how to write a research paper for microbiology

Microbiology

• Key resources

Literature reviews and writing for the Journal of Virology

Guides to writing, making podcasts, writing workshops.

• The literature review - a step-by-step guide for students (2012) A step-by-step guide to conducting a literature search and literature review, using cases and examples throughout to demonstrate best practice.
• UQ study skills - writing a literature review A guide to the process of planning and writing a literature review.

For students who have to write a sample scientific paper, please refer to these instructions for authors from the Journal of Virology.

• Effective science communication: a practical guide to surviving as a scientist Sample press releases, writing for social media and popular science.
• How to write and publish a scientific paper It includes practical advice on how to publish your work in scientific journals, apply for grants, and effectively communicate your research to both scientific and non-scientific audiences.
• How writing works: a field guide to effective writing The book offers writing and editing advice as well as how to adapt to write for new media, in particular social media and online publications.
• Podcast production Producing professional looking audio and video podcasts
• Adobe premiere Manual from a library workshop
• Audacity Manual from a library workshop
• Adobe audition Tutorial from Adobe on how to record, edit, and mix audio for video, podcasts, and effects
• UQ Student Support Attend a workshop on study skills including peer writing support, literature reviews, exams or general study skills
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Preparing your submission

On this page: Article types and instructions | Writing tips | How to submit | Publishing model

Article types and instructions

Nature Reviews publishes a wide variety of article types. You can find an overview of the article types and the article format guides below. Not all journals publish all articles types. Please check with your editor if you are unsure about the article type you were asked to write. Please also ensure that you have read and understood our editorial policies .

Large Language Models (LLMs), such as  ChatGPT,  do not currently satisfy our  authorship criteria . Notably an attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, which cannot be effectively applied to LLMs. Use of an LLM should be properly documented in the Methods section (and if a Methods section is not available, in a suitable alternative part) of the manuscript.

Review-type articles

• Review articles provide accessible, authoritative and balanced overviews of a field or topic.
• Perspective articles provide a forum for opinionated discussions of a field or topic, as well as describing historical foundations and influences, emerging research trends and techniques, and ethical, legal and societal issues.
• Consensus Statement articles  are comprehensive analyses - and their agreed outcomes - by a panel of experts of a scientific or medical issue.
• Evidence-Based Guidelines are evidence-based, systematically developed recommendations for achieving standardized research or clinical practice.
• Expert Recommendation articles are collective opinion pieces, authored by panels of specialists, that present the outcome of an analysis or discussion, and suggest a course of action, best scientific practices or methodological guidelines.
• Roadmap articles  provide a forward-looking outline of the scientific and technical challenges and opportunities in a certain field, providing a sense of direction and setting out the necessary steps.
• Progress articles are short review-type articles that focus on a recent papers of outstanding interest rather than providing a comprehensive literature survey.
• Technical Review  articles provide accessible summaries of techniques, devices and/or materials and their performance; comparisons of different methods or software codes with an overview of their applicability; and guidelines for data analysis.
• Primer articles provide authoritative and introductory overviews of all aspects of a disease or method (only published in Nature Reviews Disease Primers and Nature Reviews Methods Primers , respectively). 

News and Comment

• News & Views articles are based on recent publications and provide a forum in which advances can be communicated and put into context. These are timely, topical, succinct commentaries that discuss key issues arising from the papers under discussion in a journalistic style.
• Comment   articles are agenda-setting, authoritative, informed and often provocative expert pieces calling for action on topical issues pertaining to scientific research and/or its political, ethical and social ramifications; discussions of purely scientific issues are also covered. 
• World view articles draw on personal experience or expertise to make a call for action to improve science, address injustice, reduce misery, or fulfil some other societal goal.
• Viewpoint articles provide a forum for several researchers to discuss — in a Q&A format — issues associated with a specific field of interest. Viewpoint articles are not peer reviewed and provide an opportunity for researchers to express their views.
• Year in Review articles highlight the top three to five papers published in the preceding year in specific research areas. The article should discuss the key advances of the papers, and set the findings into the broader context of the field.
• Correspondence articles provide a forum for comment on papers published in this journal and might be accompanied by a reply from the authors of the original article. Correspondence articles may be peer-reviewed at the editors’ discretion.

Writing tips

Articles written for the Nature Reviews journals are targeted towards readers from an advanced undergraduate level upwards in addition to being of interest to specialists, and should be accessible to readers working in related disciplines. Some basic guidelines to improve clarity and readability of your article are:

• Authors should provide sufficient background information to ensure the discussion can be understood by non-expert readers.
• Authors should discuss the implication of the work under discussion, rather than simply describe a study's findings.
• Although the discussion within an article should be balanced, authors should not list or describe every paper within the field; we expect authors to select, discuss and interpret the papers they feel are most important.

