Global Change - Graduate Level

~ Term Paper ~

Spring 2015

Important Dates:

Paper topic: January 30
Paper outline: March 9
Paper due for peer review: April 6
Peer reviews due: April 13
Paper submission (final version): April 27

Note:

  1. Papers and outlines should be submitted electronically, preferably by email, as pdf files. Please use your last name (surname) as the first part of the filename for your document.
  2. Five points will be deducted from the final grade of the paper for each day that the paper is delayed beyond the due dates.

Description:

There is no pre-determined layout for the paper. However, the paper must include a title, a brief abstract, conclusions, and cited references. The paper must rely primarily on original sources (published, peer-reviewed journal papers and books) and not summary papers (such as IPCC chapters, though for general, summary statements, an IPCC chapter might be appropriately cited). Even more to the point, they should not rely on web-based material (such as Encyclopedia of Earth) that is simply a summary of work done by others and that may not be thoroughly peer-reviewed, if at all. Papers must use original sources!

Term papers should have adequate focus. They should not be a general skimming over a broad area of interest; they need depth. Using original, peer-reviewed papers will promote depth. Another way of viewing focus is that the papers should be like a chapter section of an IPCC assessments. They should differ from an assessment, however, in identifying directions for further research. One sign of sufficient focus is that you will be able to make recommendations that have substance.

Topic:
Your paper should contain a discussion of a climate change question (see examples below). A good way to think about your paper is that it it should be like a review of a topic, as appears for example in Reviews of Geophysics. Your paper should distill current knowledge on your topic and indicate future directions for answering remaining questions. Given the variety of students taking the class, especially those who might be peer reviewers, your paper should try to avoid technical jargon, or explain technical terms that you might have to use.

  • On the first "important date", you must provide the question that you plan to address in your paper. You should also provide a paragraph giving the motivation behind this question.
  • On the second "important date", you must provide an outline of the paper. The outline should include
    1. the title of the paper
    2. the main topics to be addressed
    3. some information on what you expect to write under each topic
    4. inital thoughts on what you will recommend for future research
    5. a list of at least five references that will be used for your paper.
    Here is one example and another example of a good outline. I will evaluate your outline on the basis of significance and suitability (see below).

    Format:
    Your paper should contain 10-12 double-spaced, typewritten pages of text (12-point font, 1 inch margins all around). Your paper should follow professional standards. Thus, important statements should be supported by appropriate citations of the literature. You citations should follow the standards of a professional journal (of your choice). Figures and tables should be added as required to clarify meaning and to add detail (not included in the required page count). Each figure and table should have a caption. Your paper should also have a cover page (not included in the required page count) with title and an abstract.

    To help me identify papers appropriately, please start the name of your file containing the term paper with your last name (e.g., "Gutowski-MT504termpaper.pdf")

    Plagiarism is unacceptable! Consequently, you must document the source of any piece of information that is not yours. If you choose to copy a phrase directly from a source, you must place it in quotes and cite its source. However, it is recommended that you employ your own words to describe a set of data or to explain a concept. The sources of data and each assertion that is not yours (including interpretations and point of views) must be acknowledged by citing the source within the body of the text. Citations should follow the style of any of the papers you use, but you must be consistent.

    When writing the paper, keep the following general points in mind:

    Grading Criteria

    Grading will be based on the following general criteria:

    Peer-Reviewing Criteria

    1. Peer reviews will be anonymous, unless the reviewer chooses not to be anonymous.
    2. Peer reviews should follow the same professional writing standards as expected for the papers themselves.
    3. Peer reviews should be roughly 1-2 pages.
    4. Peer reviews should be based in part on the Grading Criteria above. Reviews should note, for example, where clarity is lacking or if there appear to be scientific errors. Reviews should also note where the criteria have been handled well.
    5. Peer reviews should also point out minor issues like incorrect spelling, missing references, figures that are not clear, etc.
    6. Comments should be supported by specific writing from the paper reviewed. That is, saying simply, "The writing was not clear." is not acceptable. A much more substantive statement is, instead, "The writing was not clear because the discussion on page N of the paper could mean X or it could mean Y or Z." In other words, give evidence supporting your review comments.
    7. Grading of peer reviews will be based on how well they address each of the peer-reviewing criteria.
    Here is one example and another example of a good peer review.

    Grading Scheme (100 points)

    Topic
    		 10 points
    Outline 25 points
    Peer review
    (of another's paper)    		 10 points
    Final draft 55 points

    Grading on the final draft includes a short presentation during the last week of classes. A schedule will appear here. I will announce when it is available.

    Examples of Questions

    Excellent starting point for topics are the AR4 reports from Working Groups I, II and III of the IPCC. Clicking on the "FULL REPORT" link under each Working Group's report accesses web pages listing individual chapters and downloadable copies of chapters. Another source of guidance is the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Note that sources like these are starting points for your work. Your paper should not be simply a re-write of the relevant AR4 report's section. In particular, you should strive to include work that has been published since the cut-off date (approx. mid-2007) for inclusion in the AR4.