Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Procedures

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Procedures

NorthPacificResearchBoard

Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program

  • Guidelines for Preparing Final Reports
  • Information on Final Report ReviewCriteria
  • Information on additional project close-out requirements

1. BACKGROUND

Preparing a final report for your BSIERP project fulfills two important needs. First, Final Reports are one of the key mechanisms for closing out our fiscal Subaward Agreement (see also Section 4 below). This is an auditable obligation that must be properly completed.

But BSIERP final reports are not only a programmatic step that needs to be checked off. For this integrated project, NPRB program managers and the BSIERP lead PI are relying on final reports to pull together the many threads that make up the Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program. These final reports are an opportunity to describe in plain language how your project was able to meet its objectives, what challenges were encountered along the way, and what lessons were learned from positive aspects of your project (and/or negative aspects, if any).

BSIERP final reports are also the key opportunity to address how the “Integrated” part of the BSIERP program worked for you. Building and managing integrated research programs is an evolving endeavor, and for the benefit of the NPRB and the scientific and research management communities, we want to capture “lessons learned” during the BSIERP years. And for the NPRB to continue funding integrated ecosystem research programs, it’s critical to have concrete and well-described documentation of the benefits and added value that integrated programs bring. So it is in our mutual interest for you to spend time preparing a careful evaluation of benefits (and/or costs) that participation in the overall Bering Sea Project brought to your project.

Please review this entire document before beginning to prepare your final report, and feel free to contact the program manager Tom Van Pelt () with any questions.

2. FINALREPORT GUIDELINES

Final reports may be submitted in either(A) General format or (B) Manuscript format. “General” format is organized similarly to a typical report or a thesis, with chapters organized by objective or subtopic. We encourage you to consider using Manuscript format instead, with peer-reviewed manuscripts (published or in prep) replacing chapters.

Note that for BSIERP projects that include several sub-components, we require a single, unified report that encompasses the entire ‘numbered’ project. You may choose to break out each component’s work into chapters or manuscripts, but the introductory and concluding material must encompass the entire project. Contact the program manager with any questions about this.

Considering the close connections between certain projects in BSIERP, there may be questions about overlapping material or about report preparation timelines affected by coordination with other projects… in those cases or if you have any other questions, please contact the program manager to discuss.

Below we provide requirements common to both General and Manuscript formats, followed by specific information for each format.

ReportSubmission

Pleasecreatereportsusingstandardword-processingsoftware, withallfiguresandtablesembedded.Submitfiles via email tothe program manager ()or,forlargerreport files(>10MB), contact the program manager to arrange an alternative method. Reportsmay alsobesubmittedinPDFformat,butshouldallowreviewcommentsandthusnotbelockedor password-protected.

Conventionsandformatting

Weexpectall finalreportsto meetnormalscientificstandardsofcompletenessanddetailthatwillpermitanindependent scientificreadertoevaluatethereliabilityandvalidityof methods,dataandanalyses.

Overall:Textshouldhave1.5linespacing,beleft-justified,have one-inchmarginsonallsides,no hyphenations,11-pointTimesorTimesNewRoman(useotherseriffontsuchasPalatino,BookmanorNewCenturySchoolbookifTimesisnotavailable),noheaders,nosinglelinesleftaloneonpagetoporbottom,andpagenumbersatthebottomcenter. Please use line numbering throughout to facilitate review.

Scientificnames:GiveLatinnamesinfull(initalics)afterthefirstmentionofthespeciesname. Latinnamesfollowingcommonnamesshouldnotbeseparatedbyacommaorparentheses.

Manufacturers’names:Specialpiecesofequipmentshouldbedescribedsuchthatareadercan tracespecifications,e.g:“Datawerecollectedusingasolid-state datalogger(CR21X,CampbellScientific,Utah,USA).”Wherecommerciallyavailablesoftware wasused,detailsofthesuppliershouldbegiveninparenthesesorthereferencegiveninfullin the referencelist.

