ASEN 5016 Homework # 1 Assignment Guidelines

 

Select a research topic related to the syllabus that you find of particular interest and email me with your choice for approval – due Tuesday 1/29 (topic only)

 

Your choice must explicitly address one or more of the specific questions identified for the Risks listed on NASA’s Bioastronautics Roadmap (http://bioastroroadmap.nasa.gov/index.jsp) - note that the emphasis of this class is placed on scientific aspects, so topics pertaining to operational medicine, psychology, vehicle systems and monitoring are generally not acceptable. You can submit a few alternatives if you can’t completely narrow it down to one topic yet, and can change your selection, with subsequent approval, if you end up going down a dead end path with your original choice. 

 

CAETE students, add a week to the posted due dates.

 

If applicable, your selected homework must be on a subject other than your own previous or current research area!

 

Review textbooks, review articles and primary journal articles, and conference papers to gain an understanding of the current level of knowledge and issues pertaining to your selected topic, as related to space flight. Try to avoid the overuse of review articles or conference papers as your main reference sources, however. 

 

Primary” implies that the person who wrote it did the research.  Journal” typically implies it was peer-reviewed, some more thoroughly than others.  Textbooks and review articles are good places to start and give some broader perspective/consensus, but the material is usually dated – especially in this field.  Recent conference papers are good for getting up-to-date summaries, but are frequently not peer-reviewed, so be aware of credibility concerns.  Use web sites sparingly, if at all, and be confident in the source in all cases.

 

Your assignment is to summarize the current understanding of the topic you choose based on at least 5 relevant papers describing recent research on your selected topic, with at least 3 of them being primary journal articles from at least 2 different research groups (i.e. authors).

 

HW 1 Submission Guidelines – due 2/26

 

Submit one hard copy of the manuscript with a formal, signed cover letter and one electronic file (of the manuscript only, not cover letter) using MS Word - PC accessible please (CAETE students – electronic only for both parts is ok)

 

Double-space manuscript

 

Use 12 pt font with 0.75 inch margins all around – top/bottom, left/right

 

Figures or tables should be inserted in line with the text in appropriate locations, but use sparingly if at all, and do not ‘cut and paste’ without explicit permission.

 

Limit is 5-pages of text, excluding bibliography, but including any figures or tables.

 

Follow the general outline below with approximate number of pages as indicated in each section (non-compliant submittals will be returned for correction and considered late if not resubmitted before the due date).

 

 

            Professional Cover Letter to the editor (me) of the “Journal of Space Life Sciences

            Title and Author (12 pt font, across top line of page 1, not as a separate page)

            Key words – under Title and Author line, up to 6 descriptors of the topic not included in the title

            Running Title – author’s last name and page number in footer on each page

 

            Background  (of the topic in general and how it relates to space flight) ~1-2 pages

            Summary   (review of current understanding per literature cited) ~2 – 3 pages

Critique / Suggestions for future research (your $0.02 worth goes here) ~0.5 – 1 page

Bibliography (not included in 5 page limit)

 

Include at least 2 independent research teams in your references.  (i.e. do not use 5 articles all from the same person or group as your only source of information.)

 

Use the following example formats to cite your references where they appear in the text and list them alphabetically by first author’s last name in bibliography as shown: 

 

# Authors                    As cited in the text

one                             Doe (2001) showed that mice are dehydrated in space.

                                   Mice have been shown to become dehydrated in space (Doe, 2001).

 

two                             It was determined by Jones and Smith (1992) that space flight is risky.  

                                   Space flight has been determined to be risky (Jones and Smith, 1992).

 

3 or more                    Schmoe et al. (1997) reported that the astronauts were fatigued.

                                   It was reported that the astronauts were fatigued (Schmoe et al., 1997).

 

 

As listed in the Bibliography

Doe, J. (2001): “The effects of space flight on people”.  J. Space Flight Res. 15(2):  44-49.

 

Jones, D. and Smith, J. (1992): “Space flight alters humans”.  Acta Astronautica, 12: 34-37.

 

Schmoe, J., Jones, D., Smith, J. and Doe, J. (1997): “Influence of gravity on humans”.  Johnson and Fields (eds.): Fundamentals of Space Flight Research.  Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 299-328.

 


Every journal specifies required guidelines for authors. Some are more stringent than others. Nature and Science are two of the more prestigious journals in the literature. Check out their author instruction websites below (for fun only) to get an idea of what is involved in submitting an article to either of them for publication…

 

Nature              Science

 


 

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