M.S. Project Template - Project Outline and References - Include Required Sections and ESA Citation Style

Sep 12, 2026

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M.S. project template guidance for structuring a complete project narrative, from the title page through acknowledgments and an ESA-style reference list. Provides required elements such as author and organism naming rules, an abstract limit of 250 words with scientific name and authority on first mention, and clear directives for writing introduction, materials and methods, results/outcomes, discussion, and acknowledgments. Includes citation and reference formatting templates for in-text citations and multiple source types.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Title Page

Author and Title

Abstract

Word limit and organism naming rules

Body

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results or outcomes

Discussion

Acknowledgments

References

Reference list (ESA style)

In-text citation templates

M.S. Project Template for Project Outline and References Please include the following segments in your project narrative. Your project may take many forms (research paper or lit review, curriculum development, etc.), so include as much as possible that is applicable to your project. For example, a research publication Materials and Methods section would discuss the study and experimental design and analysis, whereas the same section about a project outlining a bedbug prevention and control online course might discuss how the student developed the course modules (PPT, resources, etc.) and completed a pilot run of it. Project Narrative Elements: Title Page Author: Include full name. Title: Should be as short as possible. Only include common names that are listed in the ESA Common Names of Insects & Related Organisms. Do not include authors of scientific names. Insert “([Order]: [Family])” immediately after the name of the organism. Abstract a. 250 words or less. b. Give scientific name and authority at first mention of each organism. c. Do not cite references, figures, tables, probability levels, or results. d. Refer to results only in the general sense. Body Introduction Clearly state the basis of your study or project along with background information and a statement of purpose. Materials and Methods Include a clear and concise description of the study or project design, experiment, materials, and method of statistical analysis. Results or outcomes Clearly present the results or outcomes (if applicable, such as curriculum development) . Do not include interpretation of results or interpretation of statistical analysis—simply present the results of the experiment and the results of the statistical analysis. Data listed in tables should not be listed in the results; instead, refer to the table. Discussion Interpret and discuss results or outcomes ofthe study or project and their implications. Include suggestions for direction of future studies, if appropriate. Acknowledgments Place the acknowledgments after the text. Organize acknowledgments in paragraph form in the following order: persons, groups, granting institutions, grant numbers. References Please use the ESA style for your citations and references. Below you will find a template and examples for both in-text citations and the end of document reference list. Reference list Place this part in your bibliography or reference list at the end of your assignment. Template: Author Surname, Author Initial. Year Published. Title. ([http://Website-Url](http://Website-Url)). Example: Bauer, E. 2016. The Purple Insects of Mars, 4th ed. Academic Press, Boston, Mass. (see further examples below under “Sample reference styles ”) In-text citation Place this part right after the quote or reference to the source in your assignment. 1. One Author Template (Author Surname Year Published) Example “…raised area representing Martian insect habitat”(Bauer 2016) . 2. Two Authors Template (First Author Surname Second Author Surname Year Published) Two Authors Example Our results show that Martian red dirt camouflages the purple beetles (Bauer and Weissling 2017) . 3. Three or More Authors Template (First Author Surname et al. Year Published) Three or More Authors Example Digging a foot under the Martian soil unearths the purple larvae (Wright et al. 2017) . Sample reference styles Journal Articles Evans, M. A. 2000. Article title: subtitle (begin with lowercase after colon or dash unless first word is a proper noun) . J. Abbr. 00:000–000. Evans, M. A. 2001a. Article title. J. Abbr. 00: 000–000. Evans, M. A., and R. Burns. 2001. Article title. J. Abbr. 00: 000–000. Evans, M. A., and A. Tyler. 2001. Article title. J. Abbr. 00: 000–000. Evans, M. A., A. Tyler, and H. H. Munro. 2000. Article title. J. Abbr. 00: 000–000. Evans, M. A., R. Burns, and A. A. Dunn. 2001. Article title. J. Abbr. 00: 000–

FAQs

What must be included on the title page for an M.S. project?

Include the full author name and a short title. For organism naming, place “([Order]: [Family])” immediately after the organism name and avoid including authors of scientific names.

What rules govern the abstract section?

The abstract must be 250 words or less and include the scientific name and authority at first mention of each organism. It must not cite references, figures, tables, probability levels, or results, and it should refer to results only in a general sense.

How should results or outcomes be written?

Present results or outcomes clearly without interpretation of results or interpretation of statistical analysis. If data appear in tables, do not list that data again in the results; instead, refer to the table.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Adam