Units,SymbolsandAbbreviations:AuthorsshouldusetheInternationalSystemofUnits(S.I., SystèmeInternationald’Unités;seeQuantities,UnitsandSymbols,2ndedition(1975)TheRoyal Society,London).Use‘L’forliternot‘l’toavoidconfusionwith‘one’.Usethenegativeindexfor units,e.g.numberofinsectsg-1drywt(alsonotethereisnoperiodforwt).Probabilityvalues shouldbedenotedasP.

MathematicalMaterial:Mathematicalexpressionsshouldcontainsymbols,notabbreviations,andbecarefullyrepresented.Ifthepapercontainsmanysymbols,definethemasearlyinthetext aspossible,orwithintheMaterialsandMethodssection.UseRomantypeforsuffixesand operatorssuchasd,log,lnandexpinRomantype;boldtypeformatricesandvectors;anditalic forotheralgebraicsymbols(exceptGreekletters).Ensurethatthereisnoconfusionbetween similarcharacterslikel(‘ell’)and1(‘one’).Ensurethatexpressionsarespacedastheyshould appear.EquationsshouldbeidentifiedasEqn1,Eqn2,etc.andcanbereferencedassuchlaterin thetext.For significance or other statistical tests, provide full information to enable independent comparisons, including the name of the test, the test statistic and its value, the degrees of freedom or sample size (whichever is the convention for the test), the P value, etc.

NumberConventions:Numbersfromonetonineshouldbespelledoutexceptwhenusedwithunits,e.g.twoeyes but10stomataand5°C,3yearsand5kg. Donotuseexcessivenumbersofdigitswhenwritingadecimalnumber.The levelofsignificanceimpliedbynumbersbasedon experimentalmeasurementsshouldreflect,and notexceed,theirprecision;onlyrarelycanmorethanthreefiguresbejustified.Beconsistent withintablesandfigures.

2A. GeneralFormatforFinalReportSubmission

TitlePage

Thetitlepage(see Appendix 1 for example)shouldinclude:

  • NorthPacificResearchBoardBering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program FinalReport
  • Yourprojecttitle
  • Projectidentificationnumber
  • Author(s)withappropriateaffiliation(s)-- includephoneandemailforprimary author
  • Date(monthandyear)ofsubmission.

Abstract

Theabstractshouldhaveamaximumlengthof250words,andshouldsynthesizethe projects’skeymessagesasmuchaspossible:itshouldbegeneric,seminalandaccessibletonon-specialists.Theabstractshouldincludestatementsinrelationtothestudycontext,objectives,methodology,resultsandmainconclusions.Ifthefinalreportconsistsof severalchapters,theabstractshallsynthesizetheentirereport.Explainallabbreviations andacronyms.

KeyWords

Provideashortlistofupto10keywordsorshortphrases.Includewordsthatidentify: (1)commonandscientificnamesofprincipalorganisms;(2)geographicareaorregion; (3)processesstudied(e.g.,behavior,reproduction);(4)methods(e.g.modeling, monitoring);and(5)otherwordsnotcoveredabovebutusefulforindexing. Avoid overlap of keywords that are already in the title.

Citation

Providearecommendedcitationforthefinalreport,e.g.:

Morado,J.F.,P.C.Jensen,L.Hauser,andD. Woodby.2012.SpeciesidentityandlifehistoryofHematodinium,thecausativeagentof BitterCrabSyndromein northeastPacificsnow(Chioniecetesopilio)andTanner(C.bairdi)crabs.NPRB BSIERP Project B49 Final Report,xxp.

TableofContents

ProvideadetailedTableofContentsthatincludestables,figures,andappendices.

StudyChronology

Thisbriefchronologyshouldincludereferencestoanypriorprojectnumbersorrelated projects,changesinthetitleoftheprojectorreportovertime,details of any no-cost extensions provided, andreferencetoprogress reportsorotherreportsthatcontributedtothisfinalreport.

Introduction

State the reason for the overall work, including information on the scientific and management or societal context surrounding the work. Also detail the hypotheses being tested. Provide separate description of your project’s hypotheses (if applicable) and description of how your project applies to the overall BSIERP project hypotheses.

