GEOLOGY 5533 - MARINE GEOLOGY
TERM PAPER
INSTRUCTIONS
Due Date: 26
November 2001
STATEMENT FROM UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS CATALOG:
Page 262, paragraph 3: A scholarly writing assignment will be included in all geology courses numbered 2000 and above. Those papers submitted in geology courses 3000 and above will fulfill the Fulbright College writing requirement.
YOUR TERM PAPER:
The required term paper for Marine Geology can be written on any topic related to Marine Geology. This is an extraordinarily broad field of endeavor, often with strong interdisciplinary ties (for example, study of carbonate platforms typically requires some familiarity with carbonate chemistry in the ocean, marine biology and coral reef ecology, and physical oceanography). To assist you with selecting a topic for your paper, I have compiled a list of possible subjects for which there exists an abundant literature. This list is by no means comprehensive - it represents my immediate thoughts on subjects in Marine Geology - you are welcome to select a topic from this list or think up something on your own (this may be preferable). At any rate, I encourage you to come discuss your possible choices with me before you begin. I'd like to know what your interests are and, in many instances, I may be able to provide some insight into the literature on your subject to help you get started.
You should begin thinking about a subject for your term paper immediately. Scan your text book for ideas or peruse the World-Wide Web for ideas related to Marine Geology or Oceanography. It's a big ocean and we're small scientists! You should note, as well, that I have established several "milestones" to monitor your progress with this paper throughout the semester.
TERM PAPER TOPIC:
Your first "milestone" is 17 September 2001 - on this day, you should be prepared to submit in writing a general (preliminary) title for your term paper. I recognize that this deadline is early in the semester, but I want you to get busy and get interested in the subject at an early stage so you will not find yourself in a bind for time later.
Your second "milestone" is 01 October 2001 - You will submit a list of preliminary references which you intend to use for your term paper. Note that this milestone is only 2 weeks after you have settled on your subject. I anticipate that once you have chosen your subject for the term paper, you will begin searching for resources in the library. Two weeks is more than sufficient to find a wealth of reference material on almost any topic. There is no maximum limit to the number of references you list, but I would like to see at least 8 citations from academic journals related to your topic. Your list should by typed, with your name at the top along with the preliminary title of your term paper. The references should be single spaced in the style used in the Geological Society of America Bulletin or Geology (to see examples of this style, examine any current issue of these journals) and you should format the paragaph to have a "hanging indent" (if you don't know how to do this, or even what it is, don't be afraid to ask!). You should double space between individual citations and you should type the full name of the referenced journal for each citation (i.e. do not type abbreviations for journal names as this can sometimes make it very difficult to determine the name of the journal).
The method of citation in scientific papers is quite different than that used in other forms of literature. While some variation exists across disciplines, all scientists have dispensed with the cumbersome practice of footnoting and the use of latin expressions such as op cit, Ibid. and other denizens of freshman composition courses (I never learned what those meant anyway!). Instead, when a reference is cited, attribution is given directly in the form of a parenthetical comment containg the cited author's surname and year of publication. For example:
...a digital shaded relief mosaic of Great Bahama Bank was constructed from Landsat images (Boss, 1996).
or
The subsidence theory of atoll formation (Darwin, 1951) was later substantiated by deep-drilling of Pacific atolls.
In some instances, the author may be named directly in the text with the year of publication in parentheses such as in the following:
Darwin (1851) proposed the subsidence theory of atoll formation which was later substantiated by deep-drilling of Pacific atolls.
For papers with two authors, both authors are included in the citation with the year of publication. For instance:
Sea-level dynamics are defined as the rate and magnitude of sea-level variation (Boss and Neumann, 1992).
Papers with three or more authors are referenced using only the senior (first) author's surname and the Latin contraction et al. (meaing 'and others') followed by the year of publication. Example:
Reef-building corals are limited to the clear, warm, sunlit waters of the tropical oceans (Goreau et al. 1979).
