IB 160 - Evolution

The literature in evolutionary biology is extensive and diverse. This assignment is designed to help you learn to work with the literature. The idea for this paper is to critically examine some problem of current interest in evolutionary biology. You have considerable freedom in terms of the approachthat you use. However, you must use primary research literature (you canuse review articles as points of departure) and you must be critical inyour approach. Choose a topic that interests you, and that has some broadevolutionary implications. You might examine the development of a particularconcept during the past several years by choosing a paper from 10 or soyears ago and then picking a very recent paper for comparison. Alternatively,you might pick a controversial topic and examine different points of view.Be alert to differing scientific methodologies of philosophies and to thepossibility of alternative explanations for similar observations. Thereis no need to limit your options; you may be able to think of some otherapproaches. However, you should discuss your thoughts on paper topics withthe instructors before you begin to write.

Do not approach this assignment with the idea that there is going tobe something wrong with the papers you read. A critic is one who expressesa reasoned opinion on a matter, involving a judgement on its correctness,value, or significance. Give your reader enough information so that yourarguments can be followed and your opinions understood, but do not summarizethe papers being discussed. Rather, focus on issues that attract your attentionand present them in a comparative, critical and synthetic way.

Choosing a Topic

You might start by reviewing Evolution (QH301.E82), American Naturalist(QH1.A5), Systematic Zoology (QL1.S95), or some other journals. Scan tablesof contents for several volumes issued during the past ten years. You mightget some ideas from your text or from such books as Kimura's The NeutralTheory of Molecular Evolution , Raff and Kaufman's Embryos, Genesand Evolution , Stanley's Macroevolution , Endler's NaturalSelection in the Wild , or Levinton's Genetics, Paleontology and Macroevolution, .Collections of articles such as Bateson's Mate Choice and Otte andEndler's Speciation and Its Consequences , and reviews like EvolutionaryBiology (QH366.A1.E9), Trends in Ecology and Evolution (QH366.A1.T7), AnnualReview of Ecology and Systematics (QH540.A55) will also give you ideas.There are some interesting newer journals, such as Paleobiology (QE701.P2952),in addition to such standard ones as Science (Q1.S33) and Nature (Q1.N2).Once you find an article of interest explore its literature cited for otherarticles of related interest.

Use Science Citation Index for determining the workerswho are citing papers of interest to you. The Biosciences reference deskis an excellent resource if you are not familiar with library research (andeven if you are). See also the tips on getting started.

The following journals are also available in other libraries: Evolutionin the Earth Sciences library, Systematic Zoology in the Entomology library,and Evolutionary Biology in the Earth Sciences library and Moffit. Natureand Science are found in nearly every library on campus.

Here are a few tips for writing the term paper:

Write in a scientific style. In general, discuss ideas not "papers","articles" or authors. Do not talk about the "assignment".Avoid "book report" style. Write for a professional audience.Use journals like TREE, Evolution, and American Naturalist as models forwriting style.
Avoid passive voice in your writing (see us if you need clarification).
Avoid excessive quotation.
Avoid overly verbose or pedantic style.
Avoid "touchy-feely" writing that relies too much on your personalexperiences.
Be organized. Start from an outline.
Make your goals clear in your introduction (you could even state themexplicitly as "I will argue that 1) xxxxxx, 2) xxxxxx; and therefore3) xxxxxx").
Support all of your statements, preferably with scientific evidence fromthe primary literature. If you are guessing or making an arbitrary judgement,say so. Admit to uncertainty in your or others' conclusions.
Make sure that your paper concludes by fulfilling your goals! You mightsuggest future directions or unsolved questions.
When finished, make sure to trace the logic of your arguments from introductionto conclusion -use formal logic if applicable. Many papers lack logicallycohesive arguments or are contradictory; don't let this happen to you!
Present your paper in good form: underline/italicize scientific namesand use the literature citation format of Evolution and American Naturalist.Cite all sources, each time you mention ideas or data attributable to them.Include all (and only) references cited in the text in the literature citedsection.
Make sure to edit carefully. Use a spelling-checker if you have a computer.Plan on cutting out unnecessary or redundant sections. Plan on adding sectionsto clarify key points. (This is a normal part of the evolution of any paper).Do not hand in a first draft!
Have someone proofread your paper.
Use Writing about biology by Jan Pechenik or another science-writingmanual as a guide for style.
If you have a computer with a choice of typefaces (fonts), please chooseone that is large enough and easy to read. This handout used Times Roman12 point. Please don't use anything smaller.
Please do not write more than about 10 double-spaced typewritten pages.The grade will be based on our assessment of your critical abilities, onthe originality of your treatment, and on the total development of the paper.