Earthquake Research Paper
Honors Earth Science
Directions:
You will research the earthquake you chose, and create a writing web to organize your information. A sample writing web is attached to these instructions. The paper must include 5 credible sources (ie NOWikipedia) and no less than 3 pages and no more than 5 pages (500-1000 words) excluding the title page and reference page. You will complete two activities for this assignment the first is an annotated references (50 points) and a second a research paper (100 points).
Select and research one of the following earthquakes:
Tōhoku, Japan 3/11/2011
Offshore Maule, Chile 2/27/2010
Ryunkyu Islands, Japan 2/26/2010
Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1/12/2010
Eureka, California 1/09/2010
Fiordland, New Zealand, 07/22/2009
Loma Prieta, California 10/17/1989
Sumatra, Indonesia 12/26/2004
Prince William Sound, Alaska 3/27/1964
Gorkha, Nepal 4/25/2015
The main topics that you should use to organize your data include:
INTRODUCTION – Here you include the name of the earthquake you are researching, what was the magnitude, where was the epicenter and focus, and how large of an area was effected (damage radius and names of cities).
AFTERSHOCKS and TSUNAMI – Describe the aftershocks…how many have there been, what has been the typical magnitude of the aftershocks, how far away do the aftershocks occur from the original epicenter. Also include information on how earthquakes are measured and what scale is used to report magnitude.
REGION – Describe the region…where in the world is this place, what are the surroundings. It is here you will also describe the economics.
TECTONIC PLATES – What are the names of the tectonic plates that the earthquake was on or near? What type of movement was it? Describe what you have learned.
EFFECTS – What have been the effects from the earthquake? How has this earthquake impacted the area in which it occurred? Describe damage, what was hit the hardest?
INTERESTING FACTS – What are some interesting facts you learned about this Earthquake? What makes this Earthquake unique compared to others? There will be some interesting facts that were not covered by the topics above, as 8 of the most powerful and devastating earthquakes were picked for you to research. This topic should not be left blank!
RISK OF LIVING IN THE AREA - In this section summarize you will take what you have learned and analyze the information and describe the risk of living in the region. Address why do you think people continue to live here and would you take the risk and live in this area?
You will create an annotate reference for 5 sources and then create the writing web with the data for all sources you used. Once you have done the writing web you are ready to write your paper. Your research paper should be organized by the topics listed above in bold. Each section should have that topic header, and be followed by 1 – 3 paragraphs explaining what you found about that topic.
Following the body of the paper, you need to include a bibliography with all of the references you used in this paper. ALL REFERENCE INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE IN APA FORMATTING! (remember a minimum of 5 sources)
Sources requirements:
- Only one encyclopedia source may be use.
- There must be 3 scholarly sources
Scholarly vs mass-media references: A scholarly reference is one that has a clearly defined date and author (or authors), and which contains reference citations or footnotes. Examples of scholarly references include all journal articles, some books, and some web sources. Scholarly references are what you and others can most rely on; they represent the results of research performed by the author ("primary research") or a synthesis (with conclusions) of research performed by others ("secondary research"). Any reference that has undergone a peer-review process (for example, reviews of scientific studies performed by other scientists) is considered scholarly.
A mass-media reference is everything else; it is typically meant for the public, and represents either opinion, or a discussion of research performed by someone else whose main purpose is to disseminate information rather than draw conclusions. Examples include most of the material available on the web, news magazines, and newspapers. Some of this material can be very useful for a debate, but because it represents either opinion or is somewhat removed from the original research, it is a less reliable source of information than scholarly research.
- There must be 1 print media
Print vs electronic media: Print media represent anything that has been published in print form. It can be newsmagazine, book, or journal article. Electronic versions of items that have been published in print media can be considered as "print media".Electronic media include anything that is available only over the web or in electronic format.