Objectives

In this section, we ask you to concisely explain the ‘bottom line’ of how you achieved the objectives you were funded to work on. This section should provide a clear roadmap to the rest of your report for the benefit of reviewers, NPRB staff, your BSIERP and other colleagues, and any other readers who want to explore in more detail how you achieved your objectives.

Please list each objective as presented in your progress reports. Then, in a standalone, clearly and simply written paragraph for each objective, tell us how you achieved that objective. To guide the reader, give references (e.g. page numbers, subheads etc) to the relevant sections of the rest of the report for further detail. If you were unable to achieve one or more objectives, you should provide a brief explanation here.

Chapters

If you organize your report using chapters, note that each chapter should have a standalone introduction, methods, results, and discussion.

Chapter Introduction

State the reason for the work, including information on the scientific and management or societal context surrounding the work. Also detail the hypotheses being tested.

Chapter Methods

Include sufficient detail that would allow another investigator to repeat the work, including a clear description of the study area, sample collections, data processing and statistical analyses.

Chapter Results

State the results, including all statistics, drawing attention to important details in tables and figures. Project results that do not support or are unrelated to the conclusions should also be included. Avoid duplication between figures and tables.

Tables and figures should be numbered and placed on the page after they are first mentioned, or be embedded in the text. Refer also to photographic illustrations as Figures. Table titles and figure captions should include dates, species names, locations, etc.

Chapter Discussion

Point out the importance of the results and place this in the context of previous studies and in relation to the application of the work. Include alternative interpretations of the results if applicable; discuss whether the study hypotheses were upheld or disproven; note where there are unanswered questions.

Conclusions

This should be a brief, clear statement of the overall conclusions that are apparent from the discussions of the different sections in your report. Specifically describe how study objectives laid out in your statement of work were addressed and, if applicable, reasons why you may not have met certain milestones initially outlined. Identify major unanswered questions, and describe any next steps that could be considered for future research or key variables that could be considered for long-term monitoring efforts.

BSIERP and Bering Sea Project connections

This section of your report is the opportunity to document and explain how your project benefitted from participation in the larger Bering Sea Project, and how the other components of the Bering Sea Project did (or did not) benefit from your participation. This is the key section to evaluate the successes or shortcomings of this kind of ecosystem-scale research, and you are urged to make a thorough and frank assessment in this section.

Management or policy implications

Please address if and how your project outcomes connect to resource management or policy. You may identify direct connections, or indirect connections. We don’t expect a detailed analysis in this section; we are simply looking for your perspective on how your work impacts public policy and/or resource management.

Publications

List all citations of peer-reviewed publications that resulted in whole or part from this NPRB-funded project, as well as a list of journal manuscripts in review, submitted or in preparation (include proposed journal name and projected date of submission).

Poster and oral presentations at scientific conferences or seminars

Please list and describe any significant scientific presentations related to this project.

Outreach

Provide a list of all outreach activities performed for this project, divided into the following categories, or please define acategory for non-scientific audiences if your activity is not covered here: Web page or site; Exhibits/Displays ; Conference presentations; Community Meetings; Presentations at Festivals/Events; Workshops; Presentations in Schools (K-12, undergraduate); Press Articles (Newspaper/Journal/Newsletter); Factsheets; Video; Radio/Broadcast Interviews, Film; Podcast; Blogs; Social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Channel, etc.); Teacher workshops or hosted teacher-at-sea; Books.

Acknowledgments

Be brief and include other funding organizations if appropriate.

