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Send to friendUsing early feedback to improve the quality of scientific reports in Ecology
Small classes, ready access to staff feedback.
Scientific report writing and synthesis
The preparation of large scientific reports is a key component of many high-level science subjects. While such reports give students valuable professional experience, they are difficult and time consuming to assess and feedback is often not incorporated into subsequent reports. Taking a "project management" rather than "reviewer" role in assessing scientific reports is a way to increase the quality of reports and prepare students for the workplace.
Students are set relatively challenging report writing tasks, which include literature review, data collection, analysis and interpretation. The aim is to work with the students to produce work at a professional level. Students are given windows of time to submit advanced drafts of either their whole report or specific sections. Students are warned in advance to expect a good deal of constructive criticism. They are given specific advice on: systematic errors-such as formatting; language and style; areas requiring more detail or synthesis; areas needing clarification; and, overall report structure. Students can resubmit drafts as often as they need to. Students can also organise a 10 minute phone or in person meeting to discuss the feedback and clarify instructions. The main benefit of this method is that it forces students to respond directly to feedback, which improves the quality of subsequent reports.
All reports showed a dramatic decrease in systematic formatting errors and vast improvements in writing style and clarity. The general standard and average mark were significantly higher than they had been in previous years once this approach was adopted. The process encouraged students to start reports early thus encouraging better time management practices, reducing late submissions and subject attrition. The process can be time consuming for the academic during the feedback stage but students require little feedback on the final report so marking time is reduced.
Example
Students' first draft
Figure 1 is an example of the mapping output of the Arcview GIS program. The map shows the extent of the study area, the arrangement of the vegetation communities within, and the locations of goat herds observed on transects.
Lecturer feedback
When you are describing a figure describe the data and key trends -not the map itself. For example "the area of vegetation communities within the park ranged from 87 to 35000 ha (Figure 1)".
Student's final version
Vegetation communities within the study area range from being relatively consolidated blocks, to scattered smaller patches surrounded by a matrix of other vegetation types (Figure 1).
In the future a program may be implemented that allows students to peer review each other's work before the draft report is submitted.
