The Final Essay Instructions:

Final essay (1500-2000 words) must contain an introduction, statement of the thesis (the claim to be supported), arguments supporting the thesis and conclusion. Students will need to perform research from reputable sources to back up their arguments, including expert opinions, statistics, analogies, news articles, primary research articles, etc. Database resources covered in this course should be used (e.g. cancer statistics, IARC monographs). No fewer than 5 scholarly sources should be used in the final essay, of which 50% must be original research articles or scholarly literature reviews less than five years old. PUBMED database should be used to find scholarly sources. All the sources will need to be cited using APA style.

Introduction:
Introduction section should include relevant information about the topic you chose. Why is it important to address this claim? Are there any common misconceptions about this particular claim that should be addressed. Include some relevant statistics, significant facts about the topic. Try to find some polls that indicate the popular opinion about this claim. Include thesis statement at the end of the introduction paragraph in bold font. The thesis statement is not a statement of the goal of your essay, but it should announce the steps in your argument.

Body Paragraphs:
The essay should have three clear arguments based on the thesis statement. Each paragraph will contain one argument. For each paragraph, state your argument in the first sentence. Provide evidence to support the argument. Include opposing evidence and argue why this evidence does not support your argument, and comment on the weight or reliability of this evidence. Your arguments
should be based on scientific evidence. You are expected to present BOTH sides of the argument, and then weigh the evidence based on what you learned in the course. The last sentence in each of body paragraphs should be a short concluding remark.

Discussion/Conclusion Paragraph:
First, briefly summarize your arguments and evidence. Then, try to make connections of your arguments with society. Why do we need to understand this? Why is it important to be informed about this topic?
What is the impact on society if this issue is misunderstood? Finally, comment on the status of evidence for this issue. Are there any gaps in the literature? Are there any limitations in research? Did we only begin to study this issue? How much more do we need to do to address it adequately? Suggest some future directions.

References:
List of references in APA style (6 th or 7 th Edition) should be provided in a separate document.

Formatting Instructions:
We will use APA style formatting and style for the final essay.
1. The title page is page 1 of your paper. Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the upper half of the page. The title should be centered in the upper half of the page. The title should be centered and written in bold. Below the title, enter your name, student ID number, the course number and name, instructor name, and assignment due date. Follow an example of Student APA title page here.
2. All text must be black in 12 pt Times New Roman font; double-spaced.
3. Margins: 1 inch on all sides.
4. Pages must be numbered sequentially (header – the top right corner or each page).
5. Do not include any figures/diagrams.
6. Running title should be provided – left hand top corner of each page in CAPITAL letter.
7. The essay should be organized in a logical, coherent manner. Appropriate language, spelling, grammar and punctuation should be used.
8. Any discussion of published findings, scientific reviews, theories, and hypotheses must be cited, regardless of whether you quote it directly. In-text references and bibliography lists should be in APA style.
9. No fewer than 5 scholarly articles should be used in the final essay, of which 50% must be primary research articles or scholarly literature reviews less than 5 years old.
10. Abbreviations: if the name will be used repeatedly, write out the name at the first mention followed by an acceptable or standard abbreviation in parenthesis. After that, use the abbreviations. For example: Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
11. The names of the genes are written in italics, while the proteins they encode are written in normal all uppercase font. For example: kras gene encodes KRAS protein.
12. DO NOT USE SUBTITLES
13. Two documents should be submitted: Essay and a List of References