Methods Abstract / Wk. 6 #2

The Spring 2018 Writing in Biology Class Methods project focused on the importance of a methods section in scientific writing. One student made a figure and wrote a methods section that would allow another student to recreate it. The student made a figure the Blc Momilani ‘The Gypsy’ flower that is located in the Durfee Conservatory on the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus. When another student recreated the figure of the plant, differences were observed in the labels of the figure, which were a consequence of an unspecific methods section. Photography was also another way in which the figures were different. The differences in the photos taken of the plant were because of different cameras used and an unspecified description of how to take the picture. Finally, differences were observed in Part C of the figures. The differences in Part C were caused by directions in inkscape that were impossible to perfectly recreate.