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Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review:

Writing in Biomedical Science

Genesis A. Casillas

University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1302

Dr. Vierra

April 19, 2020

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LITERATURE REVIEW
Abstract

We have a growth in education when it comes to Biomedical Sciences, instructors are

good at teaching students the basics and helping them succeed throughout the course. However,

they all fail to prepare the students for the real struggles such as: communication skills towards

the public, diversities, and to be excellent scientist. Causing problems at the graduate university

level focusing on specialties instead of the big picture that is your writing skills. Unprepared

students will lack the knowledge and cause poor obtaining information, literature errors, and fail

to understand and reach the writing skills that are needed. To solve this issue, we’ll have to

continue to help graduates be capable of producing deep research and shorten the length of time

they had to complete for this degree to become more educated trained scientist. The research I

conducted will help you furthermore understand this problem and solution.

Keywords: Education, degree, graduate

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Literature Review:

Writing in Biomedical Science

Writing in biomedical science is the use of scientific research, discovering new anti-

biotics, virus, diseases and other lifesaving measures. Currently in the United States worldwide

the COVID-19 as of now does not have a dose cure yet. Biomedical scientists and other

scientists are cooperating to gather research and create a cure proposal that will cure this

epidemic virus (Medical Discovery Institute. Director2020). There's a lot of false information

going around in the news which not only news reporters but also our own president is not in

update with the research. Since biomedical students are having a hard time due to the type of

writing they need to know, students should be taught more writing courses at UTEP and

throughout high school (Medical Discovery Institute 2020).

This topic will be explored by the following research questions:

 What does writing mean in biomedical science and what is the problem in
writing in this discipline?
 What specific writing skills are needed in biomedical science?

 How has writing changed throughout the years? Has technology taken

over of writing in biomedical science?

 How can UTEP improve their writing courses, for students to learn?
Students do not have enough knowledge to create a proposal or any type of scientific

research. In this discipline biomedical scientists apply their research and gatherings to create a

proposal for their research. Students in this major need to reach the standards of writing in order

to propose their findings. Therefore, my proposal to overcome this problem is for teachers to

teach more writing courses throughout high school and college. Also, to have more advanced

programming for students to be more educational writers.

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Discussion of Research
Writing in Biomedical Sciences
What writing means in biomedical science is the main research tool scientist use to conduct

their research. They also use mathematics in their research hypothesis (Arenas, C & Mestres, F.

2014). Biomedical sciences consist of many data and this research is done by writing down

newly discovers and information. I learned that there is different computer programming’s that

can be used to help organize and complete research. “Every biomedical computer task can be

described as an exercise for example, Pseudocode programs are algorithms expressed in

narrative text, rather than in the structured coding syntax of a programming language”

(Biomedical Informatics, p.96). This is an example of a writing programming on a computer.

Witch is really helpful because it does not only have acronyms but also gives you language that

you can easily understand.

A problem that comes up when writing in Biomedical Science, is the heavily amount of

research and data students need to obtain causing them to struggle due to the professors not

preparing them correctly and the work is too stressful for them. Students are not writing ready,

they lack literature skills, communication skills in writing, critical thinking, and problem solving

(Erin L. Dolan, NCBI). That is why when it comes to practicing medicine, they aren’t properly

trained. Biomedical is based on excessive research, reading and writing. Our solution towards

this problem is, “The Initiative for Maximizing Student Development program at Loma Linda

University aims to develop this important skill in its students through an integrated, structured

writing intervention. Specifically, the program hired a writing specialist who taught writing

seminars, facilitated writing and publishing workshops, and mentored students in one-on-one

writing conferences” (Erin L. Dolan, NCBI). This program is very helpful to prepare students for

the graduate level and should be practiced in ever university preparation.

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Writing skills needed in Biomedical Sciences

Everything has a sort of type of writing expectation and I think Biomedical is a major

discipline that needs really good expectations. There is a lot of data, that has to be written legibly

and understanding also that has to have patient privacy. “Integrate large biologic and medical

datasets for the purpose of conquering disease and improving human health” (Biomedical

Informatic, book page one). Tells us what must be needed for writing and what for. You are

expected to write and learn ambiversions, learn how to make prescriptions, and organize your

data.

But another really important writing expectation when it comes to this discipline. And that

is “Because medical data are often extracted from private and legally protected medical records,

people who work with medical data must be versed in the legal and ethical issues related to

human subject protections” (Biomedical Informatic, book page one). Means that writing in this

discipline expects you to know your knowledge and to know your privacy safety agreements.

