bio skills

aim

to determine…

hypothesis

If ….(IV) changes then the ….(DV) will change-remember to include how DV will be measured

risk assessment

remember to include what the material is and the risk to you and how to prevent the risk

method

past tense, 3rd person

Discussion

summarise findings, interpret your results, address limitations, offer explanations and mechanisms, propose future directions.

Summarise your findings (discussion)

Start by summarising what you discovered during your experiment or research. Make sure to highlight the main points clearly.

Interpret your results (discussion)

Explain what your findings mean. How do they relate to what you expected to find? Think about why your results turned out the way they did.

Address Limitations (discussion)

Be honest about any limitations in your study. Were there factors that might have affected your results? Think about how these limitations could impact the interpretation of your findings.

Offer explanations and mechanisms (discussion)

provide explanations based on biology for why you got the results you did. What biological principles might explain your findings?

Propose future directions (discussion)

think about what could be done next. Are there new questions that write from your findings? How could future studies build on what you’ve discussed?

Validity

the extent in which an experiment answers the question

Questions for validity

Does the method correctly test the hypothesis/aim? The equipment used to gather data appropriate and likely to provide accurate measurements? Were steps taken to control relevant variables? Was a control used? Why or why not?

Reliability

is the data consistent?

Questions for reliability

How many times was the test repeated? What is the best method to compare the data - Average? Comparison?

Accuracy

the extent in which it's true value agrees with the measured value

Questions for accuracy

is the equipment and method appropriate? Are my results similar to other?

Assess

Make a judgement of value, quality, outcomes, results or size

Compare

Show how things are similar or different

Contrast

Show how things are different or opposite

Describe

Provide characteristics and features

Discuss

Identify issues and provide points for and/or against

Evaluate

Make a judgement based on criteria; determine the value of

Explain

Relate cause and effect; make the relationships between things evident; provide why and/or how

Justify

Support an argument or conclusion