Instruction
3. Synthesis Reports (3 total)
These reports are basically mini research papers. For this part of the portfolio, you will choose three (3) areas of interest to you (related to Mammalogy) and synthesize information on that topic based on what you’ve learned over the course of the semester. Topics could include information and research on a particular species or group of mammals, research related to feeding habits, habitat use, social behaviors, communication in mammals, etc. Be creative with this and try to include variety in your topic selections. Make sure you run your ideas by me before you get too far into your research.
For each of your reports, you need to include:
1. At least three (3) scientific, peer-reviewed articles related to the topic (feel free to use
more!!).
2. A Summary of the topic/issue (~ half page) – be concise and to the point, and make sure you synthesize and tie together the main ideas of the topic through ALL of the articles you use. Cite sources properly in text for this section (e.g., Smith et al. 2017)
3. A Discussion of why the topic is important and what impact it might have on mammal conservation or management (~1 page). Provide YOUR thoughts and reflections on the topic here as well. What do you think about the research you’ve read? Be specific and provide examples as necessary.
4. Research Gaps or aspects of the topic that still need to be studied and understood further. (~1 page)
5. 2-3 Discussion Questions that you came up with as you explored the topic. See guidelines on Blackboard for formulating effective discussion questions.
Make sure you cite your sources properly in each report. Do not include weblinks.
Example:
Orrock, J.L., J.F. Pagels, W.J. McShea, and E.K. Harper. 2000. Predicting presence and
abundance of a small mammal species: the effect of scale and resolution. Ecological
Applications 10(5):1356-1366.
Last Name, First Initial(s), First Initial(s), Last Name, First Initial(s), Last Name. Year.
Article Title. Journal Name Journal Volume (Issue Number): page numbers.