Bio 1136 Research Paper Assignment You will write a report on an environmental issue of your choice. There are 6 sections to the
paper. You MUST follow the format of these instructions or your submission may be rejected
(worth 0 points). The Introduction should be a paragraph long (half a page). The Physical and
Biological Descriptions and Interaction History should each be around a page long. The
Problems, Solutions, and Works Cited sections can be as long as necessary, but should be
formatted as bulleted lists. You need to provide at least three articles to support your paper’s
findings. Each source must be cited parenthetically in the text at least once. TITLE ALL
SECTIONS; make sure your paper has all the required sections and make sure these sections
are titled if you want full credit for the paper. The grading structure I use to grade this
assignment is as follows:
1) Format
1a) Format/editing/spelling (10%)
1b) In-text citation (20%) : you MUST cite at least 3 of your sources in the text of your paper
1c) 3 sources (20%)
2) Content
2a) Clear description of issue (20%)
2b) List of problems occurring (15%)
2c) List of possible solutions (15%)
Note the paper requires 3 sources, and these must be parenthetically cited in the body of the
paper (these are the “in text citations” mentioned above).
Research Paper Sections:
1) Introduction:
Write a brief statement describing your subject. Discuss the general aspects and features of
your subject, such as environmental or biological aspects or problems.
2) Physical and Biological Descriptions (Physiological and Ecological):
Discuss all relevant physical and biological dynamics of your subject (e.g. if your subject is an
environmental issue, identify abiotic and biotic factors involved; if writing about an endangered
species, describe its physical features, feeding and habitat preferences, and its reproductive
dynamics etc.; for an ecosystem, describe its abiotic dynamics [climate, etc.], location,
origins/formation, and its biotic community. Include as much relevant detail as possible.
3) History of Human Interactions:
Describe the history of interactions humans have had with your subject (such as impacts caused
by humans, studies undertaken, or efforts to correct problems). Discuss when these events
occurred and why. Again, include as much relevant detail as possible.
4) Current Problems:
List environmental/conservation problems related to your subject, and the causes of those
problems. This should be a bulleted list.
5) Solutions to Problems:
Address the list from the previous section (Current Problems) as to the possible ways to deal
with them. This should also be a bulleted list.
6) Works Cited:
The paper must reference at least three articles. Ideally, at least one of these should be from a
peer reviewed scientific publication (i.e. a journal; like Science, Nature, Journal of American
Medical Association, The Lancet, The Journal of Conservation Biology, etc.). Consult with a
librarian if you are unsure of how to access relevant scientific articles. Your text is not an
appropriate source for your paper and will not count as such.
When you quote a statement OR paraphrase an idea from a source, you must parenthetically
reference that citation in the text (put the author’s name flowed by a comma, then the year
of the article in parentheses at the end of the sentence). You MUST cite at least 3 of your
sources in the text of your paper. All articles cited in your paper should be listed in the Works
Cited section using the following format:
Author’s name. Year of publication. Title of Article or Book. Title of Journal (if
appropriate). Date of Publication of Journal (if appropriate). Publisher (if appropriate). City
of Publisher (if appropriate).
General Considerations:
Your paper must be typed, checked for spelling and grammar, etc. TITLE ALL SECTIONS.