Overuse of abbreviations, acronyms or jargon-laden language can hamper readability. Authors should, therefore, use plain language to explain concepts and restrict the use of abbreviations while adhering to the agreed word limit. 

Our typographic and house styles are used to ensure clarity and consistency within and between articles and journals. Some useful tips  to help you prepare an article for publication in a Nature Reviews journal are:

• Use standard gene and protein nomenclature — for example, human genes (uppercase and italic), human proteins (uppercase), mouse genes (first letter only uppercase and italic) and mouse proteins (uppercase). If it’s not clear which species is being referred to, we default to human nomenclature; thus, please specify when referring to mouse genes. To avoid delays at the proof stage, please consult the appropriate nomenclature databases for standard gene names and symbols. Useful resources are  https://www.genenames.org/ , https://www.ensembl.org/ and http://www.uniprot.org/ .
• Use SI units in all instances.
• For drugs, use International Nonproprietary Names as a default whenever possible.

How to submit

Synopses and manuscripts must be submitted electronically through our online submission system, using the link and instructions provided by the editor. Proposals should also be submitted through the journal’s online submission system in the form of a synopsis (consisting of a 200‑word abstract, a brief description of the main article sections, a list of key references and the list of authors and their affiliations). Please note that we consider proposals only for Review-type and Comment-type articles and that we do not publish original research, case studies, meta-analyses or systematic reviews. 

Publishing model

Articles published in  Nature Reviews  can only be published using the subscription publication route; we do not offer an immediate gold open access (OA) publication option.  

Nature Reviews  only publishes non-primary articles  (such as Reviews, News & Views and Comment articles). In contrast to primary articles (that is, research articles), non-primary articles do not include original (previously unpublished) research findings and may only contain minimal re-analyses of published data.

Six months after the date of online publication, authors of articles published in the  Nature Reviews  journals can  self-archive the accepted manuscript  on their own personal website and/or in their funder or institutional repositories. By agreeing to write for a  Nature Reviews  journal, authors agree to accept our standard licensing terms including our  self-archiving policies . Those standard licensing terms supersede any other terms that the author or any third party may assert apply to any version of the manuscript.

Quick links

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MICROBIO 360 - Writing in Microbiology

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• Writing a Letter
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• Microbiology on the Web

Writing in science

On the Web:

Writing Scientific Manuscripts – a guide for undergraduates an excellent, free, online manual  from The Journal of Young Investigators; Sections on the peer review process, writing up primary research, and creating literature reviews.

Books in the Library: (links go to Five Colleges catalog record)

How to write and publish a scientific paper (7th ed.) Robert A. Day and Barbara Gastel UM Science / T11 .D33 2011

Scientific English : a guide for scientists and other professionals (3rd ed.) Robert A. Day and Nancy Sakaduski UM Du Bois / PE 1475 .D38 2011

A short guide to writing about biology Jan A. Pechenik UM Science / QH304 .P43 2013

Mastering scientific and medical writing: a self-help guide Silvia M. Rogers UM Science  Reference / T11 .R64 2007 also, e-book version

The elements of international English style : a guide to writing correspondence, reports, technical documents, and internet pages for a global audience (2005) Edmond H. Weiss UM Du Bois e-book - unlimited simultaneous UMass users

Citation formats

Proper citations give at least enough information for someone to find the source. There are many formats for citations, and many systems of using them.

If you are submitting a paper to a journal, you would use the format used in the journal.  For example,  ASM (American Society for Microbiology) Journals have  Information for authors - American Society for Microbiology journals

Most journals have detailed instructions about the formating and writing style of articles submitted for publication.

Other guides: (link goes to library catalog record) Examples of other citation formating and writing styles used in the sciences:

Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association , 6th ed. UM Science Reference BF76.7 .P83 2010 (also Du Bois Reference) - Many science disciplines use the APA format for citations.

Scientific style and format: the CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers  8th ed. by the Style Manual Committee, Council of Science Editors UM Science   Reference T11 .S386 2014

Citing Websites (in particular)

There are many standard formats for citations. Ask your instructor which to use.

Problem is, websites are often not written in a standard way -  citation info is often missing. Sometimes they don't say who wrote them, or when they were published or updated. That information has to be tracked down, if possible.

To cite a website, you need:

• Author (individual, or organization - look for an "About" link)
• Date published if available; or if not, use: n.d. (no date)
• Title of article (within the page)
• Title of web site (in top bar of browser, or just at top of page)
• Retrieved date (date you took the information from the website)
• URL (Universal Resource Locator - web address)

To cite a journal article on the web, include all same the information as for an article in a paper journal - i.e., article title, authors, journal title, issue, and pages - EXCEPT you can use the DOI ( D igital O bject I dentifier) instead of the volume, issue, page numbers.  See for instance: Information for Authors from the Journal of Bacteriology .

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Microbiology Writing Guide: Lab Report Format

Organization and format, basic outline.

