FNR 5608 RESEARCH PLANNING

 

2008

 

CREDITS:                 3

 

SCHEDULE: 3rd and 4th periods, 9:35 - 11:30 - Friday

 

INSTRUCTOR:        Dr. Wendell P. Cropper, Jr.

                                    wcropper@ufl.edu

                                    352-846-0859

                                    Newins-Ziegler 214

                                    Office Hours: After class or by appointment

 

RECCOMENDED TEXTS:          

 

Feibelman.  1993.  A Ph.D. is Not Enough.  Basic Books.

 

Day and Gastel. 2006. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. (6th ed.) Greenwood Press.

 

Gordon. 2007. Planning Research. A Concise Guide for the Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences. Yale University Press

 

CD with files of web sites and readings

 

OBJECTIVES:         FNR 5608 is designed for beginning graduate students who intend to conduct research and write a thesis.

 

1.            To provide an understanding of the planning, funding, conducting and reporting of research.

 

2.            To provide an appreciation of the history, philosophy of science, and the scientific method, including the responsibilities of a scientist.

 

3.            To provide an appreciation of the opportunities and facilities for research within the University of Florida, IFAS and especially SFRC.

 

4.       To prepare a research proposal. For most students this project will be a first attempt at producing a proposal for thesis research. Students that already have an approved thesis proposal may target a federal granting agency for their proposal. NSF programs such as the Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant or the Graduate Research Fellowship are appropriate. A standard research proposal for an approved RFP (Request for Proposals) may also be used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRADING:               

 

Class Participation/discussion             10%    

 

Problem Statement                              10%

 

Literature Review                               5%

 

Oral Presentation                                5%

 

Poster                                                  5%

 

Group Presentation                             5%

 

Abstract Exercise                                5%

 

Written review assignment                 5%

 

 

Final Proposal                                     50%

(Problem Statement; Literature Review; Methods;

Budget and Budget Justification).  You can not receive an A

In this course without receiving an A grade for the final proposal.

 

 

Late assignments will be penalized. -10% (minimum).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FNR 5608 RESEARCH PLANNING

CLASS SCHEDULE -  FALL 2008

 

 

Week

 

 

Date

 

 

Topic

 

 

 

Reading

 

 

Due dates

 

1

 

08/29

 

Introduction: Objectives, Format, Projects Grading

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

09/05

 

Analyze Proposal Problem Statements

Philosophy of Science

            A

Feynman and Colinvaux

 

In class discussion

 

3

 

09/12

 

Philosophy of Science

 

    Platt and Chamberlin

 

 

 

4

 

09/19

 

Analyze Selected Proposal Literature Review

 

A

 

Abstract assignment due

 

5

 

09/26

 

Using the Science Library: Research References

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

10/3

 

Research in SFRC

 

Group Presentations 

 

 

 

7

 

10/10

 

Research in SFRC

 

Group Presentations

 

Problem statement due

       8

  10/17

Ethics in Science

          C

 

       9

  10/24

Homecoming/No Class

         

Literature Review due

 

 

10

 

10/31

 

Federal Grants; Writing a Scientific Paper;

 

B,D

 

 

 

11

 

11/07

 

Presenting Research; Preparing a Poster; Job Interview

 

E, F

 

Student Review due

 

12

 

11/14

 

Student Oral Presentations and Posters

 

 

 

Due

 

13

 

11/21

 

Student Oral Presentations and Posters

 

 

 

Due

 

14

 

11/28

 

Thanksgiving   No Class

 

 

 

 

 

15

 

12/05

 

Student Oral Presentations and Posters

 

 

 

Due

 

 

 

 

 

12/10

Last Day of Classes

 

Full Proposal due

 

Full Proposal Due

 


  1. Proposal Folder:

Anderson; Chmura; Jansen; Gwen  (Ecology)

Student_proposal draft.doc  (Social Science)

Committee Meeting Proposal-Bev.doc (Molecular Biology)

 

Platt1964.pdf

Chamberlin1965.pdf

 

Feynman; Cargo Cult Science (Ares on line)

Colinvaux; Amazon Expeditions (Ares on Line)

 

miner.htm (guide to writing proposals)

 

