EXPLANATION OF MANUSCRIPT SECTIONS

    This section of the manual provides the student with explanations and examples of the senior project. It must be understood that the following is intended as only a guide for the preservation of your senior project manuscript. It is advised that the Publications Handbook and Style Manual (1988) for ASA, CSSA, and SSSA publications be consulted for clarification and/or additional information as needed, it is helpful to search through several issues of the Soil Science Society of America Journal for examples of graphs or tables similar to those you intend to use. In addition, you may wish to examine other senior projects so you can view the differences in style presentation. If you have questions regarding presentation, style etc., discuss them with your senior project advisor.

Title

    The title should accurately represent the senior project content and aid retrieval in indexes. A good title briefly identifies the subject and indicates the purpose of the study. A good title also utilizes important, high impact words. Since the Senior Project title is used as an important tool by researchers searching for information, there are a few items to consider while formulating your title. The senior project title should be short. The recommended length of a title is from 5 to 12 words. Titles shorter than five words probably should be reworded. The title may not include abbreviations, chemical formulations (example: CH₃CH₂0H), proprietary names (Lemon-fresh Joy Soap"), or jargon ('fantastic' or 'neat-O). It is acceptable to use the common names of chemicals and crops in a title. An example of this would be using '2,4-D' instead of '2,4-l-Dichloropkenoicyacetic acid', or 'Alfalfa' in place of 'Medicago sativa'.

    You may want to browse through several refereed journals to develop a good title. A good title will reflect the hard work that you invested in your project to interested persons in the future, so make it sound professional  Examples of journals will be discussed  in SS 461 and includes the following major areas of study.  Soils, Botany, Ecology, Crops, Environmental, Planning, Chemistry, Physics, and others.

Abstract

    The abstract serves an important purpose in your senior project. It informs the reader peripherally about your work, methods, materials, etc. If the reader is interested then he or she may so further- and read the remainder of your work. The abstract should be a brief statement of the essential material of the report which contains the purpose of the study, the objectives, the methods used, the results and the conclusions. It should summarize the main points discovered in the project. The abstract should be written after the senior project is completed and should be consistent with statements made in the senior project manuscript. The length of the abstract should not exceed 250 words and is not divided into paragraphs.

Introduction

    The purpose of the introduction is to supply enough background information to allow the reader to understand and evaluate the results of your senior project without needing to refer to previous publications regarding the topic. You should make a brief statement of the problem that justifies your work or the hypothesis on which the project is based. Discuss the findings of others that will be challenged, confirmed or developed.

    Here are some additional items to keep in mind when you are writing your introduction:

1. Try to integrate the reviewed material with your project thesis.

2. Include an explanation of the general approach and objectives of your senior project.

3. Avoid a lengthy literature review of old references where newer ones are available.

4. Don't try to convince the reader about the importance of your work.

5. When writing your literature review, try to keep on the subject by limiting the information to what is essential to the reader's orientation to the subject.

6. Include any essential definitions and assumption's which were made during  this work.

7. Commenting on the literature review is optional in this section. 

Materials and Methods

    Results and conclusions from your senior project are not valid unless the experiment can be repeated by someone else with essentially the same results. Therefore, it is necessary to include enough information in the materials and methods section so that someone else could duplicate your senior project.

    Before you write this section, think for a moment about how you developed your senior project. Imagine how you would tell someone else with a general knowledge of laboratory procedures to do exactly what you did. Keep in mind that you must be clear. Avoid the use of trade or brand names. Use the complete chemical name for clarity. Omit the use of superfluous detail. For example, you do not have to detail Every step of a soil textural analysis procedure, but you should note the procedure, a literature reference to the procedure, and what you used as the dispersing agent. This will save you time and make your senior project easier to read. Note any deviations from the standard procedures that you have done in this section.

    Plants, soils, animals etc. must be identified accurately. For plants, animals and microorganisms give the genus, species, and cultivar or strain. Underline or print in italics, the genus and species. For soils give the complete classification, series name and special characteristics. When you have finished writing this section, re-read it and consider if the reader win understand how to do the project by themself. Revise the manuscript to enhance readability and clarity.

Results and Discussion

    Carefully consider the presentation of your results in your senior project. When you have only a few determinations it is best to include them in the text. When a large amount of data is repetitive then it is best to use a table or a graph to present your results. The use or tables, graphs and other illustrations in the results and discussion section should provide a clear understanding of the data obtained from your project. Tabulation of the Readings from instruments are generally not included.

    Take the time to discuss with your senior project advisor the best method to present your results. Your discussion should interpret the results while giving particular attention to the problem or hypothesis stated in the Introduction. In the discussion you should include the principles, relationships and generalizations that can be supported by your results. It is up to you how to proceed with the format. You may choose to discuss each finding individually as you go, or to present the results ail at once and discuss them later. When you discuss your results, try to integrate the findings Of Other researchers work with your own. Again, work closely with your advisor to ensure that you are on the right track to avoid any misplaced effort.

Conclusion

    Now that the real work of your senior project is completed sit down and consider your findings. What are the theoretical and practical implications of your project? Are there any areas that need further investigation? With each conclusion you make based on your results, you should include a summary of evidence for that conclusion. You may wish to speculate on your findings. While speculating, however, you must note very clearly that you are doing so. Your speculations must be reasonable and firmly founded in observation. Where your results differ from that of other researchers for unexplained reasons you should not discuss the possible reasons. A sentence or paragraph on possible senior projects could be included in this section.

References

    The reference section lists the literature cited in the senior project. (The use of the heading "Literature Cited" was abandoned by the ASA in early 1985.) There are two acceptable methods, the name-year system (e.g., Sujata, 1985) and the reference number method (e.g., 5).

    As a rule, each reference to a publication must include these items in order: the first author's last name, first name (all other authors  are first name and then last), year of publication, full title of the article, publication in which it appears, and volume and inclusive page numbers. Keep in mind the following:

1. Arrange the list alphabetically by the name of the first author and then by the second and third authors.

2. Single-authored articles should precede multiple author articles for which the individual is senior author.

3. Two or more articles by the same author(s) are listed chronologically; two or more in the same year are indicated by the letters a, b, c, etc.

4. All published works referred to in the text must be listed.

5. Only literature that is available through libraries can be cited. Senior projects, personal communications, and any unpublished works cited in your manuscript appear as footnotes and are not to appear in the reference section.

6. Do not capitalize the titles of articles etc. except for proper names and the first letter of the first word of the title.

7. Underline only Latin names.

8. Type all references flush left.

    The main advantage that the name-year system has over the reference number method is the ease by which additions and omissions of the references are made. Because the references are listed in alphabetical order, you do not have to go back through your paper to reassign reference numbers when you edit. A few of the more common types of references are shown in the examples section.

Additional Help on How to Do Literature Citations

General Notes