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Discussion Papers Written discussion assignments will be selected from those questions investigated in Wednesday lab sessions. The selected question will be identified by Andrew and Jim and mailed to the class about 4 PM the Wednesday before they are due. Answers are due by midnight Friday. Answers should be mailed to cfr501@u.washington.edu in Microsoft Word format. Please incorporate your name in the title of the document. Example: Clements_Frederic_CFR501_DQ1.doc Please use your u.washington.edu account for class communication. All discussion papers are: 2 pages maximum, double spaced, 12 point font, margins 1” all around. Please limit your references to those covered in the readings or lectures. There is no need to include full citations for the assigned papers (e.g. “Brubaker 1988” suffices). Discussion Questions #1 Discussion Question #1 Assignment Field Data Discussion Question Evaluation Overview Discussion Questions #4 Discussion Question #2 Assignment Discussion Questions #5 Discussion Question #3 Assignment
Data Analyses Students have found that a USB jump drive is extremely useful for sharing data, and transporting data and results from the computer lab. Wenatchee data files (.WK1 format) Understory Overstory Combined Overstory and Understory Understory Labels Overstory Labels Combined Overstory and Understory Labels Data Analysis #1 Assignment Preview Size and Age Class data (Excel format) Wenatchee Transect Descriptions (Excel format) Camp, A. E. 1999. Age structure and species composition changes resulting from altered disturbance regimes on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range, Washington. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 9:39-67. Final Exam The final exam will be in the same form as the discussion papers with three questions.
Grading 13% Discussion Paper #1 13% Data Analysis #1 (Multivariate analysis of community data) 13% Discussion Paper #2 13% Data Analysis #2 (Stand structure analysis) 13% Discussion Paper #3 35% Final Exam Papers are evaluated at the standard expected of submissions to professional journals.
Writing Tips Philosophy of discussion questions: The discussion questions ask for integration and new synthesis of material from readings, lecture and field trips. Thus they typically address more than one paper or lecture topic. They often pose dilemmas, not-straightforward-relationships, or issues that are not easy to resolve with current data. Things to think about: · A correct understanding of the facts is assumed. It is not necessary to repeat details about all the results of a study, points in a lecture, etc. It is most important to identify which results are relevant to the question. · Address all parts of the question (don’t avoid the difficult parts—the hard parts are typically the motivation for the question). · It’s ok to mention the factors that make the question difficult to answer. The process of identifying the things that make it difficult often helps you think more clearly about relevant issues. · Even when faced with a dilemma in answering the question, give a shot at finding a reasonable answer (i.e., speculation is often a useful mental exercise). · Address general relationships, interactions, consequences, processes, etc. However, support general statements with specific logic and evidence that support the statement.
Tips for writing discussion papers (particularly of this length): · Minimize introductions or background information. No need to fully recap a study from the readings, for example; simply refer to relevant parts. · Eliminate unnecessary phrases. Rather than saying “In the Doolittle study, it was found that blah…”, try “Doolittle found blah…” · Use scientific terminology: “mortality” vs. “wiped out”; “establishment” or “regeneration” vs. “seedlings make an appearance”; “moisture deficit” or “water potential” vs. “water-starved” or “wetness” Also, be sure you spell and use species names correctly. · Follow appropriate writing conventions: et al. (italicized because it is Latin, period because it is an abbreviation for et alii); subalpine fir (rather than “Subalpine Fir”); Douglas-fir (rather than “Douglas fir”…not a true fir, thus hyphenated). General Goal: A concise, explicit, and precisely worded text that is grammatically correct and interesting. · Do not use contractions: don't, won't, etc. · Do not write paragraphs that have only one sentence. · Do not use the words "correlate" and "significant" except in the statistical sense. · Avoid undefined pronouns, e.g., "It was found that…." Instead, say what was found, e.g., "Tree cover was more dense." Being direct saves words. · Be sure that the antecedent of every pronoun is obvious. Often sentences start with "This shows that….." but the reader cannot decide what "This" referred to. · DON'T SAY "LOTS OF." · Figures generally do not have to be introduced, e.g., "Figure 1 shows…." or "The tree densities can be found in Figure 1." Describe the results and cite the figure in parentheses so the reader knows where to find the data, as in: "Tree densities were higher on north-facing slopes (Fig. 1)." · Be sure that clauses are used clearly to modify specific words in the sentence. Some sentences were strings of modifying clauses and I could not tell what modified what. · Avoid long strings of adjectives and adverbs, e.g., "the high elevation north-facing slowly growing decadent trees . . . ." · Do not waste words with statements like "It is interesting to note that…." Try to write the finding or idea in a way that makes its interest or importance obvious to the reader. · Subjects and verbs must agree. · The general convention is to use "data" as plural. Therefore, say "the data show," "these data" (not "the data shows"), or "this data." WRITING SAMPLES The following samples of Discussion Papers from past students in the class are provided in order to illustrate the difference between attempting to specifically and directly address a topic versus discussing a topic in a too vague or general manner. We recognize that understanding ecological communities and making inferences about community dynamics are difficult and complex tasks. Though difficult, explaining ecological complexity is an ecologists job! Examples of More Specific Answers: Specific Sample 1 Specific Sample 2 Specific Sample 3 Specific Sample 4 Examples of Answers That Do Not Get Sufficiently Specific: General Sample 1 General Sample 2
Academic Integrity Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of your contract as a student. We expect that you will know and follow the University's policies on cheating and plagiarism. Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled according to University regulations. More information, including definitions and examples, can be found at: http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm
Disability Accommodations To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206)543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to the instructor so we can discuss the accommodations needed for this class.
Field Trip Insurance Field Trip insurance is strongly recommended for all students registered in any CFR course which includes field trips. Students who do not have the regular University health insurance or adequate personal coverage should consider obtaining a special short-term policy at $0.85 per day for the course of the field trips. Information and applications are available on pages 27-29 at: http://www.washington.edu/admin/risk/documents/Field_Trip_Guidelines.pdf The completed application and payment (made out to the University of Washington) must be made to the Cashier's Office, 129 Schmitz Hall before the trip.
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From Doonsbury, 9/10/2006 |
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Nighttime composite, NASA |
