- Each student is responsible for a short, two-paragraph report on a scientific article, as outlined below.
- Acceptable articles:
- The article must relate to vertebrate paleontology, as broadly defined to include all Chordata and Hemichordata,
and must make some new contribution to our understanding of chordate fossils and their evolution.
- The article must be recently published (January 2012 or later).
- The article must be published (in print and/or online) in a peer-reviewed scientific publication
such as: Science, Nature, Proc.Nat.Acad.Sci., Journal of Paleontology, or the publications
of any regional or national scientific society.
- Articles in general-circulation newspapers or news magazines are not acceptable for this
assignment, but articles in such sources are very likely to summarize more technical
articles that are acceptable. Look for sentences that say things like "as reported in
this week's issue of Science (or Nature)"; then look up the scientist whose work is cited,
as well as the name of the animal or geographic location.
- You may not use an article that was specifically mentioned or discussed in class.
- If you are not sure whether or not a particular article is acceptable, please ask!
- Each report should have a heading which consists of:
- Your name
- A brief title (it may be the same as the article's title, or it may be shorter)
- The body of each report should consist of two paragraphs, as follows:
- The first paragraph should summarize the article in your own words.
If the article has a published summary or abstract, do NOT copy or plagiarize it,
but summarize what you think is important, in your own words.
(Reports that copy most or all of an abstract will receive a grade of zero.)
- The second paragraph should explain, in your own words, how this article
adds to or advances our understanding of vertebrate paleontology. This paragraph may include
as much detail as you wish, including discussion of what was known previously, what was unknown
or disputed or misunderstood, and so forth.
- A full bibliographic citation of the article must be given at the end, including its author(s), date, full title, journal name,
volume number, "part" or "number" (if such information is given), and inclusive page numbers.
If the article is online, a full URL or web address (beginning with http:// or https://)
must also be given, along with any other data that may be helpful in locating the article.
- Papers may be submitted either:
- on paper ("hard copy"), handed in during class on the due date, or
- electronically, sent to me as an email attachment, in either .doc or .pdf format,
no later than 11 p.m. on the due date.
- Please do not use Google Docs, Moodle, Blackboard, or any similar service to submit your assignments.
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