Your term paper should be structured roughly as follows:

1. Introduction. Give the reader a general overview of the central topic to be discussed. You might include some history or background, how the problem came about, etc.; and sketch out the various ramifications or contributing factors. This sets the stage for a number of topics to follow in the main body of the paper.
   
2. Methods. Some topics won't require this, but if, for example, you chose to discuss biodiversity inventories, you might include a section on methods and their limitations.
   
3. Sub-Topics. Every topic has a number of facets. Break your topic into logical sub-topics, and discuss each in turn, under its own heading.
   
4. General Discussion. After discussing the pieces of the puzzle, you need to reassemble them into a coherent whole, showing the interconnections. This section also allows you to go on to broad consequences, general conclusions, etc.
   
5. Wrap-up. This may take several forms. The simplest is a brief summary that recapitulates the main themes of the paper. You also may use this section for conclusions, discuss need for future studies, etc.
   
6. Literature cited. This is required. Follow the format shown on the citation guide. As a rough rule of thumb you should cite (and make use of) 10 or more articles and books. Popular magazine and newspaper accounts should be fewer than half of the citations.
   
7. Tables and Figures. These are optional, but usually contribute greatly to a paper's impact. They won't count towards the length requirement.

Be careful to avoid statements of opinion unsupported by evidence. Rather, you should be clear about supporting evidence, and whether we should have low or high confidence in statements and claims. The paper should be between 3,000 and 4,000 words in length, not including literature cited, tables and figures. It should be typed and double-spaced. That usually amounts to 10 - 13 pages of text.

There will be three review stages for a term paper. First, you will submit a 1-2 paragraph outline (due date Feb. 9). Second, you will submit a draft of your paper for peer review (due date March 19), which means that another student will critique your paper and return it to you. Each student will be graded by how thoroughly he/she critiques a peer's paper (to be returned on March 26). Third, you will submit a final version for grading (due date April 1). The term paper carries 25% of your final grade.