RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES
CALIFORNIA GEOGRAPHY 14
Specifics:
The Research Report on your “California Water” Project is to be 8-10 pages long and must be written using a word
processor, and a Spell Check 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, however, the written portion of the paper must be at
least 8 pages.
Suggested topics:
Water transport systems in California
San Andreas Fault system
The California Gold Rush – history, environmental, political and economic issues
Native Americans in California
Spanish exploration and settlement of California
Bristlecone Pines
Timber Industry in California
Agriculture in California
Economic growth patterns
Urbanization in California
Damming California Rivers for energy
Alternate Energy sources for California
Suggested Sources/References:
To produce a quality research paper, at least 6 references are required. Your textbook does not count as a
reference, however, at the end of your textbook is a Citation and Bibliographic References for each chapter. This
will provide a source of references for your paper. Additionally, the following journals are suggested:
Physical Geography
Nature
Science
Geographic Review
Journal of Geography
National Geographic
There are many other journals available in your library, UCLA’s library and CSUN’s library for your research.
Additionally, a list of suggested Websites will be made available, along with suggested ‘questions’ for research.
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”, “me” “my”, “we”, “our”, or “us”, 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.
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 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.
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
(BODY OF PAPER WITH HEADINGS)
Cartel Development and Influence
Conclusion
(FINAL PARAGRAPHS)
References (THIS IS A SEPARATE PAGE AT THE END OF THE PAPER)
Journal references should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name, 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 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
Making your Paper Even Better!
Your paper can be made more interesting with the addition of graphs, images, pictures, diagrams and so forth. 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”.
FINALLY, 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 laws? any new subscribers?
Any court battles or court settlements?