The Essay
Submission: Via Turnitin and hard copies to be placed in the GEB011 dropbox in the Wallace Building basement.
GEB011 Assessment Component: 40%
You will write a 1000 word essay on your chosen topic.
Your essay should be structured with an introduction, which contains an overview of the wider topic, a middle, which should describe in detail the observation/piece of technology/theory in the title and how this fits within the wider science, and a conclusions section. Your conclusions should include a statement on whether or not further discoveries are needed and are likely in your lifetime.
Essay writing tips and rules
• Written in the third person (no ‘I’)
• Your essay should include images, maps, or graphs, which are referenced to and used in the
text (remember, a picture says 1000 words – and no, that doesn’t mean you can just submit an image!). You can cross reference to your images/maps/graphs by giving each one a number (and caption) and referring to that ‘figure’ number. For example:
“… Figure 1 shows a map of the study area, and indicates that…”
“…The overall trend in the data is a decline from 1950 to 1990 (figure 1)…”
• Every statement should be justified and needed and should not just be a collection of facts. Don’t leave the reader thinking “and?” or “why?”; it should demonstrate that not only do you have a good grasp of the topic, but also that you can pull together lots of different sources of information and formulate your own conclusions from it.
• You should include references to peer reviewed literature that is relevant to your argument, and reproduce that information in your own words. PLEASE NOTE THAT SHOULD TURNITIN INDICATE A SIMILARITY SCORE GREATER THAN 20%, YOUR ESSAY WILL BE REVIEWED BY THE UNFAIR PRACTICE OFFICER AND A PENALTY MAY BE APPLIED. You should paraphrase other peoples’ written work, not quote or copy.
• Literature may include the use of key text books (check out the recommended reading), or may be found via online databases or search engines e.g. Google Scholar (just type ‘Scholar’ into the search bar), Web of Knowledge (which can be found at http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/), or looking through bibliographies and reference lists in key textbooks or existing articles.
• Every idea or concept that is not your own should be backed up by a citation. In general, you can approach this by one of three ways:
? It is widely accepted that … (e.g., Smith et al., 1991; Andrews and Peters, 2004) ? Sealevel during the previous interglacial may have been up to 5m higher than the
presentday (Fred et al., 2004), based upon studies of x and y, and therefore ….
? Based upon evidence from x and y…. Fred et al. (2004) suggest that sealevel, during
?????????????4
the previous interglacial, may have been up to 5m higher than the presentday. Therefore…
• You won’t be marked down for this if you get this wrong, so don’t worry, but as a useful hint, et al. is latin for ‘and others’, and since it is Latin it should always be italicised. It is also an abbreviation, and therefore, should be followed by a full stop. Furthermore, et al. is plural, therefore Smith et al. ‘have’, not ‘has’.
• Be consistent with your referencing style. You should provide a full reference list at the end of your work and you should use the Harvard Style or APA. See guidance at http://www.swansea.ac.uk/iss/libraries/subjectinformation/ and download the link on the right hand side of the page.
Aims and Objectives/Learning Outcomes
• To understand how to effectively use the library and to find the information that you
require;
• To learn how to cite information in an appropriate manner;
• To enhance your essay writing skills;
• To cement your understanding of key topics taught in GEB011
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