Seminar in Natural Science (online)

Web-based Research Presentation
for the Online Science Conference

Your research project will culminate in a web-based presentation posted to the Discussion Board, your contribution to our very own 391 online conference, a festival of research presentations about current scientific issues and controversies.  This research-based assignment takes the place of the traditional 7-10 page research paper I've used in past sections of 391.  While this project uses your critical thinking skills and requires some research, it is weighted less heavily than a long paper assignment (50 instead of 100 points, to be precise), and from my experience is using the assignment in past seminars, it's definitely more fun.

: : See this Introduction to the Research Project for an overview of the purpose/scope of the assignment and tips on picking a topic as well as framing your argument.

An Important Point:  You do not need advanced technical skills to do this assignment well.  My past students have proven this beyond a doubt, as some of those who were most insecure about or inexperienced with the technical aspects of the project ended up producing excellent presentations.  Remember that bells and whistles do not substitute for good content! 

Developing and Organizing Your Argument

By the time you start writing your presentation, your thinking about your topic should have been influenced/informed by your research and my comments on your proposal.  One question to ask yourself is, "Does my original thesis (from the proposal) still hold, or should I frame the argument differently?"  This will depend on what kind of evidence you've uncovered in your research and how your analysis of that evidence relates to your topic.

Another question concerns organization.  Consider alternative organizational strategies for your discussion, based on your proposal outline but also the information you've found in your research.  Look through your notes, and rearrange your information to fit your project (this may take cutting and pasting). Try different arrangements: by topic, by geographical area, chronologically. Each time, ask yourself: does this make sense? Does it make more sense any other way?

Once you figure out your organizing scheme, be sure to support your major points/claims with appropriate information, such as examples, statistics, and reasoned analysis (whatever is appropriate to your topic).  Make sure that each section of your paper relates in a logical way to your overall thesis, and that the flow of information makes sense to a first-time reader of your draft.

Consider alternative viewpoints to your thesis, and how they should be acknowledged/incorporated within your discussion.  A common misconception is that acknowledging objections to an argument can weaken one's thesis.  The opposite is true, as long as you're able to answer these objections effectively and deal with alternative viewpoints/explanations fairly and judiciously.  Neglecting to even mention objections/alternatives to your argument can raise the suspicions of skeptical readers.

A few tips related to presenting historical information, statistical data, and visuals:

• Historical information:  In any paper -- not just a paper for a history course -- that discusses past events, those events should be in chronological order with the dates clearly stated. This is to avoid giving the impression that an event that happened later caused one that happened earlier.  Make sure your reader can follow your discussion without backtracking to previous paragraphs to figure out the correct chronology.

• Statistics:  There are three ways to present statistics -- as part of your narrative discussion, in a table, or in a graph. If you have more than two or three numbers, and if they relate to the same phenomenon (e.g., population, income, or prices), then you should present a table. Better yet, use both: draw a graph based on the numbers in your table. 

• Visuals:  If you construct a table or graph, you should give it a title (e.g. Table 1 -- Chicago Population 1900-2000) at the top and cite the source(s) at the bottom-right.  If you import a visual (e.g., a table, graph, or map) from another source, give it your own title and cite its source as you would for a quotation.  Don't just dump a visual into your text, though -- refer to it in your discussion, and analyze the information therein.  Number tables and graphs separately (e.g., Table 1, Graph 1, Graph 2, etc.).

Writing the Conclusion

Don't make your conclusion a boring reiteration of your introduction.  This is a chance for you to review the major points of your research/argument, make an overall judgment about your findings, and make any specific recommendations, if applicable.  A solid paragraph or two should suffice.

Documentation

You will need to document your presentation properly and thoroughly by citing the source of each image you use as well as any quotations or paraphrases from outside sources, whether web- or print-based.  (Don't worry about getting permissions for images, as this presentation is strictly for educational purposes in our class.)  Just as in a traditional paper, quotations need to be indicated as such, paraphrases must be in your own words and cited, etc.  In other words, it must be crystal clear which ideas/words are your own, and which are from outside sources.  For more information, see Using and Documenting Sources. 

More on Using Sources -- How Many, What Kind?

You should plan on citing a minimum of five legitimate sources, two of which must be print-based (e.g., book, journal article, government document, etc.).  Sources used merely for images do not count toward the total.  If a web-based source also exists in print format (as do some books, journals, government documents, and most newspapers), it can count as a print source.  In addition, at least two of your sources must be peer-reviewed, or "refereed."  See this page from "Using and Documenting Sources" for additional info on peer-reviewed sources.