This is a competitive sector and period of relevant work experience can be extremely useful in

increasing your chances but, also being able to meet the writing requirements for scientific

research papers also gets you onto further training courses or of finding employment” (Budgell,

B. 2009). I agree and also believe that there’s a lot of competition in this field and it is important

to do internships and know the knowledge. Students are required to write scientific research

proposal for example, on Figure 3. It gives us an example of how these proposals are to be

completed. “A well-written introduction of a scientific paper provides relevant background

knowledge to convince the readers about the rationale, importance, and novelty of the research”

(NCBI. (2018). The principles of biomedical scientific writing: Introduction, article.). This is an
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example of how an introduction of a scientific paper is very important and demonstrates the

biomedical writing skills.

After reading books about Biomedical Science new knowledge, I started to believe that

being responsible is really important as it can be also really tactful and lands in a writing skill

category. What people don’t see in students with this discipline, is that they have responsibilities

apart from their personal responsibilities (Berkel, Henk J.M). According to Bernard Towers

(Section III), “The responsibilities of any member of the medical profession, by the exercise of

which he/she acquires kinds of rights, are many and varied. In addition to our ordinary personal

responsibilities to self and family, to colleagues and employees at the office and in the

department, school or etc.” (pg.78). I belief that we medical students also have responsibilities

that are hard to handle, because they’re a part of our personal ones different from non-medical

students.

Writing and technology changing throughout time

We live in a place where we all want to find cures for diseases and different ways to help

people. More and more year's pass, and we need new technology that will help us with this

problem. According to Nicholas Rescher, “Technological escalation, operative throughout the

natural sciences and certainly in the medical field, serves to account for the recent rise of high-

technology medicine that is a characteristic feature of present-day frontiers of research and

therapy” (New knowledge in the Biomedical Sciences, pg.37). “The issue I primarily want to

pose in this context comes in the more comfortable form of a resource-allocation question.

Specifically, it is the problem of cost-benefits in medical research” (pg,37). Nicholas believed

that the level of new technology that science medicine needs as time goes would become a more
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difficult and expensive problem. I automatically agree with his believe, because it’s true that we

need technology to improve our research and now in day these products are really expensive.

Technology has advanced throughout the years and everyone is aware of the effect but,

they do not know the great effect science made throughout the years. By gaining new and

improved advancements throughout time. I believe that without these new advancements in

science we would not be like we are now in science technology, like how William B. Bondeson

said, “But science in the last half of the 20 th century is categorically different from all previous

science in that it is no longer in the hands of the individual entrepreneur, either as scientist or as

technologist. Without massive social and financial support, whether in terms of institutional,

state, or federal help, science these days would be simply impossible. And the same kind of

support is required in the private sector as well” (New knowledge in the Biomedical Sciences

pg.200). In this small paragraph he states how without the help of funds or federal help it would

be absolutely impossible to have such medication and treatment advancements in the healthcare

field.

Biomedical, deals with a lot of new technology and medications every day. “Expensive

equipment, medicine, artificial organs, blood for the treatment of hemophilia, donors for organ

transplant operations, and research facilitates are all limited supply” (New Knowledge in the

Biomedical Sciences, book section two, page 55). This says how Biomedical needs a lot of

technology and equipment. And it takes time to fund and produce it. This discipline has a really

high expectation when it comes to writing, and many people do not know. These students will

have many work and many things that they are required to know such as writing medical

terminology. And these new improvements of technology are changing for good and bad. Now,

there is no need to write things down on a paper computers and new innovations are helping
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scientists gather their research making it easier for them and more helpful. Technology has

modified the way writing in biomedical was few years back.

Primary Research

Ways UTEP can improve their writing

There is many ways UTEP can improve their writing courses in order for them to learn.

Throughout my research I got to watch videos and read articles of how students can prepare for

writing courses and how can schools, and teachers improve this task as well. and teachers

improve this task as well. Like I already mentioned before, how Loma Linda University came up

with a program called “The Initiative for Maximizing Student Development program”. Witch is a

writing program that is structured with writing intervention, workshops, and conferences that are

taught by writing specialist. This is a very good program that UTEP can provide for their

students.

Other ways to improve this is by recreating new writing lectures and laboratories (Figure

1. UTEP Biomedical Science Research Team. Advances in developing vaccine for cutaneous

leishmaniasis.2017). courses that would improve student performance during their way to

success (Finn, K. Fitz Patrick, K, & Yan, Z. 2017). UTEP administration such as teachers should

get together a recreate these new lessons. A good thing to do to help is to create verbal and visual

videos for students to be able to watch and go back to whenever they need to refresh the

memory. Herbert Chase a professor at Colombia University made a video for his students, an

uploaded up on YouTube in order for them to see and for other people who need help as well

(Overview of biomedical informatics. Chase, H.). I found this video a way that will help UTEP

improve their writing courses, by making these verbal and visual videos that focus on the

students writing struggles.

