Individual Term Project: ESCI 109 J. Hemzacek
Overview of Researching your Individual Study Topic
General Information
You have selected a research topic that is related to your team study area. These two projects are related,
but they are separate! The requirements for the team project are different, with a different overall focus,
than the individual research; it is important to note that the team project should not simply be a “patchwork”
of the individual projects. However, you will most certainly find that some information uncovered in your
individual research is relevant and important to your team: your individual research may help determine
important aspects that the team will want to explore.
The overall project is broken into two ‘early’ stages, and the final product stage. Details of stages 1 and 2
will be given to you as individual assignments, with specific requirements and specific due dates. For all
stages, your work must be typed, double-spaced; the minimum and/or maximum length of each assignment
will also be specified. You will be provided with a rubric that shows clearly how each stage of the project
will be graded: use this rubric as your ‘checklist’ when you prepare each assignment! If you follow the
rubric carefully, you will succeed to a very high degree on this project!
General Requirements for Stages 1 and 2:
For the ‘early’ stages of the assignment, you will be required to:
1. Find a certain (minimum) number of resources on your topic. Each stage will specify the minimum
number, as well as whether they must be web resources (internet!) OR print resources (from the
library!). The resources you find may be related to your topic in a very general way, or in a very
specific way; each resource may be related to “human interest” aspects related to your topic OR may
be related to the geologic aspects of your topic. However, for each of these early stages, you will be
required to have a minimum number of resources that are related to geological aspects – that is, after
all, what this course is about!
2. You will write a short summary of the information from that source that is related to your topic.
Each summary will be at least three sentences, but not more than two short paragraphs.
3. The summaries must be written in your own words. Please note the course policy about academic
honesty and plagiarism!
4. Your summaries do not have to be ‘elegant’ examples of writing: the focus is on the content – the
information that you have found in your research.
5. When you turn in each assignment, you will include a printed copy of the rubric, with your name
written at the top. The rubric will be available on the course webpage.
General Requirements for Final Research Project:
The final stage of the research project will include everything you found and learned about your topic! You
will compile all the information from your research, in a standard format, described on the next page.
The idea is not to create a “term paper”, but rather an “annotated bibliography” on the topic. That is, your
final project will be a compiled list of information that you have found, with short interpretations/
summaries of each resource. This format of the research project will allow you to focus on the quality of
information that you find, without having to organize the information into a cohesive research paper.
However, in the final version, you will create an ‘Executive Summary’ that highlights the most important
aspects from your research.
