The style of the MB5518 Reports is modelled on short discussion articles often used by scientific journals to highlight one or several key or exciting research papers.
Links to examples of this type of article (called ‘Cell Previews’) published by the journal ‘Cell’ are given at the bottom of the page.
Structure.
The report should start with a brief opening statement referring explicitly to the topic under discussion and the general significance of the work. This should be followed by more detail and address the following questions:
What is the research question being addressed by the study?
What was known about this at the start of the study?
Why is addressing this question important?
What experimental approaches were used in the study to address the question and why?
What are the key findings of the study?
What are the broader implications of the study?
That is, how do the finding of the study contribute to our understanding of the research question set out at the start?
Length. The report should be no longer than 1,000 (excluding figure legends and references).
Title: Short and informative.
Figures or diagrams. You can include one or two figures or diagrams.
These should be chosen with care to illustrate keys points or results.
They can be of your own design or taken from else but if the latter this must be clearly acknowledged and referenced.
References.
There should be no more than 10 references.
Language.
Use clear, plain language and avoid overusing abbreviations or acronyms. The report will be marked by the seminar presenter but should be understandable to a general scientific audience.
Links to examples:
Networking and Dynamic Switches in Biological Condensates
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.056
The Secret Life of lncRNAs: Conserved, yet Not Conserved
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.012
A Metabolic Bottleneck for Stem Cell Transformation
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.038
Some Like It Sweet: Dendritic Cells Add Sugar to Their T(ea)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.10.033
Cas9 in Human Embryos: On Target but No Repair
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.11.022
Basophils add fuel to the flame of eczema itch
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.12.035
RGENEditing of RNAand DNA: The Long and Winding Road from Catalytic RNAs to CRISPR to the Clinic
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.050
