Earthquake Research Paper
Honors Earth Science
Directions:
Due Dates:
Annotated Reference: ___________
Research Paper: ________________
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 NO Wikipedia) 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
Shaanxi, China 1/23/1556
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:
1. Only one encyclopedia source may be use.
2. 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.
3. 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 a one 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
source and 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
written about your source.
Formatting:
Each of your annotations should be placed directly below the reference to which it belongs in your references page. The
paragraph(s) should be indented under its reference and double-spaced.
In addition, an annotated bibliography should have a title page with a running head and page numbers formatted
according to APA Style. Please see the guide for Title Page for how to set this up.
Example of an annotated reference:
Annotated References Rubric
Earth Science
Name:
Block:
Date:
Directions: Provide an annotated reference for 5 sources.
CATEGORY
10 points
8 points
6 points
4 points
0 points
5 sources that
provide
information
about the
earthquake
you selected
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
4 points
3 points
2 points
0 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
15 points
10 points
5 points
0 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 DO
NOT sufficiently
and succinctly
evaluate and
summarize the
sources.
Three
annotations DO
NOT sufficiently
and succinctly
evaluate and
summarize the
sources.
Four or more
annotations DO
NOT sufficiently
and succinctly
evaluate and
summarize the
sources.
15 points
12 points
9 points
6 points
0 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.
10 points
Quality
/Reliability of
Sources
5 points
Writing
fluency of
annotations
20 points
APA Format
15 points
Total Points:
/50
* 5 points will be taken off the final grade for each class period your annotated reference is late.
Introduction
Tectonic Plate
notes
notes
Aftershock/Tsunami
Earthquake
Effects
notes
notes
Region
Risk of living
in area
notes
notes
Interesting Facts
notes
Honors Earth Science Research Paper Rubric
Tuscarora High School
Due Date:
Name:
Date:
Teacher:
Each quarter you will be required to write a 500-1000 word paper
highlighting 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.
Format: 10 pts. Possible
Block:
Possible
Points





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 - 5 points
 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: 15 pts possible

5 different sources (minimum)

Correct APA format
Teacher
Review
Grade
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100
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 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
Headings:
 center
 underline
 use all caps
Example: PAPER
REFERENCES
Content of Research Paper: 60 points possible
Self
Review
Grade
(each bullet
point is
worth 1 pt.)
7
(each bullet
point is
worth 1 pt.)
3
-------
60
------5
10
Grammar/Mechanics: 15 pts possible



Correct Spelling
use of grammar & punctuation
proper use of scientific terms
Total number of points
15
100
* 10 points will be taken off the final grade for each class period your paper is late.