Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake 2004
1. Required Length: ~1500 words
(approximately 4 pages of text), not including abstract, references, and
not including quoted material.
2. Required references: a minimum of three
relevant scientific articles and/or internet sites related to the
topic. This is the minimum amount of reference material — you will need more to do an adequate job of
researching your topic.
3. Things to focus on
in your research:
What is the importance or significance of the topic?
What methods have scientists used to investigate the topic?
What kinds of information and data have scientists found?
What major results and conclusions have scientists made, based on the above?
Your informed conclusion and opinion of the subject
4. Format of the paper:
a separate
title page
, containing: title, your name, course name/number, college name, date
abstract
per MLA specifications (summary of paper contents, < 300 words)
body
of at least five pages of text (~1,500 words):
o
begin the body with an Introduction: a section (one or two paragraphs) that clearly states
the purpose of the paper and reviews the main points that the paper will cover
o
break up the paper into logic sections using Subheadings to identify the subject of the
different sections
o
end the paper with a Conclusion (one or two paragraphs) that wraps up and summarizes
in specific ways the main points of the paper and your informed opinion
o
spell-check and grammar-check! (sloppy spelling errors and poor grammar will result in a
poor grade)
a page or more of graphs, charts, diagrams, and photos (cited properly)
a page (or more) of
references
per MLA guidelines
5. REFERENCES
(MLA Format):
You must cite your references completely and properly, both within the text of the paper and in a page of
“References” at the end of the paper. For guidelines about how to cite references and more, follow the
MLA guidelines on: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.
NOTE: WIKIPEDIA IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AS A REFERENCE!! NO WIKIPEDIA!! NO NO NO!!
Wikipedia is fine for informal browsing and for beginning to learn about a subject. But you can never trust the
information there because anybody can post to Wikipedia, even if they don’t know a darn thing about the
subject! Don’t be a dupe! Don’t trust Wikipedia!
Also not acceptable are other online encyclopedias like “Britannica” or “Encarta.” Encyclopedias are secondary
sources of information and are NOT appropriate references in a college-level course.
good place for sources:
U.S.G.S. WEBSITE and N.O.A.A. Website:
I recommend looking at the United States Geological Survey site, which has information on nearly every
field of geology:
http://www.usgs.gov/ .
Also, look at The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has information on nearly
every field of meteorology:
http://www.noaa.gov/.
“Earth” Magazine (formerly known as Geotimes)
This publication is the official news magazine of the American Geological Institute. The website may be
found at
http://www.earthmagazine.org/ and has an excellent searchable archive of past articles.
U.S.G.S. WEBSITE and N.O.A.A. Website:
I recommend looking at the United States Geological Survey site, which has information on nearly every
field of geology:
http://www.usgs.gov/ .
Also, look at The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has information on nearly
every field of meteorology:
http://www.noaa.gov/.
“Earth” Magazine (formerly known as Geotimes)
This publication is the official news magazine of the American Geological Institute. The website may be
found at
http://www.earthmagazine.org/ and has an excellent searchable archive of past articles.
