Further paper instructions: Format: 9 to 13 pages, double spaced typed. 1 inch margins on all sides. Use a proportional font, and stick with 12 point font size (folks really like to play around with this stuff!) The above does not include tables, figures or bibliography. You should provide a minimum of 10 references, preferably more. These should be mostly journal articles and/or books**. If you use web-based resources, cite these as you would an article, and make sure you provide the URL. Try to provide a date if possible (you should consider date-less and author-less sources with suspicion) and limit web references to 4. Topic: As stated before, the paper should address: - the basic biology of the organism (a thorough natural history) - the reason the organism is endangered (what happened) - what is being done about it (this includes a thorough critique. You should try to come up with your own suggestions as to what else can be done.) - past successes and failures - comparisons with other similar organisms Presentation: For those of you giving presentations, you should allow for about 20 minutes to cover the highlights of your paper. I'm not sure we can arrange equipment for visuals other than overheads (e.g., a computer projector may not be available, though I can try). ** If you're using books, they should be topical and at a more advanced level. Preferably no "encyclopedias", though if you're desperate limit it to one. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some suggestions: 1) Pick a couple of different organisms, then do some initial background work to see how much information is out there. Biological Abstracts is an excellent place to start and is available through the GMU library system. 2) Be persistent with your web searches. The web is not the best when it comes to accuracy, but it is often invaluable in pointing you in the right direction. 3) Make sure you use the scientific name of your organisms - it's much more likely you'll be able to get more relevant sources that way. 4) Feel free to ask me for help.