Scientific writing can be in the form of a laboratory report, a thesis, a journal article, or some other written communication used to disseminate the results of scientific research. The exact format required depends upon the type of written communication and often will vary from source to source.

Preparation of a Laboratory Report

A lab report differs from a paper in that it has defined sections. The sections required vary from laboratory to laboratory but the standard outline for most lab reports in the biological science include: title, your name, purpose of the experiment, methods, results, discussion and conclusion, references. Some lab reports may include a section of questions that must be answered concerning the experiment. Most laboratory courses will require that data be immediately written into a lab notebook in pen. Some labs will require you to attach these data pages to your report. Normally a lab report should be typed, spell checked and proofread before being submitted.

When writing a thesis, article for publication, or a report to turn into your supervisor, your first draft will be reviewed by your mentor and/or co-workers and then undergo revision. No matter how good a writer is, most reports require some revision. It is best to write your first draft and then let it sit for a few days before you read it the next time. Many times you are too “close” to the material after the first writing to see obvious errors. (This has definitely been true of this document!)

Sections of a Laboratory Report

Title : The title should be concise and specific and tell the reader what you did

Purpose : Most lab reports do not include a formal introduction and instead substitute a purpose. The purpose of the experiment should be stated in one or two sentences. You should know the purpose of the experiment before you start.

Methods: Most lab reports do not include all the details a journal article requires. Normally the procedure can be listed and referenced to the appropriate laboratory manual pages. If modifications have been made to the methods in the lab manual, these need to be clearly described.

Results : All data and observations should be included in the lab book; however, what you think should have happened or the methods section are not included. Types of results may include:

• Measurements. Report measurements using standard metric units. Any time a number is presented, it must have units. Abbreviations of units are used without a following period. Use the prefixes m, m, n, and p for 10 -3 , 10 -6 , 10 -9 , and 10 -12 , respectively. Numbers should be written as numerals when they are greater than ten or when they are associated with measurements; for example, 8 mm or 20 g. In a list of objects including both numbers over and under ten, all numbers may be expressed as numerals. Example: 17 bacteria, 2 yeast, and 1 protozoan. If a number starts a sentence spell out the number, do not use a numeral. Example: ten mannitol salt agar plates were streaked…
• Calculations. The equation should be indicated. In a lab report, even if you use a calculator, you must set up the problem.
• Tables. Number each table and provide a title and legend that contains all the information needed to interpret the data. The reader should be able to understand the content without the text. The title should be located at the top of the table. Columns and rows should be labeled clearly. All notes should be placed below tables. Any abbreviations, units, calculations, or statistics used should be described in headers or footnotes (see Table 1 for an example). Symbols such as #, *, ! ; and superscripts such as 1 and 2 can be used to identify these footnotes. Use bold type to make these obvious.
• Figures. Figures include graphs, photographs, drawings, diagrams, maps, and all other illustrations. All figures should be numbered and have a title and legend that contains all the information needed to interpret the data. The reader should be able to understand the content without the text. Figures should be labeled at the bottom. For a graph, units are specified on the abscissa and ordinate. If the photograph is of an object under the microscope, the total magnification should be indicated. Photographs of gel electrophoresis data should include a number on each lane, and the legend (or the figure itself) should indicate the contents of each lane.
• Plate counts. Include results for all dilutions, even if they are too numerous to count (TNTC) or 0. You should indicate the type of medium plated and temperature of incubation. See Table 1.

Table 1. Results of viable cell count of diluted Escherichia coli grown at 37 o C in nutrient broth (1 ml plated).

*In this example, only 249, 235 and 35 are significant counts. These data are averaged:

249/10 -3 + 235/10 -3 + 35/10 -4 or 2.5 X 10 5 + 2.4 X 10 5 + 3.5 X 10 5 /3

= 2.8 X 10 5 CFU/ml

The text should refer to each table and figure and they should appear after, but close to, text that refers to them, (i.e., at the end of a paragraph or section). Alternatively, tables and figures may be placed at the end of the paper. Tables and figures are numbered independently of each other, and they are assigned numbers in the order they are mentioned in the text. The in-text reference to a table or figure should not repeat the caption (e.g. ‘table 1 shows “Title on table” ’). Instead, it should draw attention to key features (e.g. “Table 1 shows that the number of bacteria in the culture increased markedly between hours 1 and 4.”).

Discussion/Conclusion: The discussion section interprets the meaning of the results and draws conclusions from the data that have been presented. The authors should show how their observations relate to each other to form a cohesive story. If data can be interpreted in more than one way, all possibilities should be mentioned and the authors should indicate which alternative they think is correct and why. Results should be discussed even if they are unexpected or negative. For example, the presence of unexpected bands on agarose gels should be explained. This section should also address any discrepancies between these results and other papers. Material obtained from another source should be referenced.

