Standards and expectations for AGRON 406 fact sheets

Overview

Your fact sheet needs to pack a lot of information into a single page (front and back). Writing a document like this is harder than writing a longer paper, because your writing needs to be crystal clear and every word has to count. This document will help guide you toward writing a high quality fact sheet.

Description of a fact sheet at each grade level

A   A thorough synthesis well supported by high-quality references. Clearly written and organized, with few or no errors in grammar or spelling. All illustrations are clear and easily readable. References are properly cited and there are no citations from encyclopedias or anonymous web pages.

B   Similar to A quality but lacking in some way. References are from high-quality sources such as peer-reviewed journal articles with no citations from encyclopedias or anonymous web pages. Often work at this level is thorough but not clearly presented; for example, it may be wordy or contain errors in grammar or spelling.

C   Notable deficiencies in content or presentation. Organization may not be clear, or there may be excessive errors in spelling, grammar and usage. Illustrations may be fuzzy or othewise unclear. Includes inappropriate references such as encyclopedias or anonymous web pages. References may not be properly cited. Products at this level often rely excessively on only one or two references.

D   Typical of work done at the last minute. The fact sheet contains some useful information but is put together haphazardly. For example, figures may be included but not discussed in the text, or a list of references may be given without proper citations. There is little or no attempt to integrate the material into a clear and coherent whole. Papers at this level often include padding that attempts to hide a lack of content.

F A fact sheet will receive an F grade for any of the following reasons:

• Submitted after the deadline regardless of the reason (yes, this includes illness or other emergency).
• Poor quality of material and presentation. Facts are presented with no synthesis or interpretation. Material may be included that has no obvious relation to the topic of the fact sheet. Attempted explanations — if any — show no real understanding of the underlying concepts. Poorly written: rambling and wordy, or with so many errors that comprehension is impaired.
• Plagiarism. Any plagiarized material – even one sentence, and possibly less depending on the situation – will result in a grade of zero for the entire regional climate project (not just the fact sheet). As is required by university policy the matter will be referred to the Dean of Students. If you have the slightest doubt whatsoever about what constitutes plagiarism discuss it with me before you submit your material!

Writing

• Use a clear, concise and direct writing style. You're limited to the front and back of one page, so make every word count. The University of Wisconsin Writing Center has some great advice on clear and concise writing. Avoid these common errors:
  • Obvious statements that contain no meaningful information (e.g., "The atmosphere is complex" or "This region's climate affects its agriculture").
  • Opinions not supportable by fact ("This region has one of the most fascinating climates in the world").
  • Excessively informal language ("The temps and precip around here are pretty interesting...").
  • Prolix, flowery language ("The great wonder and fascination of the atmosphere...").
• Proofread, proofread, proofread. Then proofread some more. A brief document like this with six errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation isn't "A" quality work. Therefore two points will be deducted for each error after the first.

References

• Use the best quality source material you can find. References should be from established authorities with a reputation for accuracy and fact checking. Some examples include articles in peer-reviewed professional journals and reports from academic institutions or government agencies. Here is an excellent discussion of references for university-level papers.
• In some cases you may not be able to avoid using web pages or general-interest publications. You are responsible for judging the suitability of any such sources. For each such resource that you use fill in the evaluation form (linked from the class Blackboard page) and include it with both the printed and electronic versions of your fact sheet. You do not need to submit the evaluation form for articles from peer-reviewed journals.
• Don't use encyclopedias (including Wikipedia) as references – you're not in middle school any more. The highest possible grade for a fact sheet that includes any references to an encyclopedia is C+.
• Reference citations in the text must match your list of references. Every reference cited in the text must appear in your list of references, and every reference in your list must be cited in the text.
• Reference format for citations and bibliographic entries must follow the format specified by the American Geophysical Union. Do not use other formats. The AGU reference guide provides little information for web citations, so if you need to cite a web page use this citation format instead.

Figures

• Use figures judiciously. A figure (or more) can add visual appeal to your fact sheet that helps draw the reader's interest. A well-designed figure can also convey a great deal of information. But space given to figures is space not available for text. So don't add figures for their own sake, but instead use them to reinforce the overall thrust of your fact sheet.
• Every figure must be clear. Each line, symbol, notation and label must be easily legible, without exception. Figures that you make yourself (or that you retouch using a drawing program) are almost always clearer than ones scanned or copied from another source. Don't assume figures viewed on your computer screen will be equally clear when printed – it's very common for figures to be fuzzier when they are printed, so check the clarity of all figures in the printed copy of your fact sheet. If a figure isn't important enough to be completely legible then don't use it!
• Number your figures consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.) in the order in which you first mention them. Always refer to figures solely by their number, not by "the figure below" or the like. Never use figures that are not discussed in your text.
• Every figure must have a caption that fully explains the meaning of lines, symbols, etc. so that the reader can understand the figure without referring to the text. Do not repeat this material in the text of your fact sheet.
• Support your figures with literature citations just as with any other data or concept that you obtain from another source. For example, you could say something like "Figure adapted from Grohl [2015]" or "Plotted data are from Lennon and McCartney [1969]." (Put these citations in the figure caption, not in the body text.)

What and when to submit

• By the start of class on the due date (i.e., 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 13) submit the following:
  • a printed copy of your fact sheet, including reference evaluation forms (if you used any non-peer reviewed sources); and
  • an Adobe PDF file containing your fact sheet and any reference evaluation forms to agron406@gmail.com. The electronic copy must be submitted as a single PDF file that contains your name in the file name (see the template posted on Blackboard). Other formats, or submissions consisting of multiple files, will not count as an on-time submission.
• Late reports will not be accepted under any circumstances. Yes, this includes emergencies! If you wait until the last minute and you get sick, your computer crashes, your printer runs out of toner, you come down with bubonic plague, or you get attacked by a herd of rogue squirrels, then you're out of luck. It is safest to submit your material at least one day ahead of the deadline.

Do you want a higher grade?

These points often make the difference between an "A" and a "B" (or between a "C" and "D", but let's not go there):

• Make your writing flow naturally from one section to the next. Use headings and sub-headings to guide the reader. As well as the usual section headings, topical sub-headings alert the reader to a change of focus.
• Ask other people to proofread your material. Even a friend or family member who is unfamiliar with your field can help find errors in grammar, style or organization.
• Do not add "padding" to lengthen your fact sheet. Unnecessary verbiage and figures will lower your grade! If you don't have much material just use what you have.
• Last and most important - your first draft should not be your final copy! Proofread your material carefully so you can improve organization, spelling, grammar, readability of figures, and other points that will raise your grade.