The title should be self-explanatory. By reading it, a person should be able to grasp the basic of the issue being addressed, as well as a sense of the outcome, without having to read the paper itself. "Animal Behavior: Lab 1" is obviously inappropriate. The title should include the following: (1) The name of the organism studied (common names). (2) The question which was investigated. (3) What the variables being studied revealed. An example of an appropriate title is "Male and female mate choice in the redlip blenny: why bigger is better". In your papers, the title page should contain the title of the paper and the names of all group members. Although pooled data from the entire class may be included in the report, you need not list all the individuals singly (though they should be recognized in the Acknowledgements section... see below).

In the abtract, briefly summarize the hypothesis(es) being examined, the study objectives, and the results of the investigation. Provide some detail, but only enough to convey the main justification and outcome of the study. The abstract should generally be less than 150 words.

In the introduction, lay out the general theoretical framework of the study. You should first describe the general topic your paper addresses using relevant findings from previous studies. This should include a brief description of what questions remain to be addressed. Conclude the introduction by stating what hypotheses and predictions your study addresses and why they are important or interesting. The introduction typically comprises less than 25% of the paper's total length.

This section explains how the study was conducted and should be clear and detailed enough for any reader to duplicate any aspect of your work. You should include a description of the experimental design (if any), methods of data collection, any tools or special apparatus used, the study area (if a field study), and any laboratory setups (if a lab study). Include the time (24 hour) and date when the observations or experiments were conducted. The methods and materials section usually makes up about 20% of the paper's length.

In the results section, data are presented in their analyzed form with no interpretations of what they might mean. However, it is important to highlight those results that will be interpreted in the discussion. Whenever possible, data should be presented in tables or figures which clearly show important patterns.

Certain rules should be adhered to:

(1) Data in tabular form should be referred to as tables; all graphs, pictures, drawings, maps, etc. should be referred to as figures.

(2) Tables and figures should be numbered sequentially in the order that they are referred to in the text. For example, we might state "Male Juncos dominated females in 70% of conflicts (Table 1)". This tells the reader to look at Table 1 for the data supporting this statement.

(3) Number tables and figures independently of each other.

(4) All figures and tables must be accompanied by a legend which briefly explains the data being presented. It is especially important to identify symbols and abbreviations. Legends for tables should be above the table while those for figures should be presented below the figure. NOTE: Titles should not be included within the figure.

(5) Columns and axes should have descriptive labels that include the units of measurement (e.g. cm, hours, etc.).

The results of statistical analyses should be presented in the text when being used to substantiate important patterns which are not presented in tables or figures. However, significance itself is not a result and you need to put any statistical analysis in the context of the questions/hypotheses being addressed. Typically, one provides the results of statistical tests within text or legends using parenthesis after stating a results.  Information provided here should include the test performed, followed by statistically relevant information.  This will vary from test to test. Examples for ANOVA and Regression tests follow:

Citing the result of an ANOVA:

"Group size did not have a significant effect upon the amount of algae found within a territory (ANOVA: F_3,199 = 1.08, P = 0 . 36)."

In this example, the F statistic is reported, with degrees of freedom for the independent variable being tested (3 in the example above), as well as the total degrees of freedom (199 in the example above) subscripted as shown.

Citing the result of a Regression:

"Group size and the time to patch discovery by a territorial resident was negatively correlated (Regression: r² = 0.77, P < 0.001, n = 38)."

In this example, both the r-squared value, as well as the sample size, are provided along with the P-value.

Results are interpreted in the discussion section. This is the most important part of the paper, so formulate your arguments carefully. Interpret the patterns you described in the results section and relate these interpretations back to the objectives you outlined in the Introduction. Cite other papers that are relevant, regardless of whether they agree or disagree with your conclusions. For example, we might say the following: "Dark-Eyed Juncos in this study showed a pattern of dominance between adults and juveniles similar to that reported by Rohwer (1977) for Harris's Sparrows". The main goal of the Discussion is to put your results in the context of what has been done and known prior to your study and how things might be altered by your study.

Acknowledgements

Here you want to note those who contributed to your study. You should not just list names, but also (briefly!) describe contributions.

Literature Cited

List in alphabetical order by author, all published papers you have referred to in the text of the paper. Each reference should include the author, publication date, title, journal name, volume, and page numbers, in that order. Below are a few examples:

For journal citations:

Rohwer, S. 1977. Status signalling in Harris's Sparrows: some experiments in deception. Behaviour 61: 107-129.

For a book citations:

Trivers, R.L. 1972. Parental investment and sexual selection. In: Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man (B. Cambell, ed.), pp. 136-179. Chicago: Aldine.

Wilson, E.O. 1975. Sociobiology: the new synthesis. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

 

Formal lab reports will be worth a total of 50 pts, assessed by comparing your submissions with the guidelines described above using the following rubric:

Title: 2 pts

Abstract: 3 pts

Introduction: 7 pts

Methods: 5 pts

Results: 5 pts

Discussion: 8 pts

Acknowledgements: 1 pt

Literature cited: 4 pts

Writing (effective communication): 15 pts

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