The meaning of your results should be summarized in two to three sentences at the end of the section. This includes the potential implications of the research, and possibilities for future research that would contribute more to the field. In lab reports, experiments do not always work. This section allows the researcher to explain what might have gone wrong with an experiment.

References: The reference section gives complete details about sources that were cited, in any section of the text. A "Bibliography," on the other hand, refers to a list of materials used to obtain background knowledge on a subject. There are several standard styles for listing references. Depending on what type of scientific writing you are doing, you may be directed to follow a particular format. If so, follow the format that has been specified exactly. When references are cited, either the reference number or the author’s last name and the publication year are used. Example: “Some strains of E. coli can grow in orange juice (1)…” or “Some strains of E. coli can grow in orange juice (Brown, 1999)….” In this class, we will use the reference style of the American Society for Microbiology Journals. When references are cited within the paper , only the number is used. References are numbered in the order in which they appear in the article (citation-sequence reference system). No reference should be included that is not cited in the paper. Remember that ALL information within the report that is not your original work or idea should be referenced. Statements by other authors are usually paraphrased or summarized – direct quotations are rare in scientific writing.

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BIOL 356: Microbiology: Literature Review

• Getting Started
• Literature Review
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Books about Literature Reviews

Related Guides

• Writing a Literature Review by Conrad Woxland Last Updated Mar 22, 2024 73 views this year
• Lit Review Guide--University of Pittsburgh

What is a Literature Review?

• A literature review is a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the principal research about the topic being studied.
• The review helps form the intellectual framework for the study.
• The review need not be exhaustive; the objective is not to list as many relevant books, articles, reports as possible.
• However, the review should contain the most pertinent studies and point to important past and current research and practices in the field.

Purpose of a Literature Review

A literature review serves several purposes. For example, it

• provides thorough knowledge of previous studies; introduces seminal works.
• helps focus one’s own research topic.
• identifies a conceptual framework for one’s own research questions or problems; indicates potential directions for future research.
• suggests previously unused or underused methodologies, designs, quantitative and qualitative strategies.
• identifies gaps in previous studies; identifies flawed methodologies and/or theoretical approaches; avoids replication of mistakes.
• helps the researcher avoid repetition of earlier research.
• suggests unexplored populations.
• determines whether past studies agree or disagree; identifies controversy in the literature.
• tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.

What is "the literature"?

You'll often hear "explore the literature" or "what does the literature say?"  So, what is "the literature?"

Most simply put, "the literature" is a collection of scholarly writings on a topic. This includes:

• peer-reviewed journal articles
• conference proceedings
• dissertations

How do you know when you are done researching?

Are you seeing the same articles over and over?

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How to Write a Microbiology Lab Report

Last Updated: April 15, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 79,728 times.

Whether you’re studying microbiology in high school or as a college student, you’ll need to write a number of lab reports. The lab-report genre does have several sections you’ll need to meet in your report, which include: a Purpose Statement, Methods, Results, a Discussion or Conclusion, and References. Depending on your instructor's preferences, your report may also include an introduction. Scientific writing should always focus on concision and clarity. Write your lab report without any flowery or figurative language, and focus on clearly describing the experiment you’ve performed. [1] X Research source

Using Clear Scientific Writing

• So, instead of writing, “I used plastic pipettes to fill the beakers with 25 mL of water,” write “The beakers were filled with 25 mL of water using plastic pipettes.”
• Use as few pronouns as possible when writing your lab report. Pronouns to avoid using include “I,” “we,” and “they.”

• For instance, instead of saying, "The results prove the hypothesis is correct," say, "The results of the experiment proved the hypothesis was correct."
• The Introduction is one of the few parts of the lab report which can be written in the present tense.

• Add/subtract/merge certain structural elements of a report.
• Grade one part of a report more heavily than another.
• Require reports to be typed, using a specific font and size.
• Require reports to be handwritten in a research notebook.

Composing the Introduction and Purpose Statement

• For example, your Introduction could begin, “In this laboratory experiment, the ability of a lab microscope to differentiate between different species of single-cell organisms was tested.”
• Methods and Results should all be written in the past tense, since you’ll be summarizing actions that you’ve already performed as part of the lab.

• In the Purpose section you should also include background information about the experiment, including the reason that you’re performing the experiment. This information can be found in the lab manual or related microbiology textbook.
• For example, begin your Purpose statement by writing something like, “In this lab experiment, 3 different types of bacteria were separated using a nutrient agar plate.”

• For example, write: “The initial hypothesis suggested that the bacteria in group 1 would outnumber bacteria in groups 2 and 3 by a rate of 5:1.”
• Finally, the Purpose section should state, but not extrapolate on, all techniques or tests used in the experiment. Keep things cursory here, though, since you’ll give detailed information about the techniques and methods used in the Methods section.

