Assignment: Creating a Graphic Summary [Read directions VERY carefully.]
The aim of a graphic summary is to convey the purpose, methods and findings of a primary research article in a summarized format using brief textual descriptions and images to convey different aspects of the article. You will design a graphic summary based on a figure or experiment in the primary research article of Ubiquitination-Deficient Mutations in Human Piwi Cause Male Infertility by Impairing Histone- to-Protamine Exchange during Spermatogenesis. (There should not be paragraphs of text, though bullets or numbering with concise text may be used to outline. See examples below.)

Syntax:
Use formal conversational language, as if you were speaking to an audience of introductory biology students. Do not use slang or colloquialisms; don’t make it so basic that it isn’t even scientific. Check spelling and use appropriate capitalization.
Content (use these as subheadings in your summary):
Research question. Identify the question the experiment is designed to address. Write and punctuate as a question of no more than 25 words. Remember: a mutation or abnormal situation isn’t what interests you in the question; understanding what the wild type situation is and how it is potentially disrupted is the interest. Mutations/abnormalities are just tools for understanding WT functions of genes and proteins. Your question should focus on the normal situation being addressed (sometimes despite the title of the article).
Hypothesis. State the hypothesis being tested in a single sentence of no more than 25 words. (Hint: Focus on stating the hypothesis, then edit for brevity.)
Null hypothesis: Think carefully about what you would predict if the hypothesis were not true, then state it in one sentence. Word limit: 25 words.
Experimental set-up. Create a graphic or series of graphics that represent pictorially how the experiment or observational analysis was conducted. You may indicate the sequence of steps in the experimental design with letters, numbers, or arrows. Choose a method that is easy to follow, but uncluttered. DO NOT COPY DIRECTLY FROM THE PAPER.
Prediction: In one sentence, state the expected outcome from the experimental or observational measurements if the hypothesis is correct.
Prediction of null hypothesis. In one sentence, state the expected outcome of the experimental or observational measurements if the null hypothesis is true.
Results. Create one graphic to show the results. The graphic must be clearly labeled, but do not write a text summary. Do not copy and paste figures directly from the article. Below are two examples of graphic summaries. The first summary is based on a research article by Wittlinger et al (2006), which is posted with these directions. Compare the graphic summary to the figures in the Wittlinger article.
• Although there are similarities, the graphic summary does not copy figures directly from the original article, and you should not either.
• Find a new or different way (condensed, represented differently, drawn differently, etc.) to summarize the data using a graph, table or chart. A model of how the process works is not data.
• Do not redraw the exact same figure with minimal changes – this might as well be plagiarism. •
Conclusion. State the inference from the results. One sentence.
References Cited: Cite the paper you are basing your summary on. Cite any other scientific information or data that you retrieve from elsewhere. If you copy standard images from the internet (flasks, PCR machines, pipettors, etc.), there is no need to cite their retrieval.