  1. Federal Folder

2006_star_fellow.html; nsf05601.htm; nsf05607.htm

Results_EPA.htm

GRFP_Applicant_User_Guide.pdf; DDIG_advice.pdf

Indirect_costs.pdf

Soil C and roots at Amerflux.pdf

ProposalCheck.htm

Cost sharing letter.pdf; DSR-1 form.pdf; Budget 2005.xls

 

Feibelman Chapter 7

 

  1. Ethics Folder

Fraud1.pdf; Fraud2.pdf; Fraud3.pdf; Fraud4.pdf; Fraud5.pdf; Fraud6.pdf

Ethics_marsh_an_kenchington_2004.pdf

Retraction.pdf

Become a Certified Ecologist.doc

Misconduct.pdf, Consequences.pdf

Misconduct_Mayhem.pdf

 

 

  1. Publishing Folder

Authorship.pdf; Authorship.jpg; Journals_2006.pdf

Mss folder

Peer_review

Peer_review2.pdf; Peer_review3.pdf; Peer_review4.pdf; Peer_review5.pdf; Peer_review6.pdf

Publish-Perish.png

Prolific_scientists.pdf

Scooped-Nature06.pdf

 

       Abstracts: Chapt. 9, Day and Gastel

 

        Day and Gastel cover a broad range of scientific publishing issues.

 

Feibelman Chapter 4

 

  1. Presenting Folder

Is PowerPoint Evil.ppt

Power_Point.pdf

Posteradvice.htm

Block.pdf

PosterTemplate1.ppt; PosterTemplate2.ppt; PosterTemplate3.ppt; PosterTemplate4.ppt; PosterTemplate5.ppt

ChmuraProposal.ppt;  CommMeeting-040606_Loudermilk.ppt

 

        Day and Gastel, Chapt. 27-28

Feibelman Chapter 3

 

  1. Academic Job Folder

Hiring.pdf

Interviewing_for_academic_jobs.pdf

 

        Day and Gastel Chapters 36, 38

Feibelman Chapter 6

 

 

 

 

Assignments

 

1. Abstract Writing: Select a scientific paper with methods, results and conclusions. Do not read the abstract. Write an abstract for the paper and compare your abstract with the published version. Write a short statement about the differences and relative strengths of the two abstracts. The exercise will be graded primarily on your analysis.

 

2. Write a Problem Statement for your proposal. The elements of a good problem statement should include:

 

            What is the objective of your research?

 

            What hypotheses (if any) are you testing?

 

            What question(s) will you answer?

 

            How might this research expand understanding?

 

The Problem Statement may be a single section of your final proposal, or elements of it may appear in different sections.

 

3. Write a Literature Review for your proposed research. The elements of the literature review may appear in different sections of the proposal.

 

A. Papers that review broad fields (Good source of additional papers to read). Placing your research in context of "the Big Picture"

 

B. Papers that describe other attempts to address Problem Statement questions, perhaps unsuccessfully; perhaps in a different ecosystem/organism etc.

 

C. Key papers in your field. Even identifying one key paper can lead to a large body of relevant literature in the Literature Cited section.

 

            D. History (selective) of previous studies

 

            E. Methods (How to do it)

 

            Read the papers that you cite!

 

4. Group Presentations of SFRC Research. Each group will learn about a research focus area of the SFRC. The web site, faculty publications, faculty interviews, graduate students not in this course, etc. can all be used as resources. Examples of focus areas include (but not limited to,and not mutually exclusive):

 

            A. Social Science/Human Dimensions

 

            B. Geomatics

 

            C. Genetics and Molecular Biology

 

            D. Tree, Forest, and Landscape Biology

 

            E. Fisheries

 

            F. Tropical Forestry

 

            G. Urban Forestry

 

Each group should prepare a discussion to introduce the class to the research focus area, representative research methods, and the faculty researchers in the focus area.

 

5. Student Review: I will randomly assign reviewers for each combined Problem Statement and Literature Review. You will write a short review of the work, emphasizing suggestions for improvement.  Your review will be returned to the author.

 

6. The Full Proposal. The proposal should include the elements of the Problem Statement, the Literature Review, Methods, Budget, and Budget Justification. The organization should conform to the standards of your Major Advisor/research area.