Earth Sciences Research Paper/Written Communication Due March 6th Purpose: Science is an ongoing and dynamic process. Scientific research and discovery are still occurring today, and in ways that are and will affect our everyday lives, potentially even altering the structure of our government, society, and/or culture as it does so. The purpose of this activity is to explore current research in the Earth sciences, and effectively communicate the research and its impact on you and on society as a whole. Instructions: Choose a current Earth science topic that interests you, and has or will have relevance to your life. Some examples of the types of the topics you may want to choose: • sixth mass extinction event • Conservation vs. resource extraction • Alternative energy versus fossil fuels • Space exploration • Geologic hazards (volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, floods) • Global climate change​ Length and Content: • Your paper should be no more than two to four pages in length (NOT including your title page). • The format is standard MLA using 1 inch margins, 12pt Times New Roman or Arial font, and double spaced. • Papers must be typewritten! Handwritten papers will not be accepted. Papers will be submitted through blackboard as a Word document or PDF. • The Paper should generally follow the format below: o Cover page with your Paper Title, Name, Course section, and Date centered on the Page. o Introduction: this is a general introduction to your research topic o Purpose of your study: the purpose behind your research ▪ For example: The purpose of this study is to explore alternative explanations for the landscape evolution on the surface of Mars. o Data: this is where you will present the data that “backs up” your purpose. Be very careful not to plagiarize someone else’s idea. If you are presenting an idea that is not your own you must cite the source with an in text citation as follows: ▪ The surface of Mars is crosscut with channels that resemble fluvial channels on Earth (author, year). o Discussion: this is the main body of your paper. This is where you will talk about the research and the thoughts that you have about the research, its implications, its impact on you, your community, and the planet. Make sure you discuss every MAJOR point that you present in your data, and tie those points together if possible. The discussion is where you can argue agreement or disagreement about the research. YOU MUST BACK UP YOUR TALKING POINTS! ▪ For example, if author 1 states a certain point, and you and author 2 disagree with author 1, you can use that to your advantage to back up your disagreement with author 1. o Conclusion: This is a brief summary of the main points that you talk about in your paper o Works Cited/Resources: these are all references you reviewed and used (cited) in the production of your paper. YOU MUST USE AT LEAST THREE (3) RESOURCES THAT ARE APPROVED (SEE BELOW). Resources CAN be from: o Science Journals (Geology, Journal of Paleontology, Journal of Sedimentary Geology, etc) o Magazines (e.g., Discover, Scientific American, National Geographic, Nature, USA Today) o Newspapers o Government websites (e.g., NOAA, NASA, EPA, USGS…) Resources CANNOT be from: o Wikipedia- (NOTE: I will automatically deduct 5 points from your final score if you use Wikipedia as a source) o Blog sites such as IFLS o Reference websites, e.g. geology.com As stated previously, all references require an in-text citation. DO NOT use quotations. As we have/will discuss in class, the use of quotations is generally not acceptable for this type of paper. While there are instances where quotations are appropriate, it is best for the purposes of this class to simply rewrite and summarize other people’s findings using your own words. ​ Note: If you use quotations to simply copy and paste sentences from the references I will deduct 10 points from your final score. How will I be graded? Rubric Each paper will be graded based on a 4-point scale. This scale takes into account: • Grammatical correctness, spelling, and organization • How well the research is understood and described in the first part of the paper • Discussion of implications the research has for you personally, whether the articles reviewed had any influence on your point of view, or may influence public policy etc. • How well you followed directions in the production of the paper Please note that each of these 4 sections is weighted equally! Each section will be graded out of 4 points, and the scores average together to give a final score. Note that scores of “3.5” or other numbers not shown on the rubric table can be awarded. To convert your score to a %, divide your score by 4 and multiply by 100. 1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points Points Scored Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and organization Many spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors Some errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar Few errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation Very few to no errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation Summary of research topic, research data reported and cited properly Summary described incompletely, or without student understanding. No sources or citations. Student understanding is vague, or poorly communicated. Too few sources, improper use/citation of sources Good description, but limited knowledge of what data is relevant. Most sources cited properly, and used properly. Student gives an accurate report, including all data relevant to topic Student had three or more relevant sources that were cited properly and included in the works cited. Discussion Report does not discuss implications or impacts of research on self, community, or region. Does not comment on data generated, or back up comments with citations. Sources and research data mentioned, but not explored. Implications to self or community vague. Student explores the research and data pertaining to the current research topic. Relates the issue/topic implications to self or community. Poses some questions about the research. Student explores and evaluates the data found in multiple sources, discusses possible biases in the research, and evaluates implications of data and poses questions about the research Organization/ Format Instructions Followed Difficult to read or follow line of thinking, formatting/ instructions not followed. Somewhat difficult to read or follow line of thinking, Issues with format, most instructions not followed Easy to read and follow with minor issues in, formatting/instructions, and organization. Easy to follow, well-written, and organized. All instructions followed Total Pts/16 2

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