Homo Sapiens

paperrubric

BIOL 365

Human Evolution

Literature Research Project: Hominin Species Research Paper Directions and Grade Sheet

Due: First Draft – Tuesday March 23

Due: Final Draft – Tuesday April 20

The purpose of this assignment is for you to summarize and integrate the background information and recent
scientific research on your hominin species.

In Researching Your Species, Learn All You Can About the Following Topics:

Dates When the Species Existed

Relationship of Your Species to Other Hominin Species

Geographic Range

Habitat

Physical Characteristics

Type of Movement – arboreal, bipedal, etc.

Diet

Social Structure

Behavior

Mental Ability/Characteristics

Items Your Species Produced – art, tools, etc.

Significance of the Species to Human History

Most Recent Research on Your Species

Steps to Follow in Researching and Writing Your Paper

When you read your primary scientific papers, take notes on all the information you find related to these topics.
If you are missing any topics, go back into the scientific literature again, using Web of Science to look for new
papers that might contain the information you need. Keep hunting through the literature until you cannot find
new information. When you keep finding the same information repeatedly, and nothing new, you have
probably learned all you can about your species. Then it is time to write your paper. You may not have
information related to all the topics on the list. That is okay. Some species are better known than others.
Learn all you can about your species, and if nothing is known about some of the topics in the list, that is fine.

Use the notes you took from your sources to write a paper addressing as many of the topics as you can. Each
topic will be a different section of your paper. Your paper will begin with an introductory paragraph, then will
move from one topic to the next until ending with a concluding paragraph.

Code each of your notes in a way that lets you know which source it is from. Either put the in-text citation with
each note or color-code each note with a unique color for each source. Then put your notes in groups, one
group for each topic in the list above. Organize the groups into a sequence that makes sense to you. Then
revise the notes in each group into an order that makes sense. Revise the notes in each group into sentences
and arrange the sentences into a paragraph. Move from one group of notes to the next, creating each section
of the paper. Add an introductory paragraph at the beginning of the paper and a concluding paragraph at the
end of your paper. You have finished the first draft of your paper!

Requirements for the Hominin Research Paper

• Your paper must include at least ten scientific sources.

• Read textbooks, reliable websites, and other secondary popular sources to acquaint yourself with your
species. Know the background information they contain, but do not use them as sources! Use them to
strengthen your background on the topic so that you can understand the science in the research papers
that are your sources.

• Read scientific papers to learn information about as many of the paper topics listed above that as you
can find. Focus on the introduction and discussion sections of scientific papers to find background
information on your species.

• You want to become an “expert” on your species. Your goal is to know nearly everything that is known
about your species and also what is not known. Keep reading papers until you do not find anything
new. Then you can feel confident that you are very knowledgeable about your species and ready to
write a very thorough paper on it.

• Do not use or cite textbooks and lectures in your paper! Use only primary scientific literature.

• Your finished paper must be two-four pages long before any figures and the reference section are
added.

• At the top of the first page, have only your name and the title of the paper. Do not waste space with a
large header.

• Use double space, Arial font size 11, standard 1-inch margins all around, and left (not full) justification.

• Aim for a paper that is rich, informative, and up to date with recent research.

• Use only information from your scientific sources – do not add any other information.

• Avoid heavy use of one or two sources with just a quick reference to your other sources. Work to
integrate all the sources well in your paper.

• Use your own words, not phrases or paraphrases from sources (that would be plagiarism)

• To help you use your own words. Do not go back to the original papers unless you are looking for a
specific piece of information. Instead, try to work only from your notes and annotated bibliography.
Don’t copy from your annotations. Instead, get the information from the annotations, but write it again in
your own words, integrating it into your paper. By doing this, your paper will be two steps removed
from the original source, protecting you from inadvertent plagiarism.

• No direct quotes from sources are allowed! Everything must be in your own words, but all statements
of fact must be attributed to their source with an in-text citation in correct CSE format.

• For some information, it is ideal to include figures, diagrams, maps, or tables from your sources.
Number each figure you use in your paper and refer to it within the text of your paper. Of course, the
source of each figure must be clearly indicted with an in-text citation next to the figure number. For
example:

Figure 1. Australopithecus afarensis fossil sites (Lewis and Murphy 2019).

Organization and Writing

• Organize your paper into sections (topics), each with a subheading for clarity.

• Revise and polish your early drafts, shaping cohesive paragraphs with topic sentences and ensuring
transitional flow between topics.

• Proofread for clarity, grammar, typos, and misspellings.

Documentation

• Be sure all statements of fact are supported by an in-text citation in correct CSE format. The only
exceptions to this are common knowledge and truly original personal work (your own scientific research
or personal opinions.

• Every referenced paper must be fully integrated into your paper.

• Be sure all references used in the paper are included in the Literature Cited section at the end of the
paper.

• The Literature Cited section must list all sources in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name.

• All references must be in correct CSE format.

• All sources with an in-text citation must be in the Literature Cited section, and all sources in the
Literature Cited section must have at least one in-text citation.

Plagiarism

• Plagiarism will be treated very seriously.

• It is plagiarism if…

▪ You do not provide a citation of the source for every piece of information

▪ You fail to put all information in your own words and phrasing

▪ You paraphrase source material. Just changing a few words or rearranging slightly is
plagiarism!

• To avoid plagiarism…

▪ While reading your sources, take notes only in your own words and phrasing.

▪ When you don’t understand something in a paper, see me so we can go through it together.
Plagiarism often happens when students don’t have confidence in their own comprehension.

Grading
Grading is based on:

▪ Content – completeness, accuracy, detail, grounding in scientific sources, correct length, and full use
of all sources

▪ Sources – current, peer-reviewed papers that are highly relevant to your hominin species

▪ Documentation – in-text citations and end references in the Literature Cited section

▪ Organization – logical sections with subheadings, topic sentences for paragraphs, transitions and flow

▪ Writing and Clarity – Prepare a polished, well-written document. Take time to proofread and spell
check. A paper full of writing mistakes cannot earn an A, a grade that is reserved for papers that are
free of mistakes in writing and documentation and that go beyond the minimum content requirement.

Compare your paper to the grading sheet on the following page. Informally grade your own paper, using the

grading sheet. This will help you identify revisions you need to make.

Name:___________________________

BIOL 365: Human Evolution Literature Research Project – Hominin Paper

Topic
Points

Possible
Points Lost

Content

Completeness 7

Accuracy 7

Detail 5

Grounding in Scientific Sources 5

Correct Length (2-4 full pages of text before header,figures and reference list added) 2

Full Use of All Ten Sources 4

Sources

Peer-reviewed Scientific References 5

Sources are Current, Recently Published Primary Papers 5

Sources are Relevant to the Topic 5

Documentation

All Statements of Fact Have In-text Citation 5

In-text Citations Follow Correct CSE Format 5

All Sources Cited in Text are in Literature Cited Section 2

All Sources in Literature Cited Section are in Text 2

References are in Correct CSE Format 5

References are in Alphabetical Order in Literature Cited Section 1

Organization

Logical Subsections 5

Topic Sentence for Each Paragraph 5

Transitions Between Paragraphs and Sections 5

Good Flow from One Topic to the Next 5

Writing
and

Clarity

Proofread for Clarity 5

Proofread for Grammar 5

Proofread for Spelling 5

Total 100

Assignment Grade