Choose an environmental topic/issue that interests you, and do a literature search on it. This research project should involve some environmental science topic which is important to human society.

When picking a topic for your research paper, please pick something specific. We will only approve topics that are focused and lend themselves to plenty of real-world examples. For example, we would not approve the topic ‘global warming’, but we would approve the topic ‘effects of global warming on North Pacific orca and dolphin populations’. We may ask you to narrow down your topic to a particular region, or a particular pollutant or resource, depending on the focus of your paper. (Please return the purposed research topic by Apr.15th, but the paper is due Apr.25th)

Course Requirements for W Credit

We require that there be at least 10-15 pages of your written material for W credit. Figures, tables, quoted text, and/or photos add to the paper, but do not count toward the 10 page minimum. If the project is not at least 10 pages long, it cannot earn W credit per University policy. It is best to write significantly more than 10 pages to be sure you have met the length requirement. A paper that meets the minimum length requirement must be at least 3,200 words (not including tables, bibliography, captions, names, material within quotes, etc.).

The paper should contain a minimum of at least 10 typewritten pages of your own written text, double spaced and 12 Times New Roman font. Your report will be graded on content, research effort, organization and writing (including English, grammar, spelling etc.).

Remember to reference all of your sources and be careful not to plagiarize (see plagiarism policy for a description of plagiarism and how to avoid it). Additionally, this paper should include a bibliography section at the end referencing all your information sources (see below for examples). You should cite at least 8 different references in your paper; only 4 of which may be from websites. Though they can be accessed online, academic journal articles, newspaper articles, and government reports do not count as website sources.

The content score will be negatively affected if the paper is just a series of quotations. Quoted material is also not part of the 10 pages of your text. Though this is not plagiarism, it is poor writing. It is preferable to incorporate outside information into your own words as much as possible (still being sure to cite your source). The paper needs to portray the knowledge you have gained from your research. Your opinion is welcome in this paper, but it must be supported with more than just your opinion. Published reference materials can greatly support an opinion.

• Your paper must be double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font with 1.25 inch (or less) margins on the left and right and 1 inch margins on the top and bottom. Figures, tables, bibliography, captions, names, material within quotes, etc. are not part of the length requirement. Anything that is not your own prose does not count. Do not add excess spacing between paragraphs, and do not use excessively short paragraphs (most paragraphs should have at least three sentences in them) to make the paper appear longer than it is. Even if the paper is 9.9 pages, it is not long enough to meet requirements, so it is best to make it substantially longer than this minimum. A paper that meets the minimum length requirement must be at least 3,200 words (not including tables, bibliography, captions, names, material within quotes, etc.).
• Your report will be reviewed based on content, research effort, organization, and writing (including English, grammar, spelling etc.).
• You must have a minimum of eight sources, only four of which may be from websites. Make use of the library scientific literature research databases to find the other 4+ sources. We recommend the Web of Science, accessible through the UW library website: http://guides.lib.uw.edu/az.php.
• Remember to reference all your sources and be careful not to plagiarize (see plagiarism policy for a description of plagiarism and how to avoid it). See examples at the bottom of this page.