Choose an environmental topic/issue that interests you and do a literature search on it. This research project should involve some environmental science topic that is important to human society. To receive any credit, your paper should contain a minimum of at least 8 typewritten pages (minimum 2600 words) of your own written text, double-spaced and 12-point Times New Roman font. Figures, tables, quoted text, and/or photos add to the paper, but do not count toward the 8-page minimum of written material. If the project is not at least 8 pages long, it will be returned ungraded. It is best to write more than 8 pages to make sure. (Please reduce the file size of any photos you attach so that they are appropriate for uploading.) Your report will be graded on content, research effort, organization and writing (including English, grammar, spelling etc.).
Remember to reference all of your sources and be careful not to plagiarize (see plagiarism policy for a description of plagiarism and how to avoid it). YOU MAY NOT USE A PAPER FROM A PREVIOUS COURSE. You also may not use anyone else’s paper as a template or “to get a good start” on your paper. All work must be novel and original or you will receive a 0. Additionally, this paper should include a literature cited (bibliography) section at the end referencing all your information sources (see below for examples). You should cite at least 8 different references in your paper for each participant; at least 4 of these references (per participant) must be from a source other than a website.
Your content score will be negatively affected if the paper is just a series of quotations. Quoted material is also not part of the 8 pages of your text. Though this is not plagiarism, it is poor writing. The paper needs to portray the knowledge you have gained from your research. Your opinion is welcome in this paper, but it must be supported with more than just your opinion. Published reference materials can greatly support an opinion.
The Odegaard Writing Center is a good resource for help on any writing assignments:http://depts.
TO SUBMIT YOUR RESEARCH PAPER
- Save your paper as a Word document.
- When you are ready to submit it, click on “Submit Assignment” on the right-hand side of this web page.
- Next, use the “Choose File” button to browse to your saved document and select the document. If you need more instructions on how to do this, please see “How do I upload a file to my assignment submission?” (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- If you wish to add a comment to your instructor, type it into the text box.
- When you’re ready to submit your document, use the “Submit Assignment” button to send it to your instructor.
CITATIONS
It will be nearly impossible to receive a high grade without bringing references into your work. If all of your cited material comes from the web, you will not be likely to receive a high grade either. We do not accept Wikipedia as a source of factual information for this class or accept citations from Wikipedia for your work. Do not use Wikipedia. You must go to the library, newspapers, books, etc. and find reference material to support your written work there. References must be included underneath all figures, tables, graphs, and images. If you copy written material word-for-word from a book, website, etc., you must put quotation marks around the text and clearly CITE the author/source of the material. You may do this in one of two ways:
You must also include a full reference to ALL the sources you use by using in-text citations as well as listing them in proper bibliographic format (in alphabetic order) on a separate reference page. You may choose to use the APA or MLA styles of citation, but please be consistent in using one or the other throughout your paper and bibliography.
The following websites are great resources for helping you correctly format your in-text and bibliography citations. There are also examples below of some popular kinds of citations in MLA and APA format.
MLA: http://owl.english.
APA: http://owl.english.
Online citation creator: http://
Examples of MLA Citation:
In-text citation: (Author last name, page#)
(Smith, 272)
(Smith, Jones and McCoy, 272) – up to three authors
(Smith et al., 272) – for four or more authors
Here is an example of a research paper with citations in the form we would prefer:
http://soilslab.cfr.
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Book citation:
Stalson, Helen. Intellectual Property Rights and U.S. Competitiveness in Trade. Washington, D.C.: National Planning Association, 1987. 52-67. Print.
Web page citation:
“Global Warming – Climate: Uncertainties.” EPA Yosemite Information Page. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2002. Web. 13 January 2003. <http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/
Newspaper article citation:
Hartocollis, Anemona. “New York State Regulators Toughen Standards for Teachers.” New York Times 18 Sep. 1999, New Enland: A12. Print.
Popular magazine article citation:
Pooley, Eric. “How Conservative is McCain.” Time 14 Feb. 2000: 40-42. Print.
Journal citation:
Susskind, Lawrence E., and Louise Dunlap. “The Importance of Nonobjective Judgments in Environmental Impact Assessments.” Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 2.4 (1981): 335-366. Print.
Oral (person’s words) citation:
Harrison, Rob. Personal Communication. 25 Jul. 2005. Conversation on how to cite references for ESRM100.
Examples of APA Citation:
In-text citation: (Author last name, year published)
(Smith, 2002)
(Smith, Jones & McCoy, 2002) – up to five authors. For three or more authors, use this format the first time you use an in-text citation in your paper, and for subsequent in-text citations of the SAME SOURCE use (Smith, et al., 2002)
(Smith, et al., 2002) – six or more authors
Book citation:
Stalson, H. (1987). Intellectual property rights and U.S. competitiveness in trade. Washington, D.C.: National Planning Association.
Web page citation:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) . (2002). Global warming – climate: uncertainties. Retrieved from http://yosemite.epa.gov/
Newspaper article citation:
Hartocollis, A. (1999, September 18). New York regulators toughen standards for teachers. New York Times, A12.
Popular magazine article citation:
Pooley, E. (2000, February 14). How conservative is McCain. Time, 40-42.
Journal citation:
Susskind, L.E., & Dunlap, L. (1999). The Importance of nonobjective judgments in environmental impact assessments. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 2(4), 355-366.
Oral (person’s words) citation:
Harrison, R. (Professor). (2005, July 5). Conversation on how to cite references for ESRM 100 [Personal Communication].