Writing the Methods and Results Sections

• The type of agar (if agar was used).
• The type of microorganism used (if the organism types were known beforehand).
• The size of all test tubes, beakers, calipers, and any other type of science equipment.
• For example, the materials description could include a sentence like: “Five 50-mL beakers were used to contain the water and single-celled organisms. The water was applied to microscope slides using 1-mL plastic pipettes.”

• If your instructor deviated from the original experiment, make adjustments as needed.
• For example, write something like, “After a plastic pipette was used to place the single-celled organisms on the center of microscope slides, a slide cover was placed over each water sample. Organisms were then identified through the microscope using 50x and 100x magnification.”

• However, do not interpret the scientific data in the Results section. Only interpret data in the Discussion section.
• For example, write something like, “When the microscope was set to 100x magnification, single-celled organisms that were at least 0.25 mm smaller or larger than the surrounding organisms could be identified.”

• For example, if a bacteria that you were asked to observe had consistent physical traits, describe these in the Results section.
• Write something like, “The reactions of single-celled organisms to different water temperatures and chemical additives were noted. It was noted that, as less-diluted chemicals were added, the organisms acted in increasingly unpredictable ways.”

• Figures and tables should also be mentioned and explained in the main text of your Results section.

Putting Together the Discussion and References Sections

• The Discussion section is usually the most important section of the lab report. It shows that you’ve understood the experiment you just performed and are able to engage with the scientific implications.
• For example, write, “The amoebas were observed displaying consistent behavior throughout the observation period. The data suggests that the organisms were unable to detect the variety of chemicals that were added to different water samples, which the amoebas were then suspended in.”

• You could state something as simple as, “The results disproved the initial hypothesis, which failed to account for the similar sizes and colors of many of the single-celled organisms that were identified.”
• If your results do not support your hypothesis, ask questions like, was there any error during the experiment? Did you miss a step in the experiment? Did you use proper techniques? Were your results accurate?

• If you should include a References section instead of a Bibliography, you’ll only need to include citation information for sources that were cited in the lab report.
• Ask your instructor which citation style you should use when compiling your Bibliography. For example, most microbiology TAs will ask you to use Chicago style.
• Most lab reports have short Bibliographies, since very few lab reports cite more than 1 or 2 sources (if any).

Community Q&A

• Remember to always ask your instructor about correct formatting before writing a lab report if you’re confused or unsure about any aspect of the report. The instructor may have specific stylistic or content-focused requirements for the report that they can clarify to you. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Never pay a website to write a lab report for you. Not only will you be paying someone to do work that you could do for free, but your instructor will almost certainly see through the lab report and realize that you didn’t write it yourself. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://microbiology.science.oregonstate.edu/files/micro/Writing%20Manual%20for%20Science%20Majors_0.pdf
• ↑ https://wic.oregonstate.edu/microbiology-writing-guide-lab-report-format

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How to Write a Microbiology Research Proposal

How to Get a Ph.D. in Biology

Microbiology is the study of small organisms such as pathogens and bacteria. You can not see these organisms with your naked eye, you must use a microscope. Obtaining a degree in microbiology will prepare you for careers in pharmaceuticals, chemistry and quality control. A microbiology research proposal is a paper in which you choose a topic of interest and need, research it and present to a panel of reviewers as evidence of your knowledge of microbiology. This proposal is needed in completion in order to receive your graduate level degree in microbiology.

Clarify your topic. Make sure you provide enough information and background on your subject so anyone can follow and understand your proposal. The review panels may not be professionals in microbiology. Do not include unnecessary information away from the topic.

Write your proposal as if it were your final version. This will allow you to get constructive criticism that will help your final paper be the best possible.

Talk about your proposal with other colleagues. This will allow you to gather enough information to come up with two preproposals. Preproposals are one to two pages in length. One of your preproposals will become your chosen proposal topic.

Make sure you have all of the necessary pages of your proposal. Begin with the abstract. The abstract summarizes the points of your proposal in a short overview. Discuss the problem and how you will address it.

Discuss specific aims. Questions that your paper will answer are written in this section. Write it in outline format. It sets the outline of the experimental design portion of your proposal. Set realistic goals you can attain in two to three years in this section.

Discuss the background and significance. This is a lengthy section made up of several pages. This section makes the following sections clear to the panel. Cite former information about your profession that has already been published, here. You should also get across to your review panel that your proposal is important.

Discuss previous results. This shows your panel you are working on your proposal by providing them with statistics and information you have gathered thus far.

Write the experimental design section. This section lets your panel know you understand your proposal and you will have readable results. Here you will defend your work in detail. Make your goals and priorities apparent here.

Create a timetable. In this brief section let the panel know when you anticipate your proposal will be finished.

Create a list of literature cited. This is a standard reference page in which you list your sources.

Make sure your microbiology research proposal meets standard National Institute of Health format guidelines.

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100+ microbiology research topics to succeed.

