Viruses in saltwater ecosystems
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532796/https://evolution.calpoly.edu/virus
INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESEARCH ESSAY*
You will write a three-page research essay involving any topic in the chapters we will cover in the course (anything less than three full pages will not be evaluated). The objectives of this assignment are to allow you to explore a topic of interest further, experience in writing an APA style paper, and to strengthen your research, synthesis, and writing skills.
Please submit your topic to me by Friday, July 15, 2022 (link will be found in the course content page). The paper is due Sunday, July 31, 2022. Having the topic ready as early as July 15, 2022, will give you at two weeks to write your paper (remember it is only three pages).
You will need to cite at least two references (you may not use the textbook as a source). There should only be one source from the internet and the other one must be a book, journal, etc. You should strive to find the most authoritative and/or up-to-date sources. DO NOT limit yourself to those sources for which electronic full text is available. You may need to go to the library and read a print source; you may even need to order paper(s) through interlibrary loan. Avoid somewhat dated references (from the 1990s, for example).
Please use APA style for writing your paper.
Specific APA style information:
Components of paper
Title page: name, title, class, section, date, body (use headers where appropriate)
References: end of the paper with centered title “References”
Margins – one-inch margins are required on every side
Spacing – double-spaced
Font – Times New Roman, 12 point
Page numbers – make sure to put page numbers at the top right corner of every page (in the header)
Papers will be graded based upon style, content, and references.
Style: Is the paper well-structured? Are grammar and spelling correct? Are references cited correctly in the text and at the end? Is the paper a pleasure to read? I strongly recommend that you write your paper a few days early and let it sit so that you can review it with a fresh eye. It is also a good idea to get input from a friend or a tutor at the Writer’s Center.
Content and references: Do you cover the most important points of the topic? Do you have up-to-date information? Were you able to locate the most important sources of information for your topic?
Good writing tips
USE OTHER LITERATURE REVIEWS AND ARTICLES AS A GUIDE
QUOTATIONS: Quotations should generally not be used. VOICE: AVOID 1ST PERSON (GALVAN, 2004, P. 54)
Ex. Improper “voice” for academic writing
In this review, I will show that the literature on treating juvenile murderers is sparse and suffers from the same problems as the general literature … Unfortunately, I have found that most of the treatment results are based on clinical case reports …
Ex. Suitable “voice” for academic writing
The literature on treating juvenile murderers is sparse and suffers from the same problems as the general literature… Most of the treatment results are based on clinical case reports…
AVOID SLANG. USE PROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE
“conducted a study” instead of “did a study” “examined” instead of “looked at”
“utilize” instead of “use” (where appropriate) “great deal” instead of “a lot”
“furthermore” instead of run-on sentences
ORGANIZE THE PAPER BY TOPICS NOT CHRONOLOGY: Build paper with a clear thesis. Good writing should provide clear and organized evidence for your argument or theory.
BE CONCISE: Delete unnecessary words, phrases, and sentences to improve your writing drastically. Scientific writing is concise and to-the-point!
REVISE AND REWRITE: Good writing takes hard work. Give yourself enough time to take a break from the paper. Time away from the paper provides perspective regarding the organization and allows the opportunity to find technical errors.
CITATIONS: You must use good citation habits. It is plagiarism to use other writers’ words and IDEAS.
USE ASSISTANCE OF WRITING CENTER WHEN NEEDED.
APA style sample paper: Once topics have been selected and approved an APA style sample paper will be provided. Please look at the sample which will provide a guide to a properly written APA paper.
Safe Assign submission: Once the paper has been written it must be submitted via the Research Paper Submission Link in the course content page. I am going to let you see the results of the SafeAssign report. It must be corrected if you receive an over 10% matching with other sources (plagiarism). If you disagree with the results you must come to talk to me. It could be that SafeAssign is scanning your references as being plagiarized.