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Analysis of Biomedical science writing

This research was intended to find out the type of writing that is needed for this discipline

and comparing it to UTEP how can the school improve to help students be prepare for the

challenges in writing they would face. The survey I intended to do for this research was

unfortunately not completed the whole way. I planned to test the biomedical students and

workers, also students in other disciplines to compare the types of writing and their opinion. I

was able to test how the experience of someone working in the field and a person who is still

studying in the discipline was very different. But my survey did not fully go as planned due to

the COVID-19 situation around the world (Figure 2. “A completely new culture of doing

research”. Coronavirus outbreak changes how scientists communicate). This is a time where

biomedical scientist and other scientist are trying to figure out a cure for this virus, “Scientist at

Texas Biomed are working on five different projects to study the virus, including diagnostics,

antiviral and vaccine development and animal model development” (Texas Biomedical Research

Institution. 2020). This institution is another institution of biomedical science that is under the

stress of the public and it’s doing the best they can.

Conclusion

Writing in biomedical science is very difficult as other disciplines and regular writing

courses. As UTEP attempt to try and improve students writing abilities they must create a new

way of teaching writing and getting students prepared. The use of writing is increasing especially

in this discipline due to what is happening with the COVID-19. With the goal of improving

students in writing, UTEP’s administration and faculty improved there writing centers for

students to go and be helped in any writing problem. UTEP can still improve this more and more
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but, we would leave that for other years to come. The great outcome comes out of the effort that

UTEP’s teacher and administration did by engaging more with the students.
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References
Arenas, C., & Mestres, F. (2014). Why mathematics is essential in biomedical sciences degree?
Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.129
Berkel, Henk J. M. van, & Schmidt, H. G. (2000). Motivation to commit oneself as a

determinant of achievement in problem-based learning Springer Nature.

doi:10.1023/A:1004022116365

Berman, J. J. (2006). Biomedical informatics Jones and Bartlett. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b2113874&site=eds-live&scope=site

http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0613/2006015061.html

Bondeson, W. B. (1982). New knowledge in the biomedical sciences : Some moral implications

of its acquisition, possession, and useD. Reidel. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b1036830&site=eds-live&scope=site
Budgell, B. (2009). Writing a biomedical research paper
Overview of biomedical informatics . Chase, H. (Director). (2016, December 6,).[Video/DVD]

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-otUihKQy5Q&feature=youtu.be

Finn, K., FitzPatrick, K., & Yan, Z. (2017). Research and teaching: Integrating lecture and

laboratory in health sciences courses improves student satisfaction and performance

Journal of College Science Teaching. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1155409&site=eds-live&scope=site

http://www.nsta.org/store/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/4/jcst17_047_01_66

,Loma Linda University and others. (2018 Erin L. Dola). Supporting the writing productivity of

biomedical graduate students: An integrated, structured writing intervention. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6234805/

NCBI. (2018). The principles of biomedical scientific writing: Introduction, article . Retrieved

from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6218661/
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Finding a drug for COVID-19: We don't have time to start from scratch. Sanford Burnham

Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (Director). (2020, Mar 22,).[Video/DVD]

,Loma Linda University and others. (2018 Erin L. Dola). Supporting the writing productivity of

biomedical graduate students: An integrated, structured writing intervention. Retrieved

from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6234805/

Texas Biomedical Research Institution. (2020). Coronavirus frequently asked questions.

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Appendix A: Image
Figure 1. UTEP Biomedical Science Research Team. Advances in developing vaccine for
cutaneous leishmaniasis (2017).
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-11/tuot-uta111517.php
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Figure 2. “A completely new culture of doing research”. Coronavirus outbreak changes
how scientists communicate.
Sources: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/completely-new-culture-doing-
research-coronavirus-outbreak-changes-how-scientists

Figure 3. Examples of how a biomedical sciences research proposal is.

Source: https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/files/2016/01/enrichment-student-proposals-

basic-science.pdf
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Appendix B: Survey Questions

What writing skills are more commonly used in this discipline?

Why do you use writing in this major?

How do you use writing in your work place? Is it different than at school during your

biomedical science courses?

Did writing at UTEP prepare you well for this discipline?

How is writing in biomedical science different all around the world?

What if writing was not part of biomedical science? How would it be different from now?

What if writing courses weren’t needed to graduate UTEP or any other college?

Have the writing skills used in biomedical science changed overtime? If yes, how have

they changed?

Has technology taken over biomedical sciences research tools? How and why?

Is writing in biomedical science more challenging than other disciplines?

From biomedical writing, what is or was the most challenging for you to understand and

master?
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