Animal Behavior - Biology 4200/5430 |
Bowling Green State University, Fall 2009 |
Text: Pechenik, JA (1997) A Short Guide to Writing About Biology, 3rd edition. Addison Wesly Longman, New York. The following chapters provide principles for good scientific writing. You should read them as early in the semester as possible.
Things to remember when your work is critiqued: Comments will help you improve your paper. A large number of comments indicates that reviewers have spent a lot of time and effort reading it. Be thankful,these comments will help you identify the paper's weaknesses.
Things to remember when you critique the work of others: Provide your colleague with a well-intended critique of the paper. Return an objective analysis of its weaknesses as well as of its strengths. Ask specific questions when sections are unclear.
When we communicate scientific results, we need to explain what our question is and why it is an important one to address. We then proceed to a description of the particular methods that we use to answer it. The results of this experiment is described and subsequently discussed within the broader context of issues.
Use this list of questions to help you find, design, perform and communicate your independent project.
Issues to consider when choosing a project