Annotated References
An annotated references page is a references page with annotations of your sources.An annotation is aone to two paragraph summary of each source that includes
- a description of the information;
- how it is useful to your research and/or different from your other sources; and
- your explanation of why the source is considered authoritative.
An annotation is different than an abstract because it does more than just summarize the source; it also evaluates the sourceand describes its relevance to your research.
Annotations are written in your own words - it is not acceptable to copy and paste abstracts or reviews others have writtenabout your source.
Formatting:
Each of your annotationsshould be placed directly below the reference to which it belongs in your references page. The paragraph(s) should be indentedunder its reference and double-spaced.
In addition, an annotated bibliography should have a title page with a running head and page numbersformatted according to APA Style. Please see the guide for Title Page for how to set this up.
Example of an annotated reference:
Annotated References RubricName:
Earth ScienceBlock: Date:
Directions: Provide an annotated reference for 5 sources.
CATEGORY / 10 points / 8points / 6 points / 4 points / 0 points5 sources that provide information about the earthquake you selected
10 points / Document has required number of sources. / Document is missing one source. / Document is missing two sources. / Document is missing three sources. / Document is missing four or more sources.
5 points / 4points / 3 points / 2 points / 0 points
Quality /Reliability of Sources
5 points / All sources cited can be considered reliable and/or trustworthy. / One source is not reliable or trustworthy. / Two sources are not reliable or trustworthy. / Three sources are not reliable or trustworthy. / Two or more sources are NOT reliable or trustworthy.
20 points / 15points / 10 points / 5 points / 0 points
Writing fluency of annotations
20 points / The annotations sufficiently and succinctly evaluate and summarize the sources.
/ One annotation DOES NOT sufficiently and succinctly evaluate and summarize the sources. / Two annotations DONOT sufficiently and succinctly evaluate and summarize the sources. / Three annotations DONOT sufficiently and succinctly evaluate and summarize the sources. / Four or more annotations DONOT sufficiently and succinctly evaluate and summarize the sources.
15 points / 12points / 9 points / 6 points / 0 points
APA Format
15 points / Citations are formatted correctly in the document. / There are 1-2 formatting errors in the document’s citations. / There are 3-4 formatting errors in the document’s citations. / There are 5-6 formatting errors in the document’s citations. / There are 7 or more formatting errors in the document’s citations.
Total Points: /50
* 5 points will be taken off the final grade for each class period your annotated reference is late.
Honors Earth Science Research Paper RubricName:
Tuscarora High SchoolDate: Block:
Due Date: Teacher:
Each quarter you will be required to write a 500-1000 word paperhighlighting research questions that you have discussed in class. You will be required to have Citations in APA format and a separate reference page. Leave three single spaces below the headings: PAPER and REFERENCES. / PossiblePoints
100 / Self Review Grade / Teacher Review
Grade
Format:10 pts. Possible
/ ------ / ------ / ------- Typed on 8 ½ x 11” paper
- 1 inch margins all around
- page # included on the upper right corner as a header
- 12 font size; Times New Roman
- double spaced
- use italics for special scientific names only
- No BOLD anywhere in the paper
7
Headings:
- center
- underline
- use all caps
References / (each bullet point is worth 1 pt.)
3
Content of Research Paper: 60 points possible / ------ / ------ / ------
- introduction to the research topic- 10 points
- what is known about the topic- 10 points
- previous research/experiments about the topic- 10 points
- define unfamiliar terms- 10 points
- embedded citations where needed following a statement or paragraph and in correct APA format - 5points
- all 5 scientifically valid sources in references should be cited in the paper- 5 points
- correct number of pages (no less than 3 and no more that 5) -10 points
REFERENCE section:15pts possible / ------ / ------ / ------
- 5 different sources (minimum)
- Correct APA format
Grammar/Mechanics: 15pts possible
- Correct Spelling
- use of grammar & punctuation
- proper use of scientific terms
Total number of points
/ 100* 10 points will be taken off the final grade for each class period your paper is late.