Questions And Topics We Can Help You To Answer

Imagine that you have been asked to write a short paper to be published in a popular scientific magazine, such as Discovery Magazine, Scientific American, or National Geographic Magazine. You have to convey information recently published in a scientific journal in a way that is clear, straightforward, and easy to understand for someone who does not have a background in science. But at the same time all the information you provide has to be accurate and you have to comprehensively cover the main conclusions of the research paper. At the same time, you are not supposed to simply summarize the scientific paper, but you need to explain to the readers why this topic is interesting and important using your own words, and discuss the conclusions using your own knowledge. You only have one page to write your essay.

This is what you need to do for the written assignment for this course. You can use one or more of the papers presented and discussed in class, or you can choose another paper or papers as long as: the paper/s are peer reviewed, the paper/s deal with a topic related to marine science.
The essay should  follow these guidelines:

Do not write more than 1 page, single space. Font: Times New Roman 12 pt. Margins: 1 inch.
Include the references used at the end of the essay, cite the reference/s in full (author, title, journal, date, volume, pages). The reference/s can be included in a second page or on the reverse of the essay.
Check your grammar and spelling.
Be concise and organized.
The essay will be graded following the following criteria:

Originality: it is not just a summary of other people's work but includes some original and creative thinking.
Organization: it flows in a well organized and logic way
Presentation: follows the guidelines above.
Relevance: it is relevant to materials discussed in class.
Accuracy: the materials presented are based on evidence or reliable information.
Three points will be substracted for each of the following common errors in the essay:

Grammatical errors
Personal opinions: avoid using "I think" or "I believe"
Inaccurate information (check your sources)
Contractions (don't, won't, etc)
Long sentences difficult to read
Copied and pasted paragraphs (even if they are in quotes)
Non-peer reviewed references
References not cited at the end of the essay