17 Aug Write a literature review of an environmental issue related to applied ecology that includes recommendations to practitioners, policymakers, and local planners
For the literature review report I chose this website https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81051-8
And you can use this as one of your references for the paper. It talks about the summer weather conditions influence winter survival of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in the northeastern United States.
I need a draft in 2 days, so for the draft paper, it should have a well-defined topic, list at least 4 sources you are going to consult, and significant progress in answering some key questions in your synthesis and analysis.
The rules for the draft and final report are:
Assignment: Write a literature review of an environmental issue related to applied ecology that includes recommendations to practitioners, policymakers, and local planners. Focus on a narrow issue in scope (be it geographic, ecological, etc.)
What is a literature review?
A critical account of what has been published on a topic by accredited research that requires you to:
Read, analyze, and synthesize information published in journal articles
Evaluate results and discussions provided in multiple articles to unearth insights useful to the scientific community and practitioners
- Purpose:
Improve your knowledge on a topic and demonstrate your (gained) understanding
- Provide new insight on your topic to others
- Demonstrate/improve your skills in literature searching, critical analysis, & writing
Audience: Assume the audience is comprised of peers in the scientific community that have backgrounds in basic ecological concepts.
Topics: See list, choose something from the lecture, or talk to me about a different topic. Choose something that you are interested in. Make sure to get your topic approved.
- *If you want to repeat a literature review you have previously conducted, please get my approval and outline how you will expand your previous review, e.g. by including new studies or changing the scope.
- Monitoring methods / use of indicators
- Nutrient cycling
In agriculture
Conservation biology Reserve designs
Forest / wetland management
Pest management –
Carbon dynamicsManaging invasivesClimate Change
Biological control, IPM
Remediation / pollution control
Species
(re)introduction
adaptation strategies
Fisheries management
Biodiversity lossTrophic cascadesAnd many others…
Example systems you can focus on: Urban areas; agricultural land; residential land; recreational land; public forestland; industrial plants; wastewater treatment plants; ecosystem/ of choice (e.g., Chesapeake Bay); large-scale systems with narrowed scope: soils; global coastlines; carbon sinks/sources; etc.
Literature Review – Written Assignment Guidelines
Format/Guidelines: Follow guidelines provided by a journal of your choice. E.g., PNAS (search “Manuscript Formatting Guidelines”); Journal of Environmental Management; Journal of Applied Ecology; Sustainability; etc. Some journals like Sustainability and PNAS provide a template you can download and use. Independent of your choice, key components required in your review are provided on below.
Title Page OR Section above introduction – include title, name, & abstract (< 300 words)
Introduction – make sure to be explicit about connection to class
The focus of the paper
explicit about connection to a concept or concepts we have learned in class
Why is it important to research / better understand – for both ecological health and society (can focus on economic value)
Methods (keep it short) – can be a part of the goal/objective paragraph of introduction
How you conducted your search for research articles. What key terms did you use? Did you focus on a specific date range or regional area? (Boolean searches may help)
Did you use a certain set of criteria to group/judge studies? If so, outline them here
Background Information
What is the history of the problem and the scientific understanding of it? (Has there been a paradigm shift or evolution in how the issue has been addressed?)
What is the current extent of the problem? What is happening now in the field with respect to current research?
Discussion – Synthesis and Analysis
Synthesis: Compile information together in a different way than summary: combine elements in a new pattern. Your paragraphs should not be on a study-by-study basis, but rather organized by components of the issue that bring together the relevant information provided by your reviewed articles
Emphasize the main findings or arguments from articles in your own words.
What is similar/different in the information from various sources you discovered?
What is the general consensus?
What are the problems that are being addressed/still need to be addressed?
Analysis: Examine and break information into parts by identifying motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations
this section, you can provide a summary table that consolidates your synthesis. Example: If you are focusing on different methods of managing geese due to ecological problems they introduce when present in an area, you could provide a summary table that outlines “Method,” “Localities/Regions”, “Outcomes,” “Challenges” with in-text citations provided
Summarize major themes that emerged, and identify areas of controversy
Present and defend your scientific opinion on the issue and scientific validity and/or quality of work you have reviewed by making judgments based on a set of criteria
Provide overall recommendations for solving / dealing with the issue that aligns with your judgments of the papers you reviewed
Provide a sentence on what this review has contributed – e.g., highlighting a general consensus or disconnect in studies that shows what still needs to be or does not need to be addressed; outline how scientists and practitioners can move forward from here
Conclusion – Evaluation
References
Choose style based on journal format you are following
Include: Author names; year of publication; journal / conference name; DOI if available.
