Biology writing homework
Research Report
Science is built on the discoveries of others. As Einstein once said, “The reason I could see so far is because I stood on the shoulders of giants”. This information is used to formulate a researcher’s hypothesis in the scientific method, guide experiments, and later becomes a part of the final research article. Part of a research project (really any project you may be involved in, r egardless of the discipline) is gathering and presenting information; this is the purpose of the assignment. Steps to complete this assignment. 1. Find a topic that interests you, d ealing with some aspect of biology or science. 2. Research this topic, u sing currently published information, w ith at least three
sources. 3. Write the report. You need to use current information. Try to get articles published within the last year or two. You need to have at least three articles, b ut you can use more if you want to. You are welcome to use articles from a scientific journal, b ut you do not have to. Using the databases available here on campus is a great tool to help you find material from a reliable source. Current articles in scientific journals online cost a fortune. If you have to use one, s ee the library. Often, they can get it you at no cost. Plan ahead.
Format
The report should be at least three pages, double-spaced.
The format should be as follows:
1) Title 2) Abstract 3) Report 4) Literature cited section
A note. The paper will be in APA format, unless you can make a good argument it would better serve you to have it in another style. Read your paper before you turn it in.
Abstract
An abstract is a short, concise summary of the article. Generally, in the area of 100-150 words. These are used to help the researcher deciding if the paper will be of use to them. They are also called executive summaries in business.
Here is an example: From 1982 through 1988 the community structure of raptors in an agricultural
region of southwestern Madera County, California, was studied. The conditions under which to best run raptor surveys were also determined. A total of 17 species of raptors were observed during the 213 survey runs; Red- tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus), and Black-shouldered Kites (Elanus caerulus) were the dominant species, comprising 81.9% of the raptors seen. An average of 30.0 birds sere seen per survey in winter, followed by 21.4 per survey in fall, 13.6 per survey in spring, and 13.0 per survey in summer. The best speed for the surveys was found to be 12.5 k.p.h. This study also determined that 3 observers p er survey produced the best data on raptor abundance.
This was from a 73-page report. As you can see, i t is short and to the point
Citations
This is most important.
Not only do you need to have a literature cited page, you must have in-text citations as well. There are on-line resources for you. Please see the instructions for this at the library, on the internet at OWL Purdue, style sheets on the FCC library page.
Remember. Tell ‘um what your going to tell ‘um, tell ‘um, then tell ‘um what you told ‘um.
A note on plagiarism. Plagiarism is the representation of someone else’s ideas as your own. Not only is this unethical, you will receive a 0 on the paper. Please don’t view that as a challenge! On the other hand, when you cite the person or article, the report is better, you look better and get more points, and it shows you took care about your project. It enhances the work, so cite when you write!
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