Instructions: An abstract is usually found at the beginning of a scientific research article. It is a brief summary of the study. You can think of it as the movie trailer – you watch the trailer to

Dance 3 University of California, Irvine Spring 2019 Updated 1 90 327 1 Scientific Project: Abstract Learning Objectives: 1) Understand the components of the scientific process. 2) Identify the most important details of the individual self -experiment. 3) Create a structured summary of a personal scientific experiment. Instructions: An abstract is usually found at the beginning of a scientific research article. It is a brief summary of the study. You can think of it as the movie trailer – you watch the trailer to the movie to determine whether you want to g o see the whole movie. When you read the abstract, you are determining whether or not you are interested in reading the rest of the article. While an abstract is often the very first part of a scientific article, it is the last part to be written. All acad emic journals have slightly different re quirements for their abstracts. For this section of your scientific project, you are expected to create an abstract of your entire self -experiment. This final piece of your project should be written in past tense, as you are reporting on an experiment that you have already completed. Your abstract must not exceed 25 0 words . You must use the following 7 subheadings exactly to receive full credit: Title: Develop a title that best suits your experiment. Background: Provide 3 -4 sentences of brief background information to shed light onto the specific topic that you addressed in your experiment. This is NOT an explanation of why you chose your topic (see examples below). Objective: This should be 1 sentence, and should finish th e sentence: “The purpose of this study was… ” This should NOT be phrased as a question. Method s: Briefly explain your methodology for your data collection. Un like your “M ethods” section of the project that you completed earlier in the quarter , this section should only include the important details of your procedures. You do not need to list specific brand names. The following 3 important details are required : 1) frequency of testing intervals, 2) manipulation of the independent variable, 3) how you measured the dependent variable. Results: State your most important finding(s), but do not explain them. You must i nclude 1) your starting dependent variable value, 2) ending dependent variable value , and 3) total change (mean difference) . All of these values should be presented as numbers , as you all have been required to conduct quantitative research. Conclusions: Explain your most important findings, and whether or not they agr ee with the present literature. You must make a comparison to published literature ( it can be one statement). Word Count: You must present (clearly type out ) your word count at the end of the abstract. You must reach a minimum of 200 words, but cannot exceed 250 words. You should NOT include your title or subheadings in your word count total. Dance 3 University of California, Irvine Spring 2019 Updated 1 90 327 2 Rubric: Mechanical review: In order for the paper to be graded, it must meet the following criteria: 1) The assignment was completed and submitted on time. Desc riptor Superior Good Poor Unacceptable Points 5 3 1 0 Total Criterion 1: Title Title directly represents the experiment. Title vaguely represents the experiment. Title does not represent the experiment. Title i s not included. Criterion 2 : Background Background info clearly identifies important topics regarding the experiment. Background info vaguely identifies important topics regarding the experiment. Background info is unrelated to the topic of the experiment. Background info is not included. Criterion 3 : Objective Purpose is stated clearly and succinctly. Purpose is stated, but is vague. Purpose is unclear, or is phrased as a question. No purpose is stated. Criterion 4:

Methods All 3 important details outlined in the instructions are included. 2 of the 3 important details are included. Only 1 of the 3 important details is included. Methods do not include any important details. Criterion 5:

Results All 3 required values outlined in the instructions are included. 2 of the 3 required values are included. Onl y 1 of the 3 required values is included. The results do not include any values. Criterion 6:

