Scientific Literature Review and Presentation Instructions

Scientific Literature Review and Presentation Instructions

 

A major component of this course is to undertake a literature review on a topic of current environmental concern, compose an essay based upon your findings from the scientific literature, and deliver an oral presentation to your peers on your chosen topic. This document provides you with the expectations for successful completion of these tasks and some sample topics of current environmental concern.

Some components of this Literature Review are completed in pairs, while some components must be completed individually. The instructors will help facilitate pairing of students with common interests if you do not have a partner in mind already. Partners will be selected or assigned during the Topic

Choice process.

Topic Choice

Begin looking through the news, reviewing topic ideas below, or discussing ideas with your peers to find current environmental science issues of interest to you. You can find yourself a partner in the class during this process and submit your topic choices together, OR you may submit your topic selections individually and be assigned a partner with similar interests.

You must post your top three topic choices and your partner name (if applicable; or stating that you are in need of a partner) on the designated OWL Assignments. Topics will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. Partners will be assigned based on similar topic choice interests. Within a week of this due date, your topic choice and partner (if applicable) will be posted on OWL and you can begin the next step of this Literature Review project.

Please be sure to submit your topic on time (or early!) as the rest of the entire class depends on a timely topic and partner assignment process.

Essay Each student will create and write their own literature review for marking without further collaboration with their partner. Unlike the abstract, the full review is an individual effort.

Your review must contain an introduction section that summarizes the relevant background information pertinent to your topic. This section should conclude with what subtopics will be covered throughout your review. In the body of the review, you will present the current scientific  understanding of your topic in the literature, while providing scientific evidence that contest your argument. Specific studies can be addressed, but don’t focus on any one single study. Your review will end with a conclusion section that summarizes the key points of your scientific literature review. You should also include future directions surrounding your topic, if applicable.

Your literature review essay should conform to the following:

• Minimum word count is 2500 words. Please note very carefully that this is the absolute minimum that satisfies the requirement for an essay course. Failure to meet the minimum word count will result in an automatic fail of the course