Literature Cited

List all publications cited in the text alphabetically by author name. In the text, refer to the author’s last name and year of publication, e.g.: “Since Brown (1986) has shown that...” or “This is in agreement with results obtained later (Chou 1997)”. For citations for three or more authors, use author et al. in the text. Use commas to separate multiple references in one parenthesis. The manuscript should be carefully checked to ensure that the spelling of authors’ names and dates in the text exactly matches those in the reference list. References should be made in the following forms:

  • Reports: Brown, B.E. 1986. Human-induced damage to coral reefs. UNESCO reports in Marine Science No. 40, UNESCO, Paris.
  • Proceedings: Chou, L.M. 1997. The status of southeast Asian coral reefs. Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium 11, 317-322.
  • Book chapter: Loya, Y. 1978. Plotless and transect methods. In D. R. Stoddart, R.E. Johannes (Editors) Coral reefs: research methods, pp. 197-217. Paris:UNESCO.
  • Articles: Osterberg, C., Pearcy, W., and Kujala, N. 1964. Gamma emitters in a Fin Whale. Nature 204:1006-1007.
  • Online references: You may reference information available online in a similar fashion to the above categories, but in doing so ensure that:

i. fully authenticated web addresses are included in the reference list, along with titles, years and authors of the sources being cited;

ii. the websites or information sources have sufficient longevity and ease of access for others to locate the citation;

iii. the information is of a scientific quality at least equal to that of peer-reviewed information available in scientific journals;

iv. “hard” (printed) literature sources are used in preference where they are available.

Most official web sites from organizations such as professional societies, government bodies or reputable NGOs will likely satisfy these criteria.

2B. Manuscript Format for Final Report Submission

We encourage you to submit your final report in Manuscript format. This format contains many of the same elements as the General format but allows you to insert published or submitted manuscripts, or manuscripts in preparation, as chapters of your final report. In order to avoid conflict with future publications, please insert a note on unpublished chapters stating that citation is not allowed without author permission. Final reports in Manuscript format should have the following structure (details are same as those for the General format unless otherwise noted):

  • Title Page
  • Abstract: synthesis of all chapters
  • Key Words: one list for the full report
  • Citation
  • Table of Contents
  • Study Chronology
  • Introduction
  • Overall Objectives: In this section, we ask you to concisely explain the ‘bottom line’ of how you achieved the objectives you were funded to achieve. This section should also provide a roadmap to the rest of your report for the benefit of reviewers, NPRB staff, your BSIERP and other colleagues, and any other readers who want to explore in more detail how you achieved your objectives. Please refer back to your approved original Statement of Work, and list each objective as written in the Statement of Work (and as presented in your progress reports). Then, in a standalone, clearly and simply written paragraph for each objective, tell us how you achieved that objective. Also, to guide the reader, give references (e.g. page numbers, subheads etc) to the relevant sections of the rest of the report for further detail. If you were unable to achieve one or more objectives, you should provide a brief explanation here.
  • Manuscripts (labeled Chapters 1 through x): note that manuscript formatting can follow the published or intended journal’s required formatting, and does not need to comply with the general formatting requirements listed earlier under Section 2 in “Conventions and formatting: Overall” (but note that all other sections of the report do need to follow those formatting requirements).
  • Conclusions: more extensive than Conclusions listed above, this section should be an overall discussion, bringing the different components of your work together and relating it back to the statement of work. Refer to “Conclusions” under Section 2A for more detail.
  • BSIERP and Bering Sea Project connections: this section of your report is the opportunity to document and explain how your project benefitted from participation in the larger Bering Sea Project, and how the other components of the Bering Sea Project did (or did not) benefit from your participation. This is the key section to evaluate the successes or shortcomings of this kind of ecosystem-scale research, and you are urged to make a thorough and frank assessment in this section.
  • Management or policy implications
  • Publications: list all publications as above, including the ones that form part of this report
  • Poster and oral presentations at scientific conferences or seminars
  • Outreach
  • Acknowledgements
  • Literature cited: list only those references not listed in the chapter manuscripts.

3. NPRBFINALREPORTREVIEWCRITERIA

NPRBseekstofundresearchthatresultsinhigh-qualityscienceandsubstantialcontributionsto ourunderstandingof marineecosystemsandfisheriesmanagement.Westrongly encourageinvestigatorstopublishtheirresultsinpeer-reviewedjournals. Wealsoaimtoensure thatfinalreportsmeetprogrammaticgoalsaswellashighscientificstandards comparabletothosefoundinjournalpublications.

