| Animal Behavior or Why does the Wolf Howl? or a bird call? |  |
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Teacher: Mr. Cone
Below are pictures of courtship behaviors of large mammals. What is this behavior called? |
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Get Organized! |
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Mr. Cone's assignment is to write a 4 to 5 page paper that discusses a behavior or a type of behavior or emotion that interests you in any one animal, or seen in many and how that behavior may be modified. In addition, several key concepts of animal behavior are required discussion elements of the paper. Please contact Mr. Blake, in the library if you have any problems with the research process.
| What is an Ethogram?
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The following steps will assist you in the research process.
Step 1: Get Organized
Before you begin your research follow these crucial steps:
| 1. Understand the assignment. |
You will be required to produce: |
| 2. Choose a topic from Mr. Cone's list and get his approval before starting your research. |
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| 3. Get an overview of the topic. |
Where to find good overviews. |
| 4. Narrow the topic. |
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| 5. Write a thesis statement or statement of purpose. |
Statement of Purpose/Essential
Question /Thesis Statement |
Step 2: Gather Information
Finding Reference books:
Begin your research with refence books to help you gain an overview of your topic, develop a list of search terms, and begin to build a bibliography. Click here to see a list of reference books in the Garver Room.
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Tip: Ask a Librarian, stop by a Help Desk early and often during the research process for assistance. |
Academic Search Elite contains full text coverage for more than 60 of the most popular science publicationsAccess Science provides access to McGrawh Hill's Encyclopedia of Science and technology. It includes many images and gives basic overviews as well as indepth bibliographies for each entry.
Columbia Earthscape publishes a wide range of scholarship in the Earth and Environmental Sciences featuring exercises and labs, syllabi, and basic textbook readings.Encyclopedia Britannica contains the full-text of scholarly articles on many academic subjects. It is a vital tool for searching for "primary source" information.
JSTOR contains the full-text of scholarly articles on many academic subjects. It is a vital tool for searching for "primary source" information.
New York Times Current contains the full-text of all New York Times articles from 1999 to present. Many articles have appeared in the "Science Times" section that comes out on Tuesdays.
Scientific American Archive Online contains the full-text of one of the most prominent general science magazines. Many stories about species behavior, neurobiology, sociobiology, and ethology.
Sharks feeding on a sardines (Image: Doug Perrine)
from http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996563
**Remember to evaluate web sites for authority and content.
Animal Diversity Web A "wickipedia" containing thousands of species accounts written by students. The accuracy of the information is not guaranteed by the sponsor, but most of the information is factual and references proper citations.
Open Directory Project A directory of free web resources related to animal behavior.
- Scirus A comprehensive science-specific search engine on the Internet that searches over 200 million science-specific Web pages
Step 3: Use the Information
| Synthesize the information, make an outline, take notes, organize the information, write the paper and document sources. | Capture the information you will need for your bibliography the first time you use each source. |
| Use these handy forms for collecting all the data elements you will need. | To help in the construction of your bibliography please use Mr. Cone's directions. You can also use RefWorks to help in keeping your materials in order. |
| Make sure to avoid Plagiarism! | Use this useful guide to quoting and paraphrasing sources. |
Step 4: Take time to Reflect
The paper is ready to be handed in. The bibliography is complete. Ask yourself: did you accomplish what you wanted to do? What else could I have done to guarantee a six? If you take the time to evaluate what you did you will become a better researcher.
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Some ABC's of Ethology
How many of the following words can you identify and define?
