Term Paper for Soil Ecology (SSC112)
9December05
In your term paper, you will review, contrast, and compare two - three current research papers. These soil ecology research papers (not review articles) should answer or try to answer one current soil ecology question or problem especially interesting to you. To ensure that you are dealing with a current topic, at least one of your papers should have been published in the current year. Although I am flexible about the question, it should involve soil organisms. If it involves plants, it should involve at least one soil organism in addition to plants.
You may already have a question in mind. If not, try browsing current issues of journals at Shields Library. I strongly suggest that, rather than doing this on-line, you go to the library and hold the journal in your hands - why? Try Soil Biology & Biochemistry, Applied Soil Ecology, Soil Science Society America Journal, Pedobiologia, Biology & Fertility of Soils, Microbial Ecology, Ecology, Oecologia, Journal of Nematology, Mycologia, Mycological Research, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and others. See me for suggestions. Do not select the first two papers you find or the first two papers with interesting titles. Some or many scientific studies are poorly designed and or poorly written - if you pick these, you will probably have trouble understanding them and writing about them. You may need to read 10 papers before you find two that work for you.
Once you find an interesting research paper and associated question, you can easily find related papers in the paper's citations or in a database like Current Contents or Biosis. The focus of the papers should be similar so that you can compare and contrast. If the papers address different questions, you will probably have trouble writing analytically, and you will more likely produce a 'book report' rather than the critical analysis I expect. Write a technical report - don't write a novella describing your adventures in the soil. Avoid selecting papers from one laboratory - such papers often use similar methods and often confirm each other and therefore are less interesting and often less useful than papers that use different methods and perspectives.
I emphasize that the papers you use should be asking the same or very similar questions, that the question must involve soil organisms, and that the question should not be too broad. If you are uncertain about this, check with me.
Your term paper will be 6 - 7 pages long (excluding tables and figures). Use an 11 point font, 1.5 line spacing, 2.54 cm side margins, and 3.17 cm at top and bottom. I will not read over 7 pages.
Your term paper will have three parts: Introduction, Methods-Results, and Discussion.
In the Introduction (about 1 page long), describe the question and or problem studied by the research papers. Include the paper titles and objectives. Tell the reader what to expect. Your term paper's title should also indicate the question.
In the Methods-Results (2 - 3 pages), briefly explain the methods used to obtain the results and then summarize the important results. To make your analysis concrete, include and refer to photocopies of at least one table or figure from the Results section of each reference. This is required. You do not have to present or consider all the results - select the experiments and results pertinent to your term paper's main theme. Consider using a summary table to highlight differences and similarities in the Methods and/or Results. Finally, you may present methods and results for one paper and then the next, or you may present all the methods and then all the results. If the methods are complex, follow the first approach.
In the Discussion (about 3 pages), compare and contrast the papers and highlight their main findings, strengths, and limitations. Tell me what you think about the research.
More information on your paper's Introduction, Materials and Methods - Results, and Discussion.
Advice on writing style (half of the term paper grade is based on writing style):
1) Write for an intelligent but ignorant audience. Assume that your reader knows introductory soils and introductory soil ecology but do not assume that he or she is expert in any subdiscipline.
2) Write concise and vigorous technical prose. To understand how technical prose can be vigorous, read and understand the revision principles discussed in the Revising Scientific Prose (NEM150) Style Syllabus. In particular, use active voice (unless you have good reason not to) and delete unnecessary words. We will discuss these principles during class.