Microbiology topics are some of the most researched ideas. This field entails the study of different microorganisms, ranging from eukaryotic fungi and single-celled organisms to cell-cluster organisms. When pursuing a microbiology course in a university or college, your educators will ask you to write academic papers on microbiology research topics.

Choosing the right microbiology topics to write about is essential because it determines the direction of your research and writing processes. Therefore, take your time to identify a topic you will be comfortable working with from the beginning to the end.

Top Microbiology Topics for Research

If looking for the top microbiology research paper topics, this list has some of the best ideas to explore. That’s because most people are searching for information related to these topics in microbiology.

• Bioterrorism- Bioweapons limit with technological developments
• Antibiotics resistance- A major limitation in medicine
• Extraterrestrial life- Existing life evidence in space
• Gene therapy- Gene therapy as a controversial biology topic
• Cloning- Latest developments in cloning research
• Antibacterial products-Latest discoveries explaining the possibility of antibacterial products effects on the immune system
• What is the future of microbiology research, both theoretically and technologically?
• Epidemics- Current disease control protocols and possible solutions
• Vaccines- Recent research about the effectiveness of vaccines like flue
• Food preservation methods- How technology enhances safe food preservation and consumption

These are brilliant microbiology project topics. However, you need time and effort to research any of these topics and come up with an awesome paper.

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology

Maybe you want to research and write about current topics in microbiology and immunology. That means you’re looking for topics that will enable you to explore recent information in this area. In that case, consider these microbiology topics in the news.

• Virus-like particle vaccines for protozoan parasites and respiratory viruses
• Quorum sensing and campylobacter biofilm formation in molecular mechanisms
• Campylobacter horizontal gene and natural competence transfer
• Murine investigation models for innate immune response and colonization resistance in campylobacter jejuni infections
• iBALT role in respiratory immunity
• Antiviral immunity for pyroptosis
• Damage to the sensing tissue by Myeloid c-Type Lectin receptors
• How antifungal drugs modify the cell wall
• Host cell’s death pathways manipulation by the Herpes Simplex virus
• Type II Secretion system structures in needle filaments
• RIP Kinase signaling outcomes during neuro-invasive infection by virus
• Innate immune system pathological and physiological functions of CARD 9 signaling
• The genetics of the Lassa virus
• Genital immunity’s memory lymphocyte- Tissue-resident memory T cells’ role
• Delivery and formulation technologies for the mRNA vaccines
• Peptide and protein nanocluster vaccines
• Reovirus’ cell killing- Consequences and mechanisms
• Leptospirosis reference lab’s role
• Hypoxia-inducible and hypoxia factors in stem cell maintenance among cancer patients
• Development of dengue vaccine

Pick any of these new research topics in microbiology if your goal is to work on recent information. Nevertheless, take your time reading recent literature in this field to come up with an awesome paper.

Interesting Topics in Microbiology

Perhaps, you’re looking for microbiology projects topics that most people will find interesting to read about. In that case, consider these interesting microbiology topics.

• Techniques and methodologies for future research about the virus
• Redox-active metabolite’s roles in microbial signaling
• The role and emergence of yeast as a baking industry’s preservative
• Host-pathogenic interactions study with a focus on redox and cellular metals
• Yeast non-conventional use in the wine-making industry
• Microbiota- What is the bifidobacterila’s role in the human gut?
• Virus role in vaccines development and improvement in third world countries
• Heath- Microbiology role in addressing antibiotic resistance
• Human microbial ecosystems study- Microbe interactions
• Impact and role of viruses in large animals’ health
• How bacteria in complex organisms respond to stress
• Cell to cell interaction and social behavior in bacteria interactions
• Norovirus cross-contamination investigation during service procedures in the food industry in fresh produce preparation
• Transfer rate determination in Salmonella sp. From nut butter to food materials
• Listeria monacytogenes comparative genomic analysis for survival within a food processing situation
• Thermal resistance and survival of desiccated Salmonella in dry and moist food processing environments
• Effective cleaning products for removing food matrix with B. Thuringiensis spores and B. Cereus
• Analysis of cleaning procedures’ effects on Bacillus spores
• How temperature affects viruses survival in vegetables and fruits
• How temperature and time combine to stimulate C. botulinum spores to germinate or produce a toxin

This category has some of the most interesting and easy microbiology research topics. However, take your time to research the topic you choose to write a paper that will impress your educator to award you the top grade.

Medical Microbiology Research Topics

Maybe you want to explore microbiology and human health topics. In that case, consider these medical-related microbiology paper topics.

