Although I feel I have a basic understanding of a literature review, I am struggling to find a topic and general outline. Some of the videos I've watched suggest to start by finding a research article with an interesting topic, then look through that topic for key words or ideas that the research is built upon. The attached video talks about the "research cycle", which is :
pick a topic
read research on that topic.
tweak the topic of your paper as needed.
In step 2, if there is not enough material for research, you may need to tweak your topic. Also, during research, you may find a more interesting topic than the original. One other thing mentioned was, if you are stuck, ask for help. Resources such as Librarians may be able to offer guidance and provide a nudge if you are stuck picking a topic. I scheduled a virtual appointment with a PC librarian earlier this week, and he was extremely helpful, showing me different places to find ideas, and going over proper citation. He said there is also a 24 hour/day "ask a librarian" help feature on their website if you are struggling late at night. You can schedule an online appointment with a librarian, or use the 24/7 service via the canvas library link. The library database also has a section on argument/debate (hot topics) that may help provide review ideas, by writing about what data/methods those arguments are based on.
Do you feel you have a more malleable/growth mindset, or a fixed mindset? I am not sure how to answer this. I am very fixed with some things, and malleable with others. I am not afraid to learn when it comes to things like science, although I can get particular about knowing all the rules or expectations, and sometimes get stuck. I can go to a foreign city, or in the middle of a jungle, and feel very comfortable in unfamiliar territory. If I am fixing a machine, I see it as a challenge and growth opportunity when I don't find the problem right away. In other areas I definitely have a fixed mindset. Language, for instance, has never been easy for me, and I resist learning. I took Spanish for 4 years and it did not "speak to me." I didn't like it at all. Now I hear people telling me how I need to learn Spanish and I get upset. I say things like, "There are 450 languages spoken in the U.S.. Am I to learn them all, or should everyone just learn English?" I...
The microbiome group will not be meeting as frequently this semester, creating gaps in my weekly reporting ability. One of my advisors suggested I supplement by doing a literature review as well. So, what is a literature review, why do we do them, and how? In the attached video series it was described as this: Imagine going to a high school reunion and meeting up with a person you haven't seen in years. They might ask, "What have you been up to?" at which point you would provide the highlights of past years. "I moved to Arizona in 2010. A few years later I invented post-it notes, and became rich overnight. Three minutes later I got married. We have been traveling the world, and just flew in from Belize to be here with you all today." Note that, while this brings the listener up to speed, this does not move forward with an idea of the future. A literature review uses multiple, credible sources, to explain the current status on a...
Presentation given by Richard Ricketts on the research paper “Emergent simplicity in microbial community assembly” Goldford et al. Science, 2018, 3;361(6401):469-474. doi: 10.1126/science.aat1168. Emergent simplicity in microbial community assembly | Science (sciencemag.org) The research attempts to understand the symbiosis between species of bacteria. If we were to imagine several types of bacteria all fighting over the same food supply, we might expect to see one species starve out the rest. What research has shown is that bacteria are able to feed off the metabolites of other bacteria, allowing all to thrive. In a colony of a few hundred varieties, the feeding structure can get complex. This research attempts to isolate and determine which varieties can feed off each other in order to construct a mathematical model. With this knowledge we may be able to propagate and control a healthy microbiome. It could help illuminate the root cause of some dysbioses, or potentially...
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