Conclusions Explanatio ns of findings are clear and relevant to the results presented ; comparison to previous literature is evident. Explanations of findings are vague, but still relevant to the results ; comparison t o previous literature is vague . Explanations are unrelated to the findings presented in results ; no comparison to previous literature was made . There is no explanation of findings included. Criterion 7 : Word Count Abstract is at least 200 words, but does not exceed 250 words. Abstract is greater than 250 words. Abstract is less than 200 words. Word count is not included. Criterion 8 : Formatting Complete sentences and required subheadings are used . Complete sentences are used, but some required subheadings are missing . Complete sentences are used, but there are no required subheadings included. The assignment is not written in complete sentences. Total Possible : 40 Dance 3 University of California, Irvine Spring 2019 Updated 1 90 327 3 Examples: THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES ARE NOT TO BE USED AS A TEMPLATE. YOU MUST USE YOUR OWN WORDS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE. COPYING OF ANY KIND IS NOT ORIGINAL WORK AND WILL RESULT IN A ZERO FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT. Example 1: Title: The Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Weight Loss in the Absence of Exercise Background: Intermittent fasting is a lifestyle change that alters the specific eating windows of an individual. The style of intermittent fasting used in this study allocates a nytime from 12pm to 8pm. By incorporating this style of fasting, your body is able to lower insulin levels, raise human growth hormone, and release norepinephrine into the body, all of which allow for an increased process of breaking down fat cells. Objec tive: To analyze the effectiveness of intermittent fasting for weight loss with a first year inactive male college student. Methods: Over the span of four weeks, body weight was measured every day at approximately 8am using a standard bathroom scale . The first meal of the day was consumed at 12pm, the second meal was consumed at 3pm, and the final meal was consumed at 7pm. The total caloric consumption of each day was kept constant at roughly 2000 calories. Results: After the 4 weeks finished, the overal l body weight decreased by 1.5 pounds per week. The starting weight was 195 pounds and the final weight was 189 pounds, a 6 pound decrease. Conclusions: Intermittent fasting has been proven to allow for consistent weight loss over a span of four weeks. Cu rrent scientific literature agrees to the efficiency of intermittent fasting and shows that eating your meals within a smaller time frame can increase your metabolic rate. Word Count: 23 2 Example 2: Title: The effects of social media on stress levels of a college student Background: Social media is used widely around the world. Social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are used to communicate with family, friends, and the rest of the w orld. Studies show these networking sites can be addictive to some. Social media can create an addiction and obsession for individuals and lead to them pushing off other important aspects of their life, such as work , school, and human interaction . Whether or not the overuse of social media contributes to high stress levels in my life is unknown. Objective: To determ ine if social media usage plays a role in my overall stress levels. Methods: Pre - and post -Perceived Stress S cale scores were recorded to measu re the difference in stress levels. I performed a 2 -week social media fast where I recorded each day I went without any form of social media use. On the last day of the experiment , the P erce ived Stress S cale was taken, recorded, and then compared to that o f the first day to determine if stress levels were lowered. Results: Two w eeks of no social media usage decreased my stress level by 11 points , going from a score of 16 to 5 (per the Perceived Stress Scale). Conclusions: Cutting out social media can have a stress -relieving effect o n one’s life. This finding agrees with some of the existing literature on social media and causes of stress , which state that overuse of social media can be highly addictive and stressful. Word Count: 246 Dance 3 University of California, Irvine Spring 2019 Updated 1 90 327 4 Example 3: Title: Impro vements in Longevity When Cycling Correlated to Consistency Background: Many reasons why people give up on working out is because they are not seeing the results as soon as they want. But what many people do not consider is that it is vital, almost impossible without, consistency. By cycling more than once a week, for consecutive weeks, improvements in longevity on the cycle as well as a decrease in a participant’s desire to take a break has been shown. Objective: To test the effects of consistent an d repetitive cycling in relation to the lasting ability to stay on the cycle as well as the capability to tread without taking a break. Methods: The participant performed a 5 -week experiment in which they tried to cycle for three times each week on the K eiser M3i Indoor Cycle. While on the bike, the participant recorded the time in which they needed to take their first initial break and then the overall time on the cycle. Results: In 5 weeks, the participant improved by 101.6%. The participant started wi th an overall time on the cycle at 15 minutes (pre -experiment). By the end of the 5 weeks, the participant could last 30 minutes and 25 seconds (post -experiment). This gives us a mean difference of 15 minutes and 25 seconds. Conclusions: Weekly cycling ca n improve the endurance of a participant as long as they are consistent. The results obtained in this experiment supports existing literature on improvements in muscle fatigue and muscular endurance. Word Count: 242 Example 4: Title: The Effects of a Sh ort -Term Vegetarian Diet on the BMI Score of a College -Aged Female Background: Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming meat. It has been proven that following this type of diet, over a long period of time, can have numerous health benefits. Some of those benefits include a lower BMI score and a lower chance of developing obesity. It is unc ertain if a short -term vegetarian diet will yield the same results and benefits. Objective: To evaluate the changes that occur when a meat eater switches to a veget arian diet, especially changes in BMI score. Methods: Before starting the experiment, the participant was weighed using a scale and the starting BMI score was calculated. After the baseline calculation was made, the elimination of meat began. Each Monday morning for four weeks, the participant was weighed and her BMI score was calculated. Results: Eliminating meat for four weeks decreased the participant’s weight by 2.6 pounds, thus lowering the BMI score by 0.5 (starting BMI score: 22.5, ending BMI score: 22.0, mean difference : 0.5). Conclusions: Following a short term vegetarian diet did cause a decrease in overall weight and BMI score. These findings do agree with present literature regarding vegetarianism and the effects on body weight to an extent. Sin ce the change was not significant, it is possible to attribute these results to confounding variables, such as stress and meal frequency. Word Count: 22 6