Share any relevant knowledge or experiences you have
Choosing a Paper • Infectious diseases and anything related to infectious diseases (ecology → molecules) • Published within the last year (2012-13) • If more than 2 years old (2011 or earlier) you will need to justify • Something you are interested in or have past experience with • Something you want to learn more about • A continuation of a previous presentation
Restrictions • Should be original scientific paper reporting new observations • No review papers (perhaps meta-analyses, but justify) • No rapid communications, brief descriptions, case studies, etc • Generally 4-6 data items (figures and tables) and has sections (Introduction, Methods, etc) • Highly methodological papers are discouraged
Register Paper • Check schedule to make sure no else has already chosen or presented the exact same paper • in both current and previous semester • Email copy of paper or url link to seminar coordinator • at least 2 weeks before presentation date • Can’t decide or not sure if appropriate? • send several papers (2-3) and ask for advice
Presentation Components • Introduction • Experimental Design • Results • Discussion (including critique of paper) • Possible to combine elements • Intermix experimental design and results • Intermix results and discussion
Introduction • Concisely summarize background information related to paper • Does not need to be exhaustive • Remember the audience (ie, the other students and not the faculty) • Finish with goals or objectives of the study • Eg: hypothesis, filling in missing knowledge, testing an application, etc • Why is this study potentially important?
Experimental Design • Do not give detailed materials and methods • Briefly explain what was measured and how it was measure • Outline the experimental approach • How do the authors hope to accomplish their goals? • Flow charts and diagrams can be helpful
Results • The most important section • Show and explain the data (ie, figures and tables) • Not obliged to show all data from long papers • During the presentation point out the relevant aspects of the data • Point out objects in micrographs, bands on gels, etc, or rows or columns in tables • Should preface with methods (What was done or measured) • Can also discuss significance if beneficial
Figures and Tables • Highlight (eg, boxes, arrows, color, etc) relevant data in complex tables or figures • Can redo table to only include relevant data • Can tabulate data only presented in the text of paper • Can enhance figures using drawing tools (brightness, contrast, crop, etc) • Sometimes compatibility issues between Macs and PCs with figures and objects
Discussion • Begin with brief summary of results • Discuss other studies that support or refute the findings of the presented paper • State any conclusions and the strength of those conclusions • Are there recommendations? • Possible future studies? • Critique the paper
Critique • Your evaluation of the paper and the strength of the results and conclusions • Were the goals and objectives accomplished? • How original is the work and did it add new knowledge? • Did the authors sufficiently address other possible interpretations? • Was the paper clearly written and presented?
Tips on Preparing Slides • Use short phrases and avoid long sentences • Use font sizes that are sufficiently large (at least 24) • Make sure tables and figures are clear and legible • Make sure there is sufficient contrast between objects and background • Eg, dark type on light background • Avoid red type on dark background
Abstract • Should be a concise summary of the presentation and include same components • Do not copy the abstract of the paper • Include bibliographic information of the paper (authors, title, journal) • Include 2-3 relevant references such as reviews or related studies • Recommend writing and editing the abstract concurrently with preparing the presentation
The Presentation • Be prepared and bring presentation in multiple forms (eg, email and thumbdrive) • Relax and enjoy yourself • Try not to rush; pause occasionally • Do not read the slides • Address the audience--not the board or podium--as much as possible • Should be at least 20 minutes, preferably 30 • Try not to exceed allotted time (depends on # of presentations)