• Probiotics- A study of their preparation
• How to prevent sickle cell anemia
• The growth of mold
• How fertilizes, polythene and manure affect the hypocotyl’s elongation rate
• How cinnamon and curry inhibit the growth of bacteria
• How oil spills affect microorganisms in the oceans
• Reproducing yeast in sugar substitutes
• Why vitamin c affects the rotting rate for fruits
• Effective toothbrush disinfecting methods
• Describe the spread of Ebola

Consider any of these microbiology research topics research paper if interested in something to do with medicine. However, take your time to identify good and authentic information sources before you start writing your paper. That’s because your educator will be interested in unique and relevant content.

Microbiology Research Topics for Undergraduates

Are you pursuing undergraduate studies in microbiology? If yes, you will find these microbiology research topics for college students interesting.

• Using polymerase chain reaction to diagnose infectious diseases
• Preliminary antimicrobial and phytochemical screening of coat and seed of citrus sinensis
• Microbiology effect on mining
• Human skin colonization by bacteria
• Sweet orange’s antibacterial activity on Escherichia coli and staphylococcus aureus isolated from wound infection
• The susceptibility pattern of bacteria to antibiotics
• Bush pear analysis and the oil project
• Spoilt avocado microbial examination- What it reveals
• Characterization and isolation of microorganisms from a stored pap
• CryoEM use in understanding pathogen resistance and transport
• Additive manufacture of skin-facing antimicrobial devices for surgery
• Oral bacteria’s role in cardiovascular disease
• Nutrient-mediated ‘Dual warhead’ antimicrobials’ delivery
• Induction mechanisms of the protective lung tissue memory cells in influenza
• The activity of eukaryotic, elucidating topoisomerase in homologous recombination
• Oral bacteria involvement in chronic periodontitis- Metabolomics investigation
• Effect of metal nanoparticles on the multi-species biofilm consortia- A metabolomics investigation
• How vaping or smoking affects the risk of CoV-2, SARS, and COVID-19 outcomes
• Soil contaminants risks on below and above ground eco-systems in urban areas
• Protective microbes- How to rebuild microbiota when treating AMR infection

This category also has some of the best microbiology topics for presentation. However, get ready to research any of these topics to write an impressive paper.

Hot Topics in Microbiology

Perhaps, you’re looking for the most interesting microbiology essay topics to research and write about. In that case, consider some of the ideas in this category.

• Shea butter’s microbiological analysis
• Research of tapeworms and their dangers
• Influenza spread in the world and its impact on the war
• Restriction-modification cellular microbiology
• Applied microbiology- Biofuels generation using microorganisms
• Microscope invention and its effect on microbiology knowledge
• Microbiology role in food industries and pharmaceutical
• How microbiology has helped in preventing life-threatening illnesses
• Bacterial polymer- A study of cyanophycin
• A study of the functionalities and properties of wetland bacteria
• Microbiological study of a commercial preparation of yogurts
• A study of bacteria that withstand antibiotics
• Human immunodeficiency virus diagnosis- How it’s done
• A study of plasmodium species correlation
• A study of onions’ microorganisms
• An investigation of starch fermentation, specificities, and activities of its enzymes
• Listeria growth and survival in freshly cut vegetables
• Low moisture food inoculation protocols
• Survival and growth of Salmonella during partially sprouted products processing and chia powders
• Environmental organisms’ risk assessment and the importance of better control and knowledge

This category also has some of the best food microbiology topics. Nevertheless, students should be ready to spend time and effort researching any of these ideas before writing. That’s because educators expect them to present fresh and relevant information in their papers.

Learners have many topics or ideas to consider when researching and writing academic papers. However, every student should look for an interesting topic they are comfortable researching and writing about. That’s because writing a research paper or essay takes time. Choosing a boring topic means a learner will spend their time working on something they’re not interested in. And this can reflect on the quality of their paper. Thus, their grade will suffer.

How to Write Scientific Names of Bacterial Species in Journal Manuscripts (Part 2)

Research can be hard enough without worrying about how to use microbial nomenclature or scientific names of bacteria accurately. Writing bacteria names in a research article can be a big challenge for scientists, as the guidelines change to reflect new discoveries. Moreover, Latin names may be confusing.  In the first article of this series, we discussed effective tips on writing scientific names of plants and animals. This article will give you an overview of the biggest issues researchers encounter in using microbial nomenclature and some tips to keep you on track.

How are Bacteria Named?

The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP) has created guidelines that explain the proper nomenclature or naming system for bacteria. This system is known as the Bacteriological Code. A bacterium has a binomial name that consists of two parts: the genus name, which indicates which genus it belongs to and the species epithet.

Related: Go on a reading marathon and learn the important aspects of academic writing. Check out this section now!

When referring to a bacterium in a paper, the writer should underline or italicize the names in the text. After writing the complete name of a microorganism in the first mention, the genus name can be shortened to just the capital letter.

• For example, Moraxella bovis can be written M. bovis.

The ICSP recommends spelling out the entire name of any bacteria again in the summary of your publication.

