Your
goal for this outline is not to write the paper, but to writing headings and
statements that will support and organize the writing of your paper. For
example, for each body paragraph, you should write a title that would serve as
the theme of your section. For some sections, like the thesis statement, it may
be wise to actually write a thesis statement to organize your thoughts and give
your paper a direction.
NOTE:
The research paper guidelines are listed at the bottom of this document as a
reminder of the expectations.
Introduction
The first paragraph introduces your topic to
the audience and makes your point clear.
The hook: introduce your
audience to the main idea of your paper.
Context: introduce the area or
field of studies where your research might be applicable.
Rationale: tell the audience
why your topic is important or relevant.
Thesis statement: the claim or
the main point you make in your entire writing.
Body
Section
Topic sentence: your first
claim to support the thesis statement.
Explanation: give an
explanation or evidence to support your claim.
Supporting point: give factual
data, statistics, and/or citations from reliable sources to support your
claim.
Supporting sentences: give as
many supporting claims and relevant evidence as you need.
Concluding sentence: give a
small conclusion to your points.
(Repeat
body paragraphs as needed)
Conclusion
The conclusion draws the line under all of
your points and gives a final statement on why your point or claim is correct.
Concluding points: give concluding points to
all the claims you’ve made.
Although some students skip writing an outline
for their research papers and underestimate its usefulness, it plays a big role
in your success. With a good outline, you increase your chances of writing a
high-quality paper. An outline completes several important functions:
It
helps you to follow the right structure.
It
contains all the ideas, evidence, and points you should include, so you
won’t leave something out.
It
helps you focus on the task and contributes to a faster writing process.
Resources
Identify a minimum of THREE resources and put them
here as a citation in APA format.
If you are confused on writing resources in APA
format, review this link: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
Paper Guidelines
The Oceanography Research Paper Assignment is a choice
topic paper. This means that you can pick any topic related to oceanography
topics. Below, you will find a list of potential topics, but you are not limited
to choosing one of them. As long as the topic is directly related to
Oceanography and meets the standards of a college-level academic paper, you may
choose what you are most interested in.
Guidelines:
The Paper should be written in APA format. An APA
format guide is listed in a link on the outline document.
–
Your APA paper does NOT require an
abstract page, which is typical of a longer document.
–
Your paper SHOULD include a title page and
should be formatted with the correct headers and page numbers.
–
Your paper should be a minimum of 5 pages
in length, Times New Roman 10-12, double-spaced.
–
Your paper must include a minimum of three
academic resources, properly cited in APA format.
–
The paper must be submitted to the
appropriate dropbox in the assignments section of D2L. Please do not email me
your paper. I will not grade it.
Possible Topic Ideas (You are NOT required to
use these. Choose what you are interested in)
The Ice Age and Oceanic Development
Undersea Volcanic Activity
Deep Sea Sedimentation
Dissolved Organic Matter in the Ocean
Ocean Erosion
Implications
Water Circulation Patterns in Fjords
Salinity Processes in the Indian Ocean
Hydrothermal Vents
Colonization of the Ocean Floor
Ocean Reefs and Biodiversity
Changing Dynamics of the Ocean’s Food Web
Comparison of Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
The Origin of Ocean Water
Marine Chemistry (salt, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, trace elements)
Icebergs and Sea Ice
Wave Transport of Sediment and Beach Formation
Coastal Erosion and Deposition
Geothermal Processes on the Ocean Floor
(Mineral Formation)
Life in the Deep Sea
Upwelling of Deep
Sea Currents
The Tides
Use of Remote Sensing in Oceanography
Oxygen Isotopes in Deep Sea Cores
Ocean Impacts on the Atmosphere
Sea Level Rise
Past, Present and Future
Ocean Acidification
Ocean Mining
History of Ocean Exploration
