TITLE
Your Name
RESEARCH QUESTION: state your research question
State your research question in the form of one-sentence question.
HYPOTHESES
State your null hypothesis (H0) and your alternative hypotheses (H1, H2, etc.). The null hypothesis is the one that states there is no significant difference.
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 collected 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.
Sample: include placement and size of transects/observation areas, etc.). Also include total sample area size.
Data Collection: specifically, what data did you collect, and how did you collect the data. [Must show at least 8 hours of data collection]
Data Analysis: specifiy how all data are to be summarized and analyzed.
RESULTS: your observations, data, and any statistical analyses
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 dates, times, locations, sample size, etc.). Note: For graphs, put in fake data 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.
Note: A couple of good sources for writing scientific paper are given below:
Pechenik, J. A. 1993. A short guide to writing about biology, 2nd ed. Harper Collins, New York.
McMillan, V. E. 1997. Writing papers in the biological sciences, 2nd ed. Bedford Books, Boston.
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