Below are the general guidelines for your term project, both the paper and the poster or talk:
Where to look for sources:
The primary sources for your project should be hard copy sources like books, journals, magazines of reputable standing (not People magazine!).
The library has lots of good sources. Try searching the online catalog to browse the subject "Paleontology" or browse the subject "geology, stratigraphic insert your time period here". Some of these books may be too specific, but might give you some background as to what was going on in the world in your time period. If you are studying an invertebrate, try the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology.
To find journals etc., you can use the Georef or Geobase database from Milner's webpage. A great one to use for less technical, but still scientific, information is the General Science Abstracts database that is also found on Milner's webpage on the Database and Article Indexes link. This will also show what sources we have in our library.
You must have at least 3 non-web sources. Beyond that, use as many web sources as you want based on the following caveat: any web source must be one with educational or scientific credentials. I don't mind pictures being "borrowed" from John Smith's personal collection, but don't trust the information on these sites for a research paper.
Formatting of the paper:
Science writing has section headings throughout the paper. For example: Introduction, Climate, Diet, Summary/conclusions will be sectioned off and clearly marked. Sections in your paper will depend on what direction you take so don't think I am looking for specific sections, but these help you write the paper and put less pressure on transitions between topics.
Length of paper:
Papers should be roughly 5 pages or more of text in length, without figures and references. I don't mind reading a few extra pages, but I do mind a three page paper. Feel free to include references and they can be embedded in the text, but remember to consider that paper length should then be longer. Feel free to include any figures with your paper.
Reference style
- When it comes to writing the paper, use the reference style seen in the text book. This is the standard format for scientific journals.For citations in the text, use parenthetical ones at the end of the sentence with the author(s) and year. For example: The dinosaurs ate trees (Smith, 1980).
In the bibliography, the format is: author, year, title, journal or book title, publisher if book, pages.
Questions to consider including in your research:
The bioligical classification of your critter
Where your critter is found geographically in the rock record
What kind of environment it lived in and how we know : swamp, beach, desert etc.
What it ate and how
What else was significant and alive at the time
Interesting and significant things about its anatomy/skeleton
Ecosystem and community life
General lifestyle of the critter if we know it
Duration your animal lived (even if it extends beyond your geologic time period)
Any major differences in species
Any living relatives?
Poster hints
The poster should incorporate the topics and ideas within the paper. Do not simply cut and paste your paper onto poster board. Be creative in layout and design. Good posters have an introduction and conclusion that are text rich, but the rest is best displayed as figures with explanatory captions. You do not have to use all of the information from the paper, as long as the main points are conveyed in words and pictures. If you want some ideas for scientific posters, there are some up on the fourth floor of Felmley Hall outside my office.
To encourage all of you to put some thought, energy, and creativity into the final project there will be peer evaluation of your project when they are presented the last week of the semester.
Powerpoint hints
See poster hints above for general guidelines. Talks shouls be approximately 10 minutes in length. There should be a logical flow to the talk withi the major points of the paper mentioned. This is your opportunity to use lots of images and don't fall victim to text-rich presentations you dislike faculty members to give in class! You can use any video or other learning tools during your presentation too.
For an idea of my grading expectations, here is the guideline I go by: