PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY RESEARCH PAPER
Vicki Drake
Santa Monica College
The Research Paper must be 10-12 pages in length, written using MS Word, Wordperfect or a
Word Processor, SpellCheck and GrammarCheck. The margins are to be 1” and the paper must be
double-spaced.
Your paper should contain the following:
(a) a complete description of the subject
- if your subject is a physical feature or location, a physical description must be
included (elevation, vegetation, climate, latitude/longitude, etc.)
(b) a complete history of your subject
- include in this any controversies, challenges, problems, etc. as well as historical
information
(c) any current trends or the current state of your subject
- include any possible changes to be made, new systems to be developed
(d) possible implications for the future of your subject
- any new research?
Please attach a bibliography or reference page with the Websites and other sources you accessed
for your paper.
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RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Specifics:
The Research Report paper is to be 10-12 pages long and must be written using a word processor, or a
computer with Word or Wordperfect, and a SpellCheck program. The paper must have one-inch margins, and
be double-spaced. A separate bibliography/reference page at the end of the paper is required. Numbering
the pages is helpful in organization. Graphs and pictures may be included in the body of the report (cut-andpaste works - just photocopy carefully!), however, the written portion of the paper must be at least 10 pages.
Please see the last paragraph of this guideline on how to properly add in and document graphs, diagrams,
pictures, and so forth.
Suggested Sources/References:
To produce a quality term paper, at least 6 references are required. Your textbook does not count as a
reference. The following journals are suggested:
Physical Geography
Nature
Science
Geographic Review
Journal of Geography
National Geographic
There are many other journals available in your school library, UCLA’s library and CSUN’s library for your
research. Ask your school librarian about any inter-library loan agreements set up with UCLA or CSUN or
other universities.
Suggested Topics:
Rainforests of the Pacific Northwest
Earthquakes (for example: Northridge, Sylmar, Kobe, Taiwan, etc.)
Volcanoes (for example: Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Pinatubo, Mt. Fuji, etc.)
Thunderstorms - Tornadoes - Hurricanes
Wildfires in Santa Monica Mountains
Geography/Geology of a National Park (for example: Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, etc.)
El Nino and the Southern Oscillation
Alfred Wegener and the Continental Drift Theory
Global Warming and carbon dioxide
CFCs and Ozone depletion
Development of Plate Tectonics Theory
Body of Paper
This is a scientific, technical paper. It is not a campfire story. It is not personal reminiscences and should
not include any references to “I”, or “me” or “my”, etc. The paper must be written in third person. Avoid
journalistic writing styles (too “flowery” or too “cute” or....so forth).
The paper should start with an Introduction - a short paragraph stating the purpose for the paper (and the
purpose is not “because it is required”!). The introduction should indicate the type of research done - library or
fieldwork, and a general description of the paper’s topic.
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The next part of the paper is the “Body of the Paper”, sectioned into ”chronological” components, or other
sections. These smaller sections allow the reader to focus on the important highlights of this paper. Using
headings and smaller sections will also make your paper more readable.
The final section of the paper should be the “Conclusion” or “summary”: This is where it “all comes together”.
You need to restate some of the information in your Introduction and end with a final Conclusion.
A cover sheet is not necessary. However, an appropriate title is necessary for your paper. For example:
Origin and Diffusion of the Colombian Drug Cartel (TITLE)
________________________________________________________
YOUR NAME
Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Boulevard,
Santa Monica, California 90405
Introduction
History of Drugs in Columbia
Cartel Development and Influence
(BODY OF PAPER WITH HEADINGS)
Conclusion
(FINAL PARAGRAPHS)
References
(A SEPARATE PAGE AT THE END OF THE PAPER)
Journal references should be listed alphabetically by author, publication date, title of article, journal
name (underlined or italicized), volume number, pages. Book references should be listed alphabetically by
author, publication date, book name (underlined or italicized), publisher’s name, number of pages in book.
Internet references are generally discouraged due to a lack of credible sources. However, if a source is
reliable, and I approve it, the references should be listed as shown in the example below:
Journal references:
Doe, John (1995), “Rapid Industrialization of China”, Science, v.3, 14-28.
Book References:
Smith, Mary (1994), Theory of Location of Industry, New York: John
Wiley & Sons, 330 pp
Internet References:
http://www.rubicon.water.ca.gov/delta_atlas.fdr/datp.htm
Graphics Make your Paper Even Better!
Your paper can be made more interesting with the addition of graphs, images, pictures, and diagrams.
When adding in diagrams, there are a couple of rules to remember.
(1) Always refer to your diagram, graph, etc. in the body of the text. For example: ”Figure 1
illustrates a typical cinder cone volcano”.
(2) Always label your diagram, graph, etc. beneath the actual figure itself as a caption. For example:
“Figure 1. a typical cinder cone volcano”.
(3) Always identify the source of your image, diagram, graph, etc. in the caption. For example:
“Figure 1. a typical cinder cone volcano. Source: Microsoft Encarta, volume 3, page 115”. If you
are downloading an image, diagram, graph, etc. from a web page, include the entire URL address.
For example: “ http://www/usgs.gov/volcano.html”.
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