How to Write a Molecular Biology Essay

Table of Contents

Students have already accustomed to writing papers in the humanities. However, most of them get confused when it comes to hard science as it is way more difficult. All biological research topics require lots of attention to detail. Yet, molecular biology topics are thorny even for those who are good at writing. It is not enough to find the right word for description or use stylistic devices. This type of work has lots of features, but if you know them, you will successfully cope with the task.

What Is Molecular Biology?

This field of science concerns the foundations of the life of organisms at the level of macromolecules. Molecular biology overlaps with genetics, virology, and other biological-related sciences. It is especially close to biochemistry as it appeared in the course of the development of its branches. What is the difference between them? In a nutshell, biochemistry is about the chemistry of life. It studies the chemical composition of living cells, organisms, and the chemical processes carried out in them. Molecular biology focuses on structure and function. It studies the mechanisms of transmission, reproduction, and storage of genetic information.

So what do molecular biologists do? The objects of study are not only the nucleic acids – DNA, RNA. So they also pay attention to the macromolecular complexes that ensure biosynthesis. They analyze them as the basis of all life processes. Then scientists conduct experiments and try to apply the results to medical research.

As you can see, these studies are of great importance. They advance our knowledge about complex aspects of how organisms live and work. That is why it is crucial to stick strictly to the facts and use an evidence-based approach in your research. Your paper must be objective and impartial. It is a tremendous amount of work, but all comes with experience. Yet, if you understand you cannot handle the workload before the deadline, approach experts for advice and assistance.

4 Steps To Choose An Interesting Biological Research Topic

If it is up to you to decide what you will work on, be smart about it.

  1. When choosing, it is better to proceed from your interests. Which theme will help you demonstrate your in-depth knowledge of the structure and function of molecules?
  2. Also, take into account whether it will be possible to find reliable sources for writing. Check what literature on this subject you can find at home. First, try to tackle the more general books. So look for texts that cover molecular biology basics. Can your university textbook help you? If the answer is no, you can always go to the library. There you can familiarize yourself with the content of other books and molecular biology articles. You only need to give yourself an overview of the topic to decide whether it yields scope for inquiry or not.
  3. Think over how you want to state the issue. If you choose a broad statement, you should focus on a concise but thoughtful and comprehensive coverage of the subject. If you opt for a narrow statement of the issue, then, besides the general data, the essay will contain extra details.
  4. Before you start writing, prepare an outline. It will help you to evaluate the scope of work and understand what experimental evidence you should include.

Is A Basic Molecular Biology Essay Structure Different?

Whether you are writing a paper in literature or biology, you can always use the basic structure. Let’s dwell on the plan in more detail:

  • Introduction
    Any work must have an introduction. As a rule, it consists of several paragraphs and is no longer than one page. For a 1000 word essay, one paragraph is enough. The introduction should get up to speed. Here you need to justify the relevance and importance of the chosen topic. Also, you have to present issues you will discuss in the body briefly.
  • Body
    You have to describe the research you have carried out. The cornerstone is the facts and evidence, so you must avoid unfounded assertion. If you refer to other scientists’ opinions, you have to back them up with critical sources. After analyzing the results, you can draw preliminary conclusions and provide comments on why you think so.
  • Conclusion
    It is a summary. The goal is to take stock of progress made and formulate conclusions. It is better to present them in the form of a bulleted list to enhance the understanding of the research.

Examples Of Biology Essay Templates

The body of the essay remains a challenge, especially when drawing up a plan. Luckily, there are 3 effective ways to organize the text of your paper:

  • Several arguments support the main idea of the text
    First, you have to write a strong thesis. It is a short but complete thought that you want to convey to the reader of the essay. So you have to provide various illustrations and explanations for your arguments to prove the thesis. Ideally, you should provide at least two arguments. One may seem unconvincing to the reader, but three can overload the text. You can refer to a life situation, news, a scientist’s opinion, or a scientific theory. The essential requirement is to double-check all sources. Try to preserve the credibility, consistency, and conciseness of the text.
  • Repetition of a thesis-argumentation pattern
    In this case, you state several ideas about the topic. And then you try to prove them by giving reasons that support your statements.
  • Reverse structure
    Here you need to gather information and point out a few critical aspects of the work. So you have to provide 2-3 facts about the topic, based on the collected data, and draw a conclusion for each of them.

Features Of Scientific Essays

Structure and templates are the only characteristics in common with other types of essays. That is because the scientific writing style leaves a mark.

  • Provide hard facts so no one will misinterpret your findings. However, it is half the battle. Of even greater significance is the way you put them together and how you analyze them.
  • Use special terminology. Remember that you prepare a scientific work and not a presentation for a large audience. So the vocabulary of an essay should include specific terms of a particular field. Only with their help can you convey the meaning. Thus avoid ambiguous words and use words in their direct meaning.
  • Your text should not be simply descriptive. A well-written essay has to combine both practical and theoretical elements. So if you outline the methods of your research study, mention how you have applied them. When mentioning observational and experimental evidence, provide not only their detailed description. You have to examine the collected data and explain the implications of your findings.
  • Structure the text to make it intelligible. For this purpose, not only divide it into sections but also use charts, graphs and diagrams.

Bottom Line

What if you do not know the definition of molecular biology and are not aware of how DNA, RNA, and proteins are related? You can still write a good essay as much depends on your preparation. As no one forbids you to surf the Internet, you can get advice from experienced biology writers. Upload your instructions and topic to discuss your essay with experts. They can help you with the outline, explain complex concepts and proofread the final paper.