Theresultsofprogrammaticandscientificreviewswillhelpusdeterminewhetheraprojecthas metitsprogrammaticmilestonesandscientificgoals.Wewillusethese reviews todecideifa final report can be considered complete,oriffinal report revisionsareneeded.

Considering the special integrated nature of the BSIERP project, we need to work together to expedite completion of final reports. Therefore we will review final reports within 45 days of receipt, and we expect you to return a revised final report (together with a cover letter detailing your responses to the review) to us within 45 days of your receipt of the review.

ProgrammaticReviewCriteria

This review will focus on the NPRB’s programmatic requirements, including the following:

•Formatting:Doesthereportfollowtherequiredformatandcontainallrelevantinformation?

•Timelines:Wereprogressreportssubmittedthroughoutthestudyandontime?Wereno-cost extensionsgranted?Wasthefinalreportsubmittedontime?

•Objectives:Weretheobjectivesasoutlinedintheapprovedstatementofworkmet?Ifnot,is theresatisfactoryexplanationanddidtheresearchasperformedstillproduceavaluable outcomefortheNPRB.

•EducationandOutreach:Basedonthefundsavailable,projectdurationandtheresearch topic,wasthereanappropriateefforttoconducteducationandoutreachforthisproject?If thisresearchisrelevanttolocaland/orsubsistencecommunities,wasaneffortmadetobring researchresultsbacktotheappropriatelocations? Note that although we ask you list conference presentations, these are not considered ‘outreach’ as defined by NPRB. We are looking for outreach to non-science audiences.

ScientificReviewCriteria

This review will be similar in scope and depth to a review you’d expect from a submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

•Presentation:Doesthereporttellacohesivestory?Isatightlyreasonedargumentevident throughout?Dothetitle,abstract,key words,introduction,andconclusionsaccuratelyand consistentlyreflectthemajorpoint(s)oftheproject?Isthewritingconcise,easytofollow, andinteresting?

•Length:Is the length appropriate to the content; should anypartsbeexpanded,condensed,combined,ordeleted?

•Methods:Aretheyappropriate,current,anddescribedclearlyenoughtoallowsomeoneelse torepeatthework?

•Datapresentation:Whenresultsarestatedinthetext,canoneeasilyverifythemby examiningtablesandfigures?Areany resultscounterintuitive?Arealltablesandfigures necessary,clearlylabeled,wellplanned,andreadilyinterpretable?

•Statisticaldesignandanalyses:Aretheyappropriateandcorrect?Canthereaderreadily discernwhichmeasurementsorobservationsareindependentofwhichothermeasurements orobservations?Arereplicatescorrectlyidentified?Aresignificancestatementsjustified?

•Interpretation:Areconclusionssupportedby thefindingsanddescribedclearlyand concisely?

•Broadercontext:Arethecurrentfindingsputintobroadercontext?Isotherrelevantworkin thisfieldappropriatelyreferenced?Istherelevanceofthisresearch (including resource management or public policy as appropriate) described,andis necessaryfutureresearch,ifapplicable,outlined?

•BSIERP and Bering Sea Project connections:is there a thorough and clear explanation of how the project interacted with other components of the BEST-BSIERP Bering Sea Project? Is there a discussion of the ‘added value’ and benefits (or costs) brought by participation in the integrated program?

4. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

a. Metadataanddata

Have you transferredall project metadata(followingrequiredmetadatastandards)anddatatotheproject database To complete this requirement, please work directly with theBEST-BSIERP Bering Sea Project DataManager (Don Stott, ).

b. Project“Headlines”

We want to communicate outcomes of your work to a broad audience of interested stakeholders, resource managers, students, etc. Therefore, we’d like to work with you to produce ashort(approximately300-500word)project“headlines” summarytohelp us effectivelycommunicateresearcheffortstothepublic.The NPRB Communications staff will work with each PI directly on this effort—if you are ready to conclude your project but have not yet been contacted about a ‘headlines’ summary, please contact the program manager, .

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