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GUIDE TO HOW I WILL MARK THE SPECIES STUDY (BIOL 1014, 2019)
Please follow the instructions in the Course Outline for preparing the species study – this
document only explains how I will assess this assignment
Length: 2,000 words or less (total for the document – strictly enforced, with marks lost for
exceeding the limit) as a rule use about 10% of words for introduction, 10% for conclusion, and
80% for the main text
Weighting: 25% (of total mark)
Mark Allocation:
• Title 5%
• Presentation 20%
• Structure/Organisation 20%
• Content 30%
• Writing style 10%
• Referencing (Bibliography) 15%
MARK ALLOCATION (WHAT I WILL LOOK FOR)
Title (5%): The title of your report is very important, it tells the reader exactly what the report is
about; “species study” is not an adequate title. The title should not claim something that the report
does not do. Use bold type and font 12 Times New Roman.
There is no formula for writing a good title; they can be written in many ways, and will
depend on your paper (keep it simple and direct). For example:
• The biology, migration, and conservation of Sterna paradisaea
• Description, feeding ecology, and threats of the Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea
natalis)
• Pollination, dispersal, and invasion of the coconut (Cocos nucifera)
• Classification, morphology, and biogeography of Agaricus bisporus
• Taxonomy and feeding habits of Aedes aegypti, and implications for human health
Presentation (20%):
• Name and student number on top of first page
• NO cover sheet or title page
• Correct word limit
• Word processed using Times New Roman font, size 12 and DOUBLE SPACED
• Standard page margins (3-cm left and right and 2.5-cm top and bottom margins)
• Left-hand justified
• No appendix
• Number the pages
• Have a clear title and subheadings – the title and subheadings should be in bold, but not
capitalised, and in the same font and size as the rest of the text
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• Use Australian English spelling, not American English (e.g. it is “standardised” not
“standardized” and “analysed” not “analyzed” etc.)
• No spelling errors
• Correct punctuation
• All species names should be spelt and presented correctly, including scientific and common
names (see below)
Structure and Organisation (20%): It is very important that your report is structured logically,
flowing from one section to the next. Remember that you will be the expert on your species by the
end of this assignment and you need to communicate the information you gave gathered in a
detailed and logical way. For example, don’t start writing about conservation threats to your species
from deforestation until after you have written about the relationship of the species to forests. Or
don’t write about the microhabitat required for spore dispersal until you describe the lifecycle of the
organism – so we first know that it has spores! Make sure you structure each paragraph and each
sentence so it makes sense. Don’t assume the reader knows what you know about the species; your
job is to communicate the information to the reader in a clear and precise manner. Use appropriate
subheadings, which match the content.
Subheadings: similar to the title, the subheadings should be bold font 12 Times new Roman
and be clear and concise; they tell the reader what each section is about. “Special characters”
“essential part” or “personal part” are NOT good subheadings. Introduction, General description,
Pollination biology, Biogeography and evolutionary history, ecological relationships, Conservation
threats, Summary/Conclusion, and Bibliography – are examples of subheading that you may want
to use. Only use subheadings that are appropriate for your species and cover exactly what is in the
text. DO NOT have a “Biogeography and evolutionary history” section if you do not describe these
aspects exactly. (Subheadings may be useful for forming your title).
Content (30%): Choose carefully which “parts” to include: DO NOT include everything ever
discovered or written about your species! There is not enough time or space; instead you should be
selective (choose the most interesting and important aspects) and cover a few key areas well – use
these areas to organise your report (subheadings) and create your title. The report should be
interesting and relate back to the course.
If you use an image or a table it MUST be referred to in the text, and it needs to be
appropriate and relate to the study. Pretty pictures are great, but they are not normally used in
scientific reports; however, a “pretty picture” showing the striking image of a peacock’s tail (for
example) may be used if you are writing about the role of the decoration in mating rituals.
• Figures: images should be labelled and referred to in the text; all images are called figures
(and include photos) – they have a label underneath. Somebody who has not read your
report should be able to look at the image and understand it from the label (“scales” or
“habitat map” or “distribution” are not sufficient; “Migration map of Sterna paradisaea
(Arthural 1977, p. 3)” is a good caption. If you use somebody’s image, list the source in the
figure caption; if it is your own photo use “feeding behaviour of Sterna paradisaea; photo
by J. Bhook 2012”
• If you use a table, put the caption above (again give sufficient detail in the caption).
• All tables and figures are numbered (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Table 1, Table 2 etc) and referred to in
the text e.g. “…modified scales form the rattle of rattlesnakes (Fig. 1)”
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Writing Style (10%): Language should be professional and scientific. Write concisely. Put active
verbs into your sentences. For example, don’t say “a study of a variety of behaviours was
undertaken …….” say “foraging, idling and aggressive behaviours are reported for some
populations”. Don’t make sweeping statements you can’t support without an appropriate, specific
reference. For example, don’t say “loss of the Eucalyptus forests will result in devastation of
Australian wildlife”, but something like “clear-felling of Eucalyptus open forests in Australia
severely impacts on the 116 species of birds living there, 12 of which have a restricted distribution
(Read 1987, p. 71)”.
Don’t write like you talk, and don’t use casual, informal language. Be efficient; don’t say “the
face of the earth” just “the earth”; don’t say “it was found to be”, rather “it was” (examples from
Topa, 2012). Use ‘do not’ instead of ‘don’t’. Each sentence should be logical (just because it has
big words or sounds impressive is no reason for keeping it – make sure the meaning is clear).
The taxonomic classification, including binomial name, must be correct; including all
spelling, punctuation, abbreviations, and formatting. It is not necessary to reference the source from
which you got the scientific name, but make sure it is the currently accepted version and include
common synonyms if they exist (use authoritative sources such as text books and IUCN to get the
correct version). You should write the full the species binomial name at first mention (in the title or
introduction) then abbreviate subsequent mentions. Include the name of the person who described
your species and the year in which it was described at first mention in the introduction (e.g.
Notopteris macdonaldi Gray 1859).
Common names: it is good practise to provide the “common name” of the species as well as
the scientific name – and to do so early in the report, preferably in the title or introduction. Don’t
use the common name throughout the report; use the correctly abbreviated scientific one instead.
Note that all the letters in the common name are lower case unless a name or a place is involved:
New Zealand fur seal, ornate kangaroo tick, Sturt’s desert pea.
Referencing (Bibliography) (15%): Use the Harvard form of in-text referencing (author, date and
page number generally in brackets after the piece of information you use). Please avoid direct
quotes. Paraphrase then cite all information sources. Full details from which these individual
references come are then listed alphabetically by author and date in a Bibliography at the end of
your paper. Don’t add books or journals you don’t use in your paper. The Havard Referencing
Guide is available under the “Species Study” section of the course homepage.
The bibliography (also called a reference list) lists the sources of information that you “refer”
to in your research. The quality of your sources will be assessed. Do not rely entirely on the
internet. Use of books is essential and inclusion of a Journal article(s) is highly desirable. DO NOT
reference Wikipedia or blogs. It is fine to use Wikipedia and other internet sites to do general
research, but then you must proceed to more reliable references/sources once you have some
information to read and check. Be critical about the information you gather and where that
information comes from.
Web resources: Only reference (list in bibliography) web pages from reputable sources such
as official government pages (e.g. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Geoscience
Australia, Bureau of Meteorology etc.) or reputable organisations (e.g. Birdlife International, WWF,
Flora & Fauna International, IUCN, UN, Museums etc.). Please use at least 5 references, list them
in the bibliography and refer to them in the text.
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