If you have signed up for the 2-credit version of this course, you must submit a term paper (in addition to the quizzes, tests, outline, and assignment). Your paper must focus on one of the topics below. You may be able to write about a different topic, but you must get my permission to do so, first.
The grading sheet for the papers will be made available to students before they are due. However, students complain about losing points for not having an introduction or conclusion, about not using parenthetical citations and so on. Please keep in mind that this term paper is designed to get you to learn more about a specific topic, but it is also about following my directions. Your papers will be graded according to the quality of the paper. A quality paper will follow directions and the guidelines below.
* = these topics are complex, or there is not a lot of information about the gem. Please plan ahead if writing a paper on these topics.
Please note that merely answering these questions will not get you an A. Your paper must be well-written and have a logical progression throughout. And YES - an introduction and conclusion are expected.
If you want to write a paper on something other than those I've listed above, you MUST clear it with me first.
Sometimes it can be difficult to begin an open-ended term paper such as this. Here are some tips so that you can have a paper that stands out from the rest.
The first thing to do is decide on a topic that's interesting to you. Don't just decide to write a paper on diamonds because it seems easy. Most papers written for this course have been about diamonds, and it takes a truly spectacular paper to stand out from the rest of the diamond papers. Pick a topic you will be interested in and the paper will be much easier to write (and for us to grade).
There are many useful resources in the Geology and Geophysics Library. The reserve list for 306 is very extensive, and contains many useful starting sources. Start with the reserve list, and then expand your search to include MadCat, the online search engine for the school libraries. For those taking this course that do not have access to the UW Madison library system, use the online list of reserve books to help you in your search at your local school library.
Nothing makes a paper harder to read (and easier to give a bad grade) than lousy grammar. Avoid run-on sentences, comma splices, and sentence fragments. Do not use chiches such as "diamonds are a girl's best friend." These will only hurt your paper. It would be a good idea to go to the writing center for help with your paper. Or, arrange a time to meet with your TA to look over a draft of your paper at least a week before its due date - they can point to rough spots and give you tips on writing scientifically.
Your paper will deal with a series of facts that provide information on a topic of your choosing. Keep in mind, that you must use factual information that is supported by direct or observed evidence. Heresay, folklore, and anecdotes (stories) are not considered facts. Avoid the first and second person ("Me" and "you"), and stay away from the passive voice. Again, the writing center, or your TA can give you helpful advice.
All word processing software comes with this handy little menu item. Use it often. But beware! Microsoft's default dictionary changes corundum to conundrum.
The due dates are staggered so that the limited resources we have aren't all in demand at the same time. If you need more time to work on your paper, talk to the instructor. All papers, regardless of extensions, must be handed in by November 24th. I would prefer it if you handed in your paper, but those who cannot make it to the building can email their papers when the time comes (please wait and clear the attachment style with me first).
The biggest problems with the term papers have been a studens failure to properly cite their references (or no references given at all) and wholesale copying of someone else's work.
The first issue usually stems from the students lack of familiarity with the rules of citation. For this class, use parenthetical citation - I know you history and english students might not like them, but they are used all the time in science - and so will you. Remember: if you didn't think the idea up in the first place, you must indicate who did. This citation goes at the end of a sentence (or small group of sentences about the same idea) and includes the author's name and the year of publication in parentheses. For example:
...the green color is most commonly due to iron impurities (Schumann, 1976).
At the end of the paper, you must cite all your references in a format similar to:
Smith, D. J. (1979) Gemstones of the world. Sterling Publishing Company, New York.
Another problem lies in citing too often. It's almost as frustrating reading a paper with too many citations as it is reading a paper with no citations. If you are citing every sentence, that is too often - a particular idea usually needs only one or two citations. If you have a citation more than every third sentence that's probably too many. If you have one citation per page, or none at all - that's too few.
Students sometimes feel that they don't "know" the information they put in their paper, and then quote entire sentences from the book. You should put the information into your own words. Only if the DIRECT wording is critical should you quote material. Then it should be set apart from the rest of the body text (a block quote) and the author and page number given at the end of the quotation.
"Too" many "quotes" makes a "paper" hard to "read" and will "lower" your grade.
This brings with it a whole other set of problems. Many of you are not scientists, and may be uncomfortable or unfamiliar with terminology. How do you paraphrase without copying or quoting? The best thing is to discuss some of these "trouble areas" with your TA. They can help provide ideas on language and terminology that will keep you from having to quote too much material.
If you fail to give proper credit to the source of your information, you are plagiarizing that information. Some students have tried to get away with turning in papers containing whole paragraphs from the web, or books. A few brave (but very unlucky) students have tried to hand in a duplicate copy of the same paper. We aren't stupid. We look over all the papers together to find such instances of duplication. We take random phrases, and look for them on the internet. Sadly, we find the practice is all too common. Any cheating will be dealt with as stipulated in the UW Academic Misconduct guidelines.
Be sure to start early enough to utilize the proper resources. Don't expect there to be an abundant supplies of Gemology texts the night before the due date - and don't even think of finding all the materials you need the day of. Take time to read through your sources, and pull out information related to your paper. Your TA can provide valuable insight if you are lost. And be absolutely sure to SPELLCHECK!