Lab Report I Guidelines

LAB REPORT I – GUIDELINES

Optimal Foraging in Mice

Due Date:

Thurs. 2/22/07, at the beginning of class. Final draft of lab report due at this time.

If you would like me to comment on an earlier draft, get it to me by 2:30 Thurs. 2/15. Follow the guidelines provided below to insure you do the best job that you can. Late papers will be marked down 5 points for every day they are late, including weekend days, and will not be accepted after 4:30 pm Thursday 3/1. Papers turned in after 9:30 am Thurs. 2/22 will be counted as 1 day late – stick to this deadline! Turn in papers to me in class, to my office (rm 752 BH) or my mail slot in the Biology Dept. office across the hall (rm 711 BH).

Format:

Use the section on “How to write a lab report” in the Biology Student Guide (the class web site has a link to both the Biology Dept. web site, and to the “Student Guide,” which has good instructions on how to write a lab report (starting on page 16 of the guide…on the pages before that you can see some classic old photos of your favorite Bio. Faculty!)), as a guide to format, how to cite references, what sections to include in your report, etc. If in doubt about something, don’t hesitate to ask! Above all, generate a clear, concise question or hypothesis to address, and stick to it.

References:

You will need a minimum of 2 primary references. A primary source is a paper that reports on original data collection and analysis, published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The papers cited at the end of the lab hand-out are examples of primary sources, and you may use one of these, but you’ll need to do some literature searching to find at least one additional source. Your textbook is a secondary source, as are my lectures (secondary sources are summaries of previously published research). You are welcome (and encouraged) to use some secondary sources, but they must be in addition to your 2 primary papers. Internet sources are discouraged, although you may use up to one secondary source off the Web. Learn and use proper citation format for internet sources!!! (the Lib 150 webpage has clear instructions on how to do this – it is different than a book or journal)

If in doubt about a source, ask!

Proper citation of references is key to academic honesty, and improper citation usually is interpreted as plagiarism, which is in violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Also note that direct quotations from your cited works are discouraged – you are much better off to paraphrase and properly cite other authors.

Data Analysis:

For this report, you are required to do some statistical data analysis, above and beyond the filling-in of tables we did during lab time. Chi-square analysis is an appropriate and very useful tool, and many of our labs will have at least some null hypotheses that could be tested with X2. If you have questions about how to apply this technique, come see me! If you prefer to use other statistical analyses, that is fine as long as you are confident of their appropriateness.

Attach an extra sheet to the back of your report, showing how you carried out your X2 (or other) calculations. This sheet need not be typed, but it must be legible.

Data Presentation:

Tables are good summary tools for presenting data, but figures are even better (…a picture is worth a thousand words). For this report, at least two graphic presentations of your data, in the form of figures, are required. See me if you’re unsure how (or what) to graph, or if you have trouble generating graphs. Use Excel to create your figures, remembering the techniques we learned in the data summary/analysis computer lab. Import your figures into your final document, using the appropriate format (where do figure captions go?? What should they look like?)… Of course, if it seems appropriate, you may also include data tables, but if you do so they should be incorporated into the body of your report (i.e. a Table you make in Word), and they should not simply re-display the raw data, or the same information that you’ve already shown in your figures.

Details to Consider for the Optimal Foraging in Mice Lab Report:

Construct a graph of niche breadth (y-axis) vs. seed density (x-axis).
Use X2 to test for significance in mouse food preferences – there are a number of ways you could do this, so see me if you’re unsure how to set it up (goodness- of-fit test, association analysis…see the X2 hand-out).
You may wish to analyze data according to size of mouse, or at least refer to it in the Discussion.
Remember to use the information we gathered on the average weight of 10 seeds from each seed type, if not in your Results section at least in the Discussion.
How might the nutritional quality of the different seed types be useful in explaining types of seeds chosen by mice? … find sources (e.g. encyclopedias) that will help answer this question.
Note the list of references at the end of the lab.

Lab Report Evaluation:

Attached to this document, you will find a copy of the grading rubric I will follow in evaluating your lab reports. Study it carefully, as it lays out exactly what I’m expecting of you. PLEASE – of any of this is unclear or if you have questions, come and see me, so we can clarify things!