In order for any scientific work to become valid it must be replicated by other scientists who must be able to redeem the same results as the original experiment. The Methods Project is a way for students to practice descriptive scientific writing. After doing this project the student should be able to describe their method of completing a task to such extent that another student should be able to follow that method and replicate that task. The task in this project was to create a multi panel figure that displayed evidence of phytophagy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. Although the students are mostly juniors in college, their ability to write a proper methods section in a scientific paper is unknown. To determine if the students were able to replicate the multi panel figure first created by a fellow student, they were assigned the Methods Project. The approach taken was to locate evidence of phytophagy, take pictures of it, and create a multi figure panel with those photos. Those photos were to be labeled properly, show a reference to the size of the evidence, and include any arrows or graphics necessary to show where that evidence was located on campus. The leaf that was selected that showed evidence of phytophagy was chosen because of its accessibility. It was located on a chute that was distinctive enough that another student following the methods would be able to find that exact leaf. The location was easy and convenient to access for anyone. The controlled factors would include weather and time of day that the photo was taken. With these factors considered another student should be able to replicate the figure after reading my methods.
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