It is likely that a research paper may include multiple references to the works of a single author which were all published in the same year. The protocol for attribution in this case is to append the year of publication with a lower case 'a' for the first-cited reference, 'b' for the second cited paper, etc. For example:
Early flooding of carbonate platforms may be characterized by freshwater peat accumulation (Rasmussen, 1989a) whereas the presence of open marine conditions during later flooding in indicated by enrichment of oxygen isotopes in organic carbon (Rasmussen, 1989b).
Again, I want to emphasize that you should not use footnotes or endnotes in a scientific paper - they are inefficient and cumbersome (and a pain to format with word processors!).
TERM PAPER LENGTH:
Your should limit the length of your paper to 12 double-spaced pages using Times New Roman, 10 point font. If you desire to include illustrations, images, or data tables in your paper, they should be added to the end of your manuscript and labeled Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Table 1., etc. Do not forget to include captions for your figures and tables if you use them. Figures, tables, and your references do not count against your 12 page limit - they are extra. The paper can be organized in any manner you wish. If you have questions regarding organization, please don't hesitate to come talk to me about it - that's part of the reason they hired me here!
You should format your paper to have a 1-inch margin all the way around.
There is a great assortment of topics for term papers in Marine Geology which you may wish to explore over the next few weeks. Below is just a short list of topics I thought of over a 30 minute interval. You are welcome to choose one of these for your paper, or develop an idea of your own. Also, you are encouraged to discuss any of these or your own ideas at any time. In many cases, I can probably give you some good leads to get you started!
History of Plate Tectonics Marine Geophysics Gravity Measurements at Sea Subduction Zone Tectonics Mid-Ocean Ridge Tectonics The Challenger Expedition (1872) The U.S. Exploring Expedition (1838) Origin of Atolls Sea-Level Variations Evolution of Ocean Chemistry Evolution of Life in the Ocean Sea-Floor Hydrothermal Vents Foraminiferal Oozes Coccolith Oozes Red Clay Deposits Turbidites & Turbidity Currents Gas Hydrates on Continental Margins Gas Hydrates & Climate Paleoceanographic Significance of Cd/Ca Strontium Isotope Stratigraphy Oxygen Isotope Stratigraphy Marine Phosphate Deposits Organic Matter in Marine Sediments Deltaic Sedimentation Barrier Island Evolution Fracture Zone Tectonics & Geomorphology Hot Spot Tectonics Evolution of Ocean Islands Tectonic Significance of Ophiolites Deep Ocean Trenches Seamounts and Guyots Manganese Nodules Geologic Signature of ENSO Geologic Signature of Ice Ages CLIMAP Project Mineral Deposits of Seafloor Hot Springs Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAE's) Magnetic Reversal Stratigraphy Marine Stratigraphy Nannoplankton Biostratigraphy Geology of Coral Reefs Plate Movements Through Time Sequence Stratigraphy Coastal Engineering Coastal Erosion & Beach Nourishment Marine Geology & the Wilson Cycle Permanence of Ocean Basins Rare Earth Elements in Deep Sea Sediments Oceanographic Significance of Radiolarites Ocean Basin Evolution Coastal Plain Stratigraphy Tectonics of Accretionary Prisms Stratigraphy of Accretionary Prisms Continental Drift The Mediterranean Salt Deposits Mantle Plumes The DUPAL Anomaly Drowning of Cretaceous Platforms Eocene Ocean Impact Sites <ENTER YOUR IDEA HERE>
In determining your final grade for your term papers, the following aspects will be considered:
- Quantity and quality of source reference material: 15 points maximum.
- Treatment of significant aspects of the subject by the student: 30 points maximum.
- Caliber and clarity of writing (including use of illustrations, referencing, insight into the topic): 35 points maximum.
- Organization of the term paper: 10 points maximum.
- Grammar, spelling and other stylistic attributes: 10 points maximum.
- TOTAL POINTS = 100
Several years ago, an excellent paper appeared in the Journal of Geological Education which provides students with a very good guide to composing a term paper for a science class (McCartney, 1992). While this paper was originally written with beginning students in mind, it has so much good advice that it is worth reading, even by professors! I strongly recommend that each of you read this paper carefully and heed the advice given. You can find the paper using the following reference:
McCartney, K., 1992, Preparing a term paper for a Physical geology course: Journal of Geological Education, v.30, p.62-65.