5 Extra Credit Points Your Paper Should Summarize

. I the need to the paper to be about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the effect it has on the brain

PROJECT (WRITTEN REPORT + TURNITIN DIGITAL RECEIPT; 100 POINTS)

The class project for this course is a written report that addresses the biological study of a specific behavioral or mental phenomenon (normal or pathological) covered in the readings and videos. Please begin by selecting a behavioral or mental phenomenon that interests you, such as language or schizophrenia, and then select a biological strategy for investigating it, such as hormonal or genetic mechanisms, neurotransmitters, drug treatments, or localization of brain processes by imaging. The project will be worth a maximum of 100 points.

Paper topic. To ensure that your topic meets the above requirements before you begin your work, you will submit your proposed paper topic for approval at the end of Week 2, which will count as 5 extra credit points toward your final score in the course. You should NOT begin working on your paper until your topic has been approved!

Written paper. As an example, the theme of your report might be imaging approaches to the study of schizophrenia. Your paper should summarize fundamental issues, questions, and controversies and provide a general overview of the topic using the biological line of investigation you chose. It should also elaborate on your understanding of the brain processes that are revealed through imaging research in schizophrenia. To accomplish this, you will have to use recent research articles (published within the last five years) to illustrate relevant points. You may use any of a number of electronic databases to find research articles that deal with your topic, including the library and the Internet. The one requirement for the research articles that you select is that two of them must have appeared in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. You may wish to consult with the library staff or your faculty member to confirm whether a particular journal is peer-reviewed.

• PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ALSO SUBMIT A TURNITIN DIGITAL RECEIPT WITH YOUR PAPER. Papers submitted without a digital receipt will not be graded and will receive a grade of 0. Further information can be found in the Week 2 content section of LEO.

Other important guidelines for your paper:

• In most cases, websites are not acceptable sources. There are a few exceptions, but any website references must be specifically approved by Dr. Wetzel in advance. If you feel that you must use a website, please email me and we will decide together if it’s truly appropriate. Newspaper or magazine articles should not be used as your major references, but they are sometimes useful when they lead you to the appropriate research article. You should avoid simply repeating the articles in summary form, but rather use them within the text of your paper to illustrate important points.
• Your paper should be 1,600 words, or about 6 to 8 pages, in length (use the word count as a guide to length and stay within 200 words of the target to avoid penalties). It must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and fully referenced in APA format (see http://www.apa.org). Please check the course schedule in this syllabus for the due date.
• The text of your paper should be preceded by an abstract (about 100 words) that summarizes the key points in the paper (i.e., statement of problem, major findings, conclusions).
• Optionally, you may wish to submit a draft of your complete or near complete paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC at http://www.umuc.edu/writingcenter/writingresources/faq.cfm ) for review and comment, prior to the due date of the paper. This should be submitted well in advance of the due date, in order for the EWC to respond and for you to make the necessary corrections. Once you receive feedback from the EWC, you can copy and paste it into a Word Document, then post it in your assignment folder with your project paper by the due date, for your instructor to view as necessary. The EWC can help address questions regarding format, structure, writing style, and appropriateness of references.