FULL LAB REPORT PAPERS – GUIDELINES

Due Dates:   See your syllabus (or refer to the website for changes in due dates...) for current lab report due dates

Choose the specific question your team plans to address in your report.  Your question should lead to several (2-3 or so) specific hypotheses (i.e. null hypotheses tested via statistical analysis).

Follow the guidelines provided below to insure you do the best job that you can.  Late papers will be marked down 5 points for every day they are late, and will not be accepted after noon of the following Sunday.  Papers turned in after the lab or class period in which they're due will be counted as 1 day late – stick to this deadline!

 Format:

You will be collaborating with your team to write model scientific papers, based on the formats and styles used in the peer-reviewed (...what's this?...), professional ecological literature.  Since you are all juniors or seniors, I expect that you will be producing excellent papers that show growing expertise in your use of the standard scientific format.  Published scientific papers are almost always collaborative, with multiple authors (see some examples from our readings list), so this course gives you a chance to practice the important skill of collaboration.  The first author is responsible for not only writing their portion of the paper and carrying out their share of the data analysis, but is also the primary editor and the one who works to make sure flow between sections is smooth and that the style throughout is consistent.  If you are looking for an additional challenge, volunteer to act as first author on one of the group reports!  But realize that first authors are held to a higher standard, and so be sure to have this duty rotate among group members so that all who wish to have a chance to act as primary author.

Include ALL of the major sections of a formal scientific paper in this lab report:

·         Title – descriptive; not too long, but with enough detail to attract reader’s attention (up to 90 characters)

•     Abstract - 200 words, includes 4 parts: rationale for study2-3 sentences); brief description of methods (1-2 sentences); brief summary of results (~2 sentences, key findings); implications of results (1 sentence)

·         Introduction – very important section, and longer than many students realize; for this report it should be at least 1.5-2 pages long (350 words max), and include citations from the literature to give clear background information.  Start with big picture, narrow scope, until you end with your own hypotheses/questions.

·         Methods Description of field area goes here, as well as list of equipment used and outline of specific methods used to both collect  & interpret/analyze data (up to 600 words)

·         Results (…you should be experts at this section by now!) – figures, tables, and text summarizing them (up to 1000 words)

·         Discussion/Conclusions – also very important, and at least as long as Intro!  Refer to outside references (& cite them) to put your own conclusions in context of other work.  Start with specific findings of your work, and end by framing in context of big picture problems/issues.  Read the literature, to get better ideas of what this looks like!  (up to 1000 words)

·         Literature Cited – see format outlined in class & in the links below

 

Use the following links as guides for how to write an excellent scientific paper/lab report:

 If in doubt about something, look first at your first lab reports for guidance.  If still in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask me for additional clarification! Above all, generate a clear, concise question and hypothesis to address, and stick to it.

             Technical formatting details:

 References:

            You will need a minimum of 3 primary references, at least 2 of which you find on your own.  A primary source is a paper that reports on original data collection and analysis, published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.    Your textbook is a secondary source, as are my lectures (secondary sources are summaries of previously published research).  You are welcome to use some secondary sources, but they must be in addition to your 3 primary papers.  Internet sources are discouraged, although you may use up to one secondary source off the Web.  Learn and use proper citation format for internet sources!!

Use proper citation format in your paper, so as to give credit where it is due.  Failing to cite references is the equivalent of plagiarism.  In-text citations include author name(s) & year.  e.g.: (Dott 2012); or "According to Dott (2012)..."  For citations with more than one author, name both if there are 2 authors - e.g.: (Lehmer & Korb 2011);   use "et al." for more than 2 authors: (Steltzer et al. 2009).
If in doubt about a source or how to cite it, ask!

In the Lit. Cited section, use the format of the Ecological Society of America journals (e.g. Ecology, or Frontiers in  Ecol & Envir )  (notice the hanging indent, which is also standard; you can see what I mean if you make this page narrower):

Poff NL, Allan JD, Bain MB, Karr JR, Prestegaard KL, Richter BD, Sparks RE and Stromberg JC. 1997. The Natural Flow Regime. BioScience 47: 769-784.

 

 Data Analysis:

            For these reports, you are required to do some statistical data analysis, expanding on or going beyond the data summary/analysis we did during lab time.  Chi-square analysis is an appropriate and very useful tool, and many of our labs have at least some null hypotheses that could be tested with X2.   Some of the data could also be tested with Mann-Whitney U, Kruskall-Wallace, or possibly correlation analysis.   If you have questions about how to apply these techniques, come see me, or send an email!  If you prefer to use other statistical analyses, that is fine as long as you are confident of their appropriateness.

            Attach an extra sheet to the back of your report, showing how you carried out your X2 (or other) calculations – one example for each type of analysis you did (e.g. X2 goodness-of-fit is a different kind of analysis than X2 association analysis – give examples of both).  This sheet need not be typed, but it must be legible; or, it can be the print-out of a spreadsheet you used to do your calculations – as long as the columns & calculations are clearly labeled; or the printout of an analysis, clearly labeled, from an SPSS run.

 Data Presentation:

            Tables are good summary tools for presenting data, but figures are even better (…a picture is worth a thousand words).  For this report, at least three graphic presentations of your data, in the form of figures, is required.  In many cases, more than 3 figures will be needed.  See me if you’re unsure how (or what) to graph, or if you have trouble generating graphs.  Excel may be the most familiar software to use for this purpose, but SigmaPlot and SPSS will also generate excellent graphs if you have experience using them.