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This assignment continues to help students practice effective
communication skills. However, the focus is not on popular science
writing but instead on scientific writing.
You will practice evaluating and summarizing published scientific
research and communicating the research results effectively. For this
assignment, submit a summary of a peer-reviewed article that presents
research results on the climate change effects on a specific species or
ecosystem.
Step 1: Research
*Note: Do not use the species examples already presented in the required materials for this module.
Select an article that is no more than 10 years old. Use Excelsior
Library databases to find articles related to climate change effects.
For assistance finding an article, consult the library’s guide (Links to an external site.) for this course.
These Excelsior OWL links can help you evaluate and understand sources: Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.), Evaluating an Argument (Links to an external site.), and how to read visual aids (Links to an external site.) like charts and graphs you find in journal articles.
Step 2: Write a Summary
Summarize a primary (i.e. peer-reviewed) research article (not a

review article) presenting original research documenting the climate
change effects on a species or ecosystem.
The summary should be around 500 words in length (three or four paragraphs). It should essentially provide the answers to the who, why, where, when, how, and what questions. The summary must be written in paragraphs with sentences (no bullet points).
Imagine your summary might be published in a review journal/outlet.
The following outline includes the necessary parts for your summary with
a suggestion for organizing the paragraphs:
Title of the article you are summarizing
Paragraph 1 – Introduction
The topic
The author’s research question(s)/thesis statement
The author’s hypotheses or predictions and the reasons behind those predictions
Paragraph 2 – Methods
Brief description of the population/community studied, materials and procedure, variables measured, and controlled variables
Paragraph 3 – Results and discussion
Main results
Discuss whether the results supported or contradicted the hypotheses
Paragraph 4 – Conclusions
Implications of the findings (especially in the larger context of climate change effects) and applications of the study
Limitations of the study