Physical Geology
lxc0606
file.docxWriting A Short Research Paper for Physical Geology
Some Hopefully Helpful Hints and Suggestions
Important Rules
· Important Rule #1 – Research something that you are interested in knowing more about than you do right now!
· Important Rule #2 – Keep your focus on what is doable given your schedule, the deadlines associated with the paper, and the resources actually available to you (library, internet, etc.). You are not writing the magnum opus about your chosen subject. That opportunity may occur later in your life but probably not this semester.
· Important Rule #3 – Follow the guidelines given for the format of the research paper.
· Important Rule #4 – Start early!
· Important Rule #5 – Have someone else read your draft(s) and give you feedback. If you need help with grammar, make use of the English
Department’s free help (many evenings, some afternoons) – they may not understand your topic but they do know how to help you with writing clear, concise, and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs, and papers!
Subject Selection Suggestions – Getting Started
Visit one of the many good general science websites listed below.
1. Science News – something about everything including pictures, illustrations, and short articles with a few references that may be
accessible (if not the full papers at least the abstracts are available) at http://www.sciencenews.org/
2. Scientific American – similar to Science News. http://www.scientificamerican.com/
3. Science (AAAS) – Check out the News section Main Page or in weekly edition of the journal Science (click on issue “icon”) http://www.aaas.org/
4. AAPG Explorer (if you’re interested in oil & gas) http://www.aapg.org/explorer/
5. GSA (Geological Society of America) http://www.geosociety.org/ and http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/
6. AGU (American Geophysical Union) http://sites.agu.org/
7. USGS (US Geological Survey) has stuff for everyone! http://www.usgs.gov/ as do other government sites
8. Earth Science Picture of the Day (with archive) http://epod.usra.edu/ The Picture of the day usually has additional links to related resources as well.
9. NASA Earth Observatory http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ (many good news and other items to help pique your interest (hint: look under the features tab)
Still looking for a topic?
If you like history, write a brief biography about a well known geologist, famous mine or mining district, or oil discovery. Geologists to consider include those from the 16th through 18th centuries (such as Steno, Smith, Lyell, Hutton, Darwin) and well as more recent significant contributors (such as Wagener, Arthur Holmes, Louis Agassiz, Clair Patterson, Heinrich Holland, V. M. Goldchmidt, James, Hall, Harrison Schmitt, H. H. Hess, Andrija Mohorovičić, Florence Bascom, James Dana, Mary Anning, Inge Lehmann,
Charles Richter, etc.) . A helpful list is given here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_geologists though it contains many geologists whose only “real” contribution is their Wikipedia entry!
If you like traveling, write about a geological place of interest such as the geology of a US or other nation national park (or portion of a park in the case of Yellowstone) or something similar. Perhaps a famous geological locality
such as Meteor Crater (Arizona), the Burgess Shale (Canada), or the Florissant Fossil Beds (Colorado) would be an interesting topic.
Look at the minerals in Bolin Hall display cases and write about a mineral that you find interesting. Consider where it is found (geology and geography) and what it’s used for now and in the past
Interested in economics or business, how about a paper on the supply source(s) of a particular geological commodity, current use(s), projected demand, etc.? Remember commodities include metals, fuels, water, soil, etc. Also, consider the impact of geological events on finance and other economic matters (example – link between the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, bank failures, and the federal income tax).
Research some major recent geological events or sites such as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, Anchorage earthquake of 1964. Discuss both geological and human impact (and particularly any lessons learned to minimize future negative impacts).
Looking for a more controversial paper to write and present your view (and the views of others, both pro and con) - consider a “hot” topic such as a particular aspect of “climate change”. Be careful with this one as it is a big topic so consider limiting yourself to a particular aspect such as impact of climate change on sea level and the impact of seal level change or something similarly “small”.
If you like the arts or humanities, perhaps you can geologically “connect” with a famous book or painting or author/artist or what minerals have historically been used as pigments for painting or ceramics.
If all of the above fail – there’s always Google (or your favorite search engine).
In short, pick a topic that you find interesting and for which resources are available (online or library). Locate the needed references and get started early rather than late
References
Your paper must use at least three peer reviewed references. Paper published in journals such as Science, AAPG Bulletin, GSA Bulletin (http://www.geosociety.org/pubs/ ), GSA’s Geology, Nature, SEG Leading Edge (http://www.seg.org/resources/publications), Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) (http://www.spe.org/publications/ ) are peer reviewed. Some web sites are also reasonably peer reviewed such as the USGS, NASA, and NOAA. Many web sites are not reasonably peer reviewed and use of information derived from such web sites (e.g. Wikipedia) does not count towards the needed peer reviewed references for your research paper.
Research Paper Grade and Due Date As given in the current course syllabus. Plagiarism
Avoid plagiarizing the work of others! If the content of your paper is based on the work of others (which at this stage of your academic careers is usually the case) you must acknowledge the work of others in the text and in the reference list. If you are taking words directly from a source, the sentence or two should be enclosed in quote marks (e.g. “……………………. “) followed by
the reference citation (e.g. original author and date of publication as a minimum). Even if you have substantially reworded the content obtained from a particular reference, credit must still be given in both the text of your paper and the reference list. Plagiarism will likely result in your paper getting a very low grade or zero! Any illustrations that you use must also be appropriately credited!
格式要求 Research Paper
Research paper grade is 10% of final course grade. Research papers must be between 2250 and 3250 words (about 4-6 pages of text based on 11-pt or 12-pt font; word count per MSWord's word count tool) and be no longer than thirteen total pages including illustrations and title page. Figures and/or tables (with captions) may be included within text or at end of the paper (proper credit must be given for figures, maps, pictures that you include in your report). Format for the report is MS Word or pdf file. The digital copy to be submitted per the course schedule/syllabus. Your paper must be organized as follows:
1. Title and author name on front page. Nothing else on the front-page, please!
2. Abstract -250 word limit summarizing your paper including a sentence on why you chose the particular topic
3. Introduction - Opening paragraphs of your paper that describe the topic in eneral, its importance or application to you and the community, and why you choose the particular topic
4. Main Body - Discussion of what your research revealed to you and what you want to share with the reader
5. Conclusion(s) - the key message or "take-away" points that you expect the reader to remember
6. References - list of references you used to research and write your paper;minimum number of peer-reviewed (journal) references is three.
