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REPORT GUIDELINES

 

General requirements for the course:

 

Overview:  The report provides an opportunity to delve more deeply into a topic from the course that interests you.  Your topic and main source material must be approved by the professor.  Every report must use the IPCC as one of its primary sources.  Additional suitable source material can be found on the class web page (click on the "Readings" button).  Once you have a topic idea, contact the professor (normally, by email) and we will then negotiate a plan.

 

Article list: Consult the reading list provided on the class webpage (click on "Readings" button).  This provides a large number of articles that would be suitable to use as a basis for your report.  This is one way to get ideas for a research topic.

 

IPCC must be a primary source: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produces comprehensive reports every 5-6 years summarizing current knowledge with respect to the global warming problem.  The latest set of reports was published in 2007.  These reports are vast (about 3000 pages), but they are nicely organized into three broad areas, each with a short "Summary for Policymakers", and they are freely available on the web at http://www.ipcc.ch.  Thus, it is relatively easy to access the IPCC findings about almost any aspect of global warming science.  Your research paper must make reference to what the IPCC says on your chosen topic.  (You are free to criticize the IPCC findings, but you must at least make note of them.)


Writing style suggestion: We recommend that you purchase a copy of Strunk and White, The Elements of Style if you do not already have it. This little book costs only a few dollars and is filled with valuable advice on how to write clearly.  It is a bargain and a jewel!

Argue a thesis:  Your report must be organized around a central theme or question and it must argue for a particular point of view.  It is not sufficient to simply describe the article(s) you read.

 

Required format for reports:  Write a minimum 10-page typed, double-spaced paper (approximately 2500 words).  Figures and tables are encouraged but do not count as pages.  It is okay to go over 10 pages, but this will not improve your grade.  The paper must be divided into sections and must include the following elements:

  1. Title   
  2. Introduction: State the theme of the paper and how it is related to the overall topic of climate and climate change.  State what questions you will address and what sources and methods of analysis you will use.  Finally, tell the reader in one or two sentences what conclusions you intend to demonstrate with your analysis.
  3. Main Body, divided into sub-sections as appropriate:  This section should not really be called "Main Body" - come up with a name (or names) appropriate to your topic.  Here you will summarize in your own words the main points of the article(s), focusing on the theme raised in the Introduction.  I will be looking for reasoned analysis that grows out of the evidence and the reading material.  Key points should be referenced to the article(s) and/or tied to a figure(s) or table(s) that you provide at the end.  (For example, "As we see in Figure 1,...")  Be sure to critically evaluate the information in the readings, not just rephrase it.  (For example, how confident are you that the author's conclusions are correct?  In cases where two authors give opposing points of view, which do you favor and why?  Can you provide an alternate point of view?  Is the article inaccurate or misleading in any way?)    
  4. Conclusions:  Restate your theme and your method of analysis in one or two sentences.  Then tell the reader your conclusions, using a full paragraph or two.  Your goal in this section is to draw together the key pieces of evidence and analysis from the Main Body to form a concise, persuasive argument.  A good way to highlight your key points is to format them as a bulleted list.  (Such a list must have at least two points and usually should not have more than 5 or 6.)  If appropriate, mention what questions remain and/or what future research you would recommend.  If you wish to draw any broader implications from your analysis (political, economic, philosophical, etc), this is the place to do so.
  5. References: List the source material cited in the report.  Remember that some portion of the IPCC report must be included as a primary source material.  Any standard referencing format is okay.
  6. Figure(s) and Table(s) [optional]: These are optional but desirable in most cases because they help to focus your discussion.  Hand-drawn figures are fine.  Each figure or table must be numbered, must be cited in the Body of the paper, and should illustrate a key point or set of points.  Place them at the end in a separate section.  Note that Figures and Tables do not count toward the page number requirement.


Example format: Mann and Jones (2003) "Global surface temperatures over the past two millennia".  A readable article that is highly relevant to the subject of climate change and that also serves to illustrate each of the above format elements.  [Note, however, that you can put figures and tables at the end of your report, rather than integrated into the text.]

Advice on how to prepare your reports:  The overall report format has a repetitive structure (Introduction: "tell them what you're going to say"; Main Body: "say it"; Conclusions: "tell them what you just said").  This structure is known to be a highly effective method of communicating.  However, it takes time and practice to craft an argument along these lines.  You should begin by reading the article(s) and taking notes, paying special attention to things you don't understand or don't agree with.  Next, go to the textbook, lecture notes, and other resources (other articles, the web, consultation with instructor or TA) to provide background information and to clear up points of confusion.  Now you are ready to draft an outline and tentative conclusions.  With that in mind, begin to write the Main Body, putting together the detailed evidence and logic that support each of your key conclusions.  In most cases, your conclusions will change during this process.  That is, as you scrutinize the evidence and think through the logic of your argument, you will find problems with your initial understanding.  That is good - it means you are actually engaged in the process of critical analysis!  Continue in this fashion - proposing conclusions and seeing if you can back them up - until you are satisfied that you have a coherent and persuasive argument.  At this point, you are ready to step back and draft the Introduction - explaining to the reader what your theme is, how you investigated it, and (very briefly) what you found.   Finally, go over the entire report, honing the writing style and making the sections fit together into a well-organized package.

Note the symmetry between the Introduction and the Conclusions.  In the former, you spend a paragraph or two explaining your theme and your methods, then you very briefly state your conclusions.  In the latter, you briefly state your theme and methods, then you spend a paragraph or two explaining your conclusions.  Each of these sections should make sense if read all by itself - each should provide to the reader the gist of your report.

Target audience:  Your report should be addressed to a target audience of intelligent, interested non-scientists (for example, a fellow student in this class.)  Do not assume that your reader has prior knowledge of the subject matter.  In general, try to minimize the use of technical terms and jargon and be sure to carefully define those terms that you do use.

Grading: Reports will be evaluated in terms of: