A 2-3 page typed description of your topic and outline of the major points of your paper.
Your outline should include a title, introduction, summary of major issues, conclusion, and literature cited section. A suggested structure is below along with a sample outline.
Title: A succinct descriptive title that provides information about the specific focus of your paper. This title will be used to general the list of seminars distributed to faculty.
Introduction – Provide the necessary background for the reader and include the general organization of the paper. Introductions are typically organized by starting with the big picture, providing background information, the specifics of the questions that will be the focus of your paper.
A. The big picture – Describe the major question
(Include citations that will be useful for this part of the paper.)
B. Provide background information on your topic. What does the reader need to know in order to understand fully the specific information you will be presenting later
(Include citations that will be useful for this part of the paper.)
C. Provide the specific focus of the paper. What issues, hypotheses, or questions will you be investigating, and in what order
The main body of the paper – The body of your paper should cover 3-4 issues on your topic. Each issue needs to be developed using primary research articles. You must present and discuss experimental data from at least 4 separate papers from the primary literature, and your final paper must present information from at least 12 different peer-reviewed articles. You may not cite more than 3 review articles (75% of your paper should be developed from primary research articles). You will need to connect these sections so think about how best to organize this information (it may make sense to focus on a subset of experiments in an article and connect those results to another article). In your final paper, you should use sub-section headings that will help the reader follow the organization and logic of your paper.
A. Subsection 1 (use descriptive heading) – Provide a 3-4 sentence summary of this topic. Your summary should include an explanation of the questions the researchers were testing and brief summary of the results. Cite any papers you will use to develop this section.
B. Subsection 2 (use descriptive heading) – (similar format to subsection 1).
C. Subsection 3 (use descriptive heading) – (similar format to subsection 1).
Conclusions – Brief discussion of the overall “take-home points” from your paper. Ideally, this would tie the information from the main body back to the opening paragraph of the introduction and the bigger picture of the paper.
Literature cited – You must cite references for all ideas and information that did not originate with you. At least 10 references must be cited in this outline. Your final paper needs a minimum of 12 references.
Sample Outline for Review Paper
Your outline should be 2-3 pages. This outline is abbreviated but gives you an example of one way to organize a paper. Other organizations are also possible if they fit your topic better. You are encouraged to brainstorm ideas with your Instructor on the organization.
Title: Consequences of self-fertilization and herbivory on reproductive success in Hibiscus species
Introduction
A. Importance of pollinators to plant reproduction and mechanisms of self-pollination when pollinators are not available (Goodwillie et al. 2005; Kalisz et al. 2004, Mazer et al. 2010).
B. Introduction to Hibiscus – distribution, and diversity of species and floral structure (Lhamo et al. 2006, Ramsey et al. 2003).
C. Review genetic and physiological mechanisms affecting self-compatibility and inbreeding depression (Kalisz et al. 2004, Young and Pickup 2010).
D. Topics for the paper – focus on (1) differences in the level of pollen competition between self-fertilization and outcrossing (2) fitness effects of self-fertilization, (3) effect of seed predation and herbivory on floral evolution, and (4) interaction between climate and strength of herbivore pressure on plant reproductive success.
The main body of the paper
A. Differences in the vigor of outcross and self pollen in Hibiscus moscheutos (Snow et al. 2000). This section of the paper will summarize experiments that showed differences between self and outcross pollen in pollen tube growth rates. This type of pollen competition favors the production of outcrossed seeds.
B. Effects of self-fertilization on fitness of offspring in Hibiscus (Ramsey et al. 2003). In this section of the paper, I will summarize the results of experiments that show selfing has a greater negative impact on later life stages (flowering and fruiting) in H. trionum. Lhamo et al. (2006) also suggest that the degree of inbreeding depression in Hibiscus is affected by frequency- and density-dependent factors affecting pollen distribution. Studies in another forb (Rutidosis leptorryhnchoides) suggest that S allele number and mate availability are strongly affected by plant population size (Young and Pickup 2010).
C. Selective forces caused by seed predation and floral herbivory and impact on evolution of floral traits in Hibiscus species (Klips et al. 2005, Cogni et la. 2011). Briefly summarize and cite papers that you will use to develop this section.
D. Variation across aridity gradient in herbivore impact on Hibiscus meyeri distribution and abundance (Louthan et al. 2013). Briefly summarize and cite papers that you will use to develop this section.
Conclusion – Summary of ways in which genetic factors, plant demographics, herbivores, and climate affect reproductive success in Hibiscus and connection to larger issues of plant-pollinator interactions and potential for invasiveness or extinction. This paper will show how recent work in the areas of genetics and plant physiology is providing new insights into the mechanisms that affect pollen performance. In addition, recent large-scale ecological studies are providing insights into how changes in climate and herbivory can affect floral evolution and the fitness impact of self-fertilization.