Intended for students studying geography and the environmental sciences, this first Canadian edition is a concise yet comprehensive guide to effective communication. Focusing on why strong written and verbal communication skills are so important in this field, the authors demonstrate how to develop these skills to produce high quality work. Drawing on Canadian sources and examples, the text examines the communication forms that students will encounter throughout their academic careers, including essays, lab reports, reviews, posters, graphs, tables, maps, oral presentations, and exams. Written in clear, accessible language, Communicating in Geography and the Environmental Sciences, first Canadian edition, is an indispensable guide for all students of geography and environmental science.

1. Writing an Essay - Why Write? - How Do You Write a Good Essay? - What Are Your Essay Markers Looking For? * Quality of argument * Quality of evidence * Use of supplementary material * Written expression and presentation * Sources and References * Demonstrated level of individual scholarship * Getting help with writing - Essay Assessment Form - Further Reading 2. Writing a Report - Why Write a Report? - What Are Report Readers Looking For? - Report Writing - General Structure * Preliminary material * Introduction - why did you do this study? * Literature review * Materials and methods - how did you do this study? * Results - what did you find out? * Discussion and conclusion - what do the findings mean? * Recommendations * Appendices * References * Written expression and presentation - Writing a Laboratory Report - Further Reading 3. Writing an Annotated Bibliography, Summary, or Review - Preparing an Annotated Bibliography * What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography? * What is the reader of an annotated bibliography looking for? - Writing a Summary or Precis * What is the reader of a summary looking for? - Writing a Review * What are your review markers looking for? * Description: what is the reviewed work about? * Analysis: details of strengths and weaknesses * Evaluation: contribution to the discipline * Written expression and presentation of the review * Examples of published reviews - Further Reading 4. Finding, Evaluating, and Using Sources - Why are Sources Important in Scholarly Writing? - Finding Useful and Relevant Sources of Information * Sources of information for research * Evaluating the credibility of sources * Incorporating reference material into your writing * Acknowledging your sources - Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty - Further Reading 5. Referencing and Language Matters - What are Citations and References? Why Do We Need Them?, r - Principle Reference Systems * Variants of reference systems: reference styles - The Author-Date (Harvard) System * In-text citations * List of references * References to Internet sources (author-date system) - The Note System * In-text references, footnotes, and endnotes * References to Internet sources (note system) * Bibliography * Substantive notes - Avoiding Bias and Stereotyping * Sexual bias and stereotyping * Other biases and stereotyping - Some Notes on Punctuation and Spelling * Comma * Period * Ellipsis points * Semicolon * Colon * Quotation marks (single or double) * Apostrophe * Capital letters * Punctuating and using numerals - Further Reading 6. Making a Poster - Why Make a Poster? - Principle Methods for Producing Posters - What Are Your Poster Markers Looking For? - Designing Your Poster * Preliminary layout * Organization * Text * Colour * Tables, figures, and photographs * Acknowledging sources - A Final Note - Further Reading 7. Communicating with Graphs and Tables - Why Communicate with Graphs and Tables? - General Guidelines for Clear Communication with Graphs - Computerized versus Manual Production of Graphs - Different Types of Graphs * Scatter plots * Line graphs * Bar graphs * Histograms * Population pyramids or age-sex pyramids * Pie graphs * Graphs with logarithmic axes - Tables * Elements of a table * Designing a table - Further Reading 8. Communicating with Maps - Purposes of Maps - Different Types of Map * Dot maps * Proportional dot maps * Choropleth maps * Isoline maps * Other thematic maps * Topographic maps * Orthophoto maps - Scale versus Detail * Cartographic scale * Displaying the scale of a map * Scale and map generalization - Characteristics of Good Maps * Standard map elements * Map design elements - Further Reading 9. Preparing and Delivering an Oral Presentation - Why is Public Speaking Important? - Preparing to Give an Oral Presentation * Establishing the context and goals * Organizing the material for presentation * Structuring your presentation * Preparing your text and aids to delivery * Rehearsing * Final points of preparation - Delivery - Coping with Questions - Further Reading 10. Writing for the Media - Communicating with Public Audiences through the Media * What is 'the media'? * Journalism-based or 'filtered' media * Self-publishing on the Internet * A continuum of media options - Communicating with the Public through Journalism-Based Media * What is a media release and what are users of media releases looking for? - Writing a Media Release * Information common to all media releases * Structure of inverted pyramid-style media releases * Evidence and credibility * Language * Photographs and supplementary information * Timing - Media-Release Format - Financing a Media Release for the Digital Environment - Submitting a Media Release * Modes of delivery - Following Up - Being Interviewed - Self-Publishing on the Internet * Opportunity comes with responsibility * Is self-publishing effective? * Content and presentation - Concluding Comments - Further Reading 11. Succeeding in Examinations - Why Have Examinations? - Types of Examination - Preparing for an Examination * Ongoing preparatory activities during the term * Preparatory activities during the examination review period * Getting ready on the day of the examination - Techniques for Success in Examinations * Steps to take before answering your first question * Advice for questions requiring written answers * Multiple-choice examinations * Oral examinations * Open-book examinations * Take-home examinations * Online examinations - Further Reading Glossary References Index

Iain Hay , Professor of Human Geography, School of Geography, Population, and Environmental Management, Flinders University, Philip Giles , Associate Professor of Geography, Department of Geography, Saint Mary's University, Canada

"This is a key resource for all undergraduate students in geography and the environmental sciences. A student who reads and follows the guidelines in this text will definitely have the upper hand on those who do not read this book." --Susan Gass, Dalhousie University