GEOL1403 Research Project Instructions
STEP 5: Read through the synopses, choose 2 articles to use and write your paper (100 points)
Read through all the synopses on the discussion board.

Select 2 articles. One article should be pro renewables, one against renewables. It is OK if one of the articles you choose is your own.

To begin writing your paper:
· Scroll down to the “Research Paper” link (under “Course Work” in our eCampus course). Click on the attached file: “APA Template for GEOL 1403 Research Paper” and download the file.

· Besides downloading the APA template, when writing your paper, download this document again, as it will be necessary to have it open as it has detailed directions that accompany the template so you will know what to write about in each section. The directions below explain paragraph by paragraph what to write about. Please understand that if you do not utilize BOTH of these documents (this one you are reading now and the APA template), you will fail this assignment.

· Write the paper see detailed directions below (pages 3-6) of what to include.

· Optional: Upload your paper to” Plagiarism Checker/Research Paper Rough Draft” link. This link is provided for you to submit your paper to check for plagiarism. I will NOT be checking nor grading these. It is only there for your benefit to check that the plagiarism (matching) rate is not too high (20% or higher).

· To submit your finished paper, click on the link “Research Paper Template Download and Location to Upload Your Completed Paper”. (This is the same location from where you downloaded the template). Then within the “Assignment Submission” area, click on the “Browser My Computer” link in the “Attach Files” area. Choose the file that is your completed paper. Click the small box in the “Plagiarism Tools” area. Lastly, click on the “Submit” button on the bottom-right hand side of the webpage.

IMPORTANT: How to write the paper using the provided template

· The correct margins and fonts (Times New Roman) are already set up in the template.

· Header titles: Type in an abbreviated name of your paper in ALL CAPS on page 1 (leave the words “Running head” as shown on page 1 only) and again on page 2.

· Page 1 title page: Type in a title for your paper, your name, and section and semester information (ie. Summer 2020).

· Type in your title again at the top of page 2 in upper and lower case letters.

· Include the bold words of all the SUBTITLES (ie. “Introduction to the Controversy”).

· Indent each paragraph and use double spacing for all text in the paper.

· Do not add any extra spacing between paragraphs or between sections.

· Cite your sources throughout your paper by using in-text citations as needed (APA format is the author’s last name, year). Here is an example of a sentence with an in-text citation (Fields, 2015).

· If you use a direct quote, add the page number where the quote is located (Fields, 2015, p125). No more than 2 quotes total for this paper should be used.

What to include in the “Introduction to the Controversy” section:

· This should be at least two 5-sentence paragraphs.

· Write in 3rd person. (Please do not use any 1st or 2nd person statements such as “you”, “I”, “we”, “us”)

· Explain the purpose of writing this paper.

· It should include both a detailed description of what renewable energy is and what fossil fuels are.

· Include an in-text citation(s).

What to include in the “Are Renewable Energy Sources Necessary? Arguments For and Against” section:

· This should be at least four 6-sentence paragraphs.

· Write in 3rd person. (Please do not use any 1st or 2nd person statements such as “you”, “I”, “we”, “us”)

· Using the information from the 2 articles you chose from the discussion board, put together an argument for why renewable energy sources ARE and ARE NOT necessary- you will need to argue both sides of the issue.

· Please remember you are not citing any of your classmates, as they are not experts, but you need to download both articles (source) you chose to use in your paper.

· It is important that you WRITE CRITICALLY ABOUT THESE VIEWPOINTS, be precise regarding why the articles are directly and indirectly making a case for renewable fuel vs non-renewable. To obtain full credit for this section, look for specific viewpoints in the sources that might be inaccurate. In the articles you read, did you spot any assumptions made by the author or ‘experts’ quoted in the article?

· Include in-text citations.

What to include in the “Discussion Board Forum Teamwork Reflection” section:

· You need to discuss how well you and the other students assigned to your discussion board forum worked together.

· Please write in 1st person.

· This paragraph should be at least 10 sentences long that carefully describes how well the group worked together based on the following five (5) categories:

· Contributes to the discussion: Did the students in your assigned discussion board all contribute a synopsis? Did everyone contribute to the discussion comments?

· Group Encouragement: Did you notice any students encouraging others to contribute to the discussions?

· Deadlines: Did everyone seem to post their synopsis and add to the comments by the assigned deadlines? Did you notice any posts encouraging and motivating everyone to get the work done on time?

· Communication: How did your group seem to do as far as treating each other respectfully by being polite and constructive in communication.

· Conflict: If conflict arose within the discussion, did anyone respond to the conflict? Did they help to manage/resolve it in a way so that the work of the group could be completed peaceably and well?

What to include in the “Summary” section:

· This should be at least two 5-sentence paragraphs.

· Please write in 1st person.

· This is a “critical thinking paragraph”. Answer the following questions inside of this paragraph, but DO NOT include the questions:

· What preconceived ideas about renewable fuel vs non-renewable fuel debate did you have BEFORE reading the articles that you cited in this paper?

· How have your ideas changed after reading the cited articles? For example, what is YOUR opinion/position on whether or not renewable fuel is necessary? Explain what specifically influenced your position and any items that limit your understanding and ability to form an opinion on this topic.

· Why do you believe that continued research by experts on this subject is important? (Explain the relevance and complexity of the research findings.)

· What question(s) has this research paper raised for you? What are you still wondering about? (NOTE: nothing is not an acceptable answer.)

· As you type, the “References” page will always make itself your last page. You don’t have to do anything for this to happen. Double-check that you do not have any blank pages at the end, and that your reference page is its very own last page.

· Do not delete the word “References” at the top last page (your reference page).

· The “References” page (last page of paper) is a list of all the sources you used and got your information from to write your paper. The sources must be properly cited using APA style format.

· Please use the following website for help completing this step: www.citefast.com

· Save your paper as a Word doc or PDF and submit in our course in eCampus (see directions above on page 3 on how to submit your paper).