Assignment 1

Graphs/Tables and Results

After the experiment has been conducted and the data has been collected and analyzed, the researcher must utilize tables and figures to effectively relay the results of the study.  Begin this assignment by reading the “How Do I Write the…Results,” “How Do I…Reporting Statistical Results,” and “How Do I…Tables and Figures” articles as listed in your required readings. Then, read the scientific journal article from Laurance, Albernaz, and Costa (2001) paying particular attention to how the results section is written. Additionally, before beginning to present information, watch the “How to Make a Bar Graph in Excel (Scientific data),” and “Excel 2010 Scatter Diagram with Trendline” videos on YouTube.Now assume that you completed a study testing the effects of agricultural cultivation on water quality in adjacent streams.  Based on the results of these experiments (simulated data can be found below) you are to construct an X, Y scatterplot with a trendline, a bar graph, and a table.  All tables and figures should contain legends, headings, titles, footnotes, etc as shown in this week’s readings and videos.  Then, you are then to write a two- to four-page results section utilizing the data provided and the tables and figures that you produced.  You should use the knowledge learned through this week’s readings to formulate an accurate and concise results section.  You do not need to run any statistical analyses, however, you should utilize the p value data to determine significance.  Reading through the results sections of the paper by Laurance, Albernaz, and Costa (2001)  should provide you with a strong example of how a results section should be written.  Your paper must be formatted according to APA (6th ed.) style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.  

Data for the X, Y ScatterplotIn order to test the effect of agricultural cultivation on water quality an experiment was conducted that looked at the amount of phosphorous in streams adjacent to agricultural fields of different sizes.  The data below shows the average phosphorous in streams located various distances from corn fields:

 Size of Farm (Hectares)Average Phosphorous in Stream (mg/L) 100 0.21 2000.33  300 0.59 400 0.75 500 1.22 p value (ANOVA)p=0.02

Data for the Bar Graph

In order to test the effect of agricultural cultivation on water quality an experiment was conducted that took five samples in each stream to look at the amount of phosphorous in streams adjacent to agricultural fields different distances from streams.  The data produced the following results:Phosphorous in Stream designated distance from corn field (mg/L)

*For the difference between all three groups an ANOVA produced a p = 0.001 

Data for the Table

In order to display the results more simply, create a table that shows the average amount of phosphorous in the streams located 100 meters, 300 meters, and 500 meters from the corn field.  Additionally, include in your table the N value (which is the number of samples taken in each stream).