When discussing unnamed species, the abbreviation “sp.” is used to refer to a single unnamed species.  Whereas “spp.” written after a genus refers to more than one unnamed species.

• For example, Moraxella sp. would be used to discuss one unnamed species of Moraxella.

Bacteria are often divided into subspecies, which are indicated by subdivisions such as biovar, chemoform, chemovar, cultivar, morphovar, pathovar, serovar, and state.

These subdivisions should be written in plain text preceding an additional italicized or underlined name. For example, “Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae” would be correctly written as Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae.

Common Issues in the Use of Microbial Nomenclature

However, there are some common issues that researchers encounter when using microbial nomenclature. The first, as you might have guessed, is that different types of bacteria might appear to be the same when their names are abbreviated.

M. bovis could indicate Moraxella bovis, Mycoplasma bovis, or Mycobacterium bovis.

In this case, the author should simply take care to either avoid using abbreviations if they might be confused, or be sure to clearly state which bacterium is being discussed.

Other issues that researchers encounter with microbial nomenclature are more complex. While the Bacteriological Code is often interpreted as the “official” list of valid names for bacteria, the Code only provides guidelines on how bacteria should be named. This allows for disagreement, discovery, and evolution in scientific research. For example, one group of researchers might classify a bacterium to genus A. Similarly, another group of researchers might conduct different research and conclude that the same bacterium belongs to genus B. Continuing with our previous example of the bovis species, one bacterium might be referred to as A bovis in one article and B bovis in another.

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How to write a graphical abstract

Posted on August 6, 2019   by Laura Cox

There are many ways to summarise and present your research, and graphical abstracts are becoming increasingly popular with journals and scientists. Condensing an entire manuscript, or PhD thesis, into a single figure seems like an impossible task to many. Visually representing any biological process can feel overwhelming, especially in microbiology where the main research subject is so small, but you don’t have to be an artist to make a graphical abstract. Here, we provide some advice on how to produce a graphical abstract and some key things to think about.

To celebrate the Microbiology Society’s 75 th anniversary, ahead of our Annual Conference in 2020 , we will be hosting a special one-day event to celebrate the impact of microbiologists past, present and future. Attended by a number of world-leading scientists, including Sir Paul Nurse, this ‘Fleming Showcase’ will observe the legacy of past Fleming Prize winners and will examine some of the most exciting science from around the globe.

Final year PhD students, and those within a year of completion, have been invited to submit their research in the form of a graphical abstract along with three bullet points explaining their research. Students with the most outstanding research will be invited to present it during a five-minute thesis slot during the Showcase.

What is a graphical abstract?

A graphical abstract, or visual abstract, is a single image that encompasses the central message of a piece of research. It can be used as an interactive way to publicise your research, making it stand out from the crowd, and disseminate your work to a wider audience. You can include three to four sentences of text to explain the image, but the less text the better!

Producing a graphical abstract:

A great place to start is by looking at some of the posters you may have produced to present at scientific meetings or conferences. These are already condensed versions of your research and contain some of your key findings and processes. From here, identify your main message and condense the research down into four to five sentences.

Now, sketch out some drafts of what the abstract could look like. Depending on the information you need to convey, this could be done in a number of ways, such as a flow chart, a diagram of a process or a series of panels illustrating key aspects of the research.

Choose a colour palette and stick to it. Ideally choose one or two main colours and use shades of these colours across the image. This will make your abstract look professional and consistent. Make sure you use the same font throughout the abstract – use different sizes and styles ( bold , italic , light) to change it up and make the most important parts stand out.

Try not to make your graphical abstract too crowded; having some white space can make key elements stand out and prevent your message from getting lost. Think about every element on the page and consider its value to the piece. If it is providing essential information, keep it. If you think it is not adding anything to the story you are trying to tell, delete it or try something else.

Some things to think about:

Consider the figures already included in your research and see whether any of them could be adapted. Try not to be too specific, though. It is more about ‘telling the story’ of the research in a visual way.

Think about figures and other graphical abstracts you may have seen. Which have been good? Which have not been clear? Try to think about them critically and define what makes a figure clear and easy to understand, and how you can use this to improve your own work.

Think about your audience: What is their expertise? Be cautious using overly-technical language and make sure you define any abbreviations used. You can still use some words in the abstract, just make sure you use them wisely!

Software and tools:

There are many different types of software which can be used to produce a graphical abstract, some of which are easier to use than others. Even though Microsoft PowerPoint seems like a simple tool, you can use this programme to make professional-looking graphics. You can use one slide as the canvas for your graphical abstract.

Other software includes Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Publisher, CorelDraw and InkScape. There are so many more out there, so have a browse around and find the one that works best for you.

You can download online images or use your own. If you have some photographs from your research, include them if it is relevant. If you are using images taken from online, or from a colleague, don’t forget to get permission from the owner and credit any images that you have used that are not your own.

Some more examples of graphical abstracts:

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