TITLE

Your Name

RESEARCH QUESTION:

State your research question in one sentence with a question mark at the end.

HYPOTHESES/DEDUCTIONS

• State your null hypothesis (H0), your alternative hypotheses (H1, H2, etc.), and their deductions (D0, D1, etc.).
• The null hypothesis is the one that states there is no significant difference.

VARIABLES/ASSUMPTIONS

Independent Variable: the variable you manipulate (the tested cause of the effect).
Dependent Variable: the variable affected by the change in the independent variable.
Controlled Variables: factors that could affect the results but that you keep the same among all samples so that they don't have an effect on the results.
Assumptions: statements that you must assume to be true for interpretting the results of your study but that you do not actually measure.

METHODS: must be able to stand alone and be specific enough for someone else to repeat

Date(s) and Times: include the date(s) you will collect your data (give the year too); also include the times you will be collecting data (if relevant -- for example, time will be relevant for birds but usually not for plant abundance studies). Must show at least 8 hours of data collection.
Location(s): include study site location (and description if relevant).
Sample: include placement and size of transects/observation areas, etc.). Also include total sample area size.
Data Collection: specifically, what data will you collect, and how will you collect the data. Must show at least 8 hours of data collection.
Data Analysis: specifiy how all data are to be summarized (totals, averages, etc.) and analyzed (state which statistics you will use).

Refer to your table(s)/graph(s) [for example, See Table 1]
Tables and Graphs: Each table/graph/map should be named (i.e., Table 1, Table 2, ... Graph 1, Graph 2, ... etc.). Each table/graph/map should contain a caption that includes enough information to allow the table/graph/map to stand alone so that someone would understand the data without reading the rest of the report (e.g., include data units, dates, times, locations, sample size, etc.). Note: For graphs, put in fake data (for example, 1, 2, 3, etc) for now so that you and I can see what the data will look like. You will replace the fake data with the real data for the report.

Pechenik, J. A. 1993. A short guide to writing about biology, 2^nd ed. Harper Collins, New York.
McMillan, V. E. 1997. Writing papers in the biological sciences, 2^nd ed. Bedford Books, Boston.

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