General encyclopedias (e.g., Microsoft Encarta) and dictionaries do not count as legitimate sources in this context, although more specialized reference works may, particularly those focused on science.  Email me if you have questions about a particular source.  Remember that most readers (including me!) are impressed when a researcher cites a variety of sources; in contrast, citing five newspaper articles and one magazine blurb does not demonstrate thorough, college-level research.

As you write, be careful of becoming a "quote-gatherer"--one who merely gathers lots of neat-sounding quotations and strings them together.  First and foremost you must put forth your own analysis and argument about your subject.  Stress summarizing and paraphrasing as you incorporate sources into your paper; use quotes sparingly and judiciously (i.e., when you want to retain the force and effect of the original author's language).  This way your citations will complement your own voice instead of overshadowing it.  Plus, by paraphrasing sources instead of quoting them, you demonstrate your intellectual mastery of the material.

Presentation Format -- Options and Tips

Designing a "web presentation" might thrill some people but scare others half to death -- so let me assure you here and now that I'm not expecting some amazing technical achievement out of this assignment (which, after all, is weighted less than the critical essays).  The key thing here is that you research various sources to expand, inform, and even challenge your own analysis; incorporate some images and web links from your research to complement the text in your presentation; and document your research accurately and thoroughly.  Yes, you want the presentation to be visually appealing and well-organized; but it's more important to have good ideas, to explain them precisely and clearly, to challenge and enlighten your fellow scholars, and to document your information when appropriate.

You can design your online presentation in a few different ways:

• Word Document -- Nothing fancy here.  Just use Word to create a document that combines text, some relevant images, some hyperlinks to interesting and relevant websites, and your references.  Word allows you to insert images as well as "hot links" to websites.  Some tips . . .
  • Use 12-point font (as in this document) to make your text readable on the screen.
  • Think about how inserting a simple 2- or 3-cell table (2 or 3 columns, 1 row) can add to the formatting of your document.  This allows you to place an image next to a block of text, for example, or to put 2 images side by side.  I often use this to insert images in html documents.
  • Make sure your image file sizes aren't too large--remember, you don't need much resolution (a minimum of 72 dpi is fine) to display images effectively on the web.
• PowerPoint Presentation -- For those of you who know how to use PowerPoint, or if you've wanted an excuse to tinker with it, consider this an option for the final pres.  (Most of the sample presentations I'll refer you to in the Course Documents section are Pp files.)  The screen-by-screen format allows you to combine text and image, use bulleted lists effectively, make simple editing changes to images, and map out the substance of your presentation in an outline-like form (using several screens).  Tips . . .
  • Don't burn too much time getting "fancy" at the expense of the substance of your pres.  PowerPoint allows for endless tinkering with a slideshow, and a few well-placed images combined with a simple yet consistent template can be very effective.  Presentations with too many "bells and whistles" are often distracting.
  • Insert links to other websites strategically; Pp lets you do this, too.
  • Don't cram too much information into one slide--if it's getting too packed, split the slide into two.
  • Use a title slide at the beginning and a works cited slide(s) at the end.
  • Again, keep image file sizes smaller rather than bigger, to make downloading easier.  You want to minimize the overall file size of your presentation, so we don't have to download a 3MB elephant.
• HTML Document -- This might be the trickiest or easiest option, depending on your software situation and web-authoring experience.  If you're able to create at least a bare-bones web page on your computer, consider this option.  With a simple web-authoring tool like Frontpage (what I use) you can easily combine text, image, and links in any size document.  Another advantage is that I can upload your HTML files directly to our 392 site, making viewing easy for the rest of the class.  Tips . . .
  • Don't make one long web page; split your pres. up into several shorter pages that will download more quickly.
  • Keep the design of each page consistent--design a simple template, and then keep filling it in with different info., saving it as a new filename each time.  Use a short and simple file naming convention for each page (e.g., Smith1, Smith2, etc.).
  • Considering creating a simple index to your web files, like I've done here in the right column; Frontpage allows you to do this automatically with a web page template/wizard.
  • As with PowerPoint, avoid too many bells and whistles--spend your time on the content instead.
  • No access to Frontpage?  Design your document(s) in Word, then save it/them as HTML files, using the "Save As" option.  They won't look super-fancy, but they can be displayed easily on the web, eliminating the need for each of us to download your presentation.

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Lobby of Roosevelt's Alfred A. Robin Campus (opened 1996)

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The Gage Building: Roosevelt's Center for Professional Advancement (opened 2000) and another downtown landmark

Last updated 09/09/09