Research Assessment

A 500-word article is due in week 10. The subject of the article can be chosen by the student, after discussion with the lecturer, but should include the topics discussed in the course (see example topics below).

The style of the article should be the same as a Nature News and Views or Science Perspectives that typically focuses on the scientific insight encapsulated by one or a small series of papers in the context of the broader scientific topic and previous studies.

I have also provided below some information about how the article is marked, which strongly reflect the learning objectives, organization, and style.

There are two learning objectives:

1. ability to collect and synthesize large amounts of information. [You should be reading/digesting at least 5-10 papers]
2. communicate complex ideas to a general audience in an interesting way.

The paper will be formatted using single column, double-spaced, paginated, word-processed pages.

The first page of the article will include:

• article title
• the name of the course and the lecturer
• the student's Exam number (NOT name) and the date
• abstract (50 words max)
• a clear summary of the paper understood by anyone in seven (7) words
• the word count. This excludes the abstract, 7-word summary, bibliography (limited to 10 references), figures and associated captions, but includes tables, footnotes, in-text references, and appendices. Given the length of the article, footnotes and appendices are strongly discouraged.

Essay structure will include:

• an introduction that includes a survey of relevant, past literature
• a critical analysis of the state of the art
• a description of the main points of a new piece of work (or pieces of works) and how they modify current thinking

Acknowledgements: all sources in your paper should be fully acknowledged using Harvard referencing. All internet sources (e.g. newspaper articles) should be accompanied by the relevant printout and the date of last access (newspaper articles evolve). For example, [1] Title of article, URL, year, last accessed 15th June 2020. Do NOT attach the printout to the article because Turnitin will likely have a hissy fit. I strong recommend you use the approach outlined above, but you if absolutely must upload an article include in your article the URL of a DropBox directory or Google Drive.

Plagiarism: All submitted papers will be subject the Turnitin plagiarism software. The whole issue is set out in this URL.

Students tend to believe they have above-average writing skills. This is an example of illusory superiority, which is a common cognitive bias. We will have a lecture on this writing assignment, which will contain more information on points of style. For now, here are some pointers.

• A heading (or subheading) should appear at least every second page
• Begin a new paragraph every four or five sentences.
• Use acronyms sparingly; expand an acronym when it is first used.
• Use footnotes sparingly (if at all).
• Figures are only invaluable when they are used carefully. Associated captions should be considered standalone to the main text.
• Avoid excess verbiage. Use short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs.
• My own feeling is to write first person narrative. There is substantial debate in the community but most contemporary science writing is in the first-person.

Broadly, I use the established version 1 of the common marking scheme provided by the University.

What am I looking for in an excellent article?

1. A clear and succinct definition of the question that you want to discuss. What is your purpose?
2. Use of simple and clear language. [This is more difficult than it appears]
3. Evidence of a clear structure to your article. What is the most effective way to tell your story? Think about logical flow.
4. Evidence of synthesizing the literature. Avoid direct quotations unless they are absolutely unavoidable. I want to hear the story from you in your own words.
5. Evidence that you "own" the material. Read around the subject. You are limited to ten references but be prepared to read more material.

Feedback

I use the online submission system to provide constructive criticism.

• What was good, bad, and ugly? How can the bad and ugly be turned into good?
• I will try to be as specific as I can. Which points were clearly made, which points were lacking detail or were poorly phrased, and which points were erroneous and opaque. [Typically erroneous points can be avoided by "owning" the material by reading around.]

Assessment of readability

This website provides you with an assessment on your text based on established metrics associated with readability.

http://www.readabilityformulas.com/free-readability-formula-tests.php

You are free to choose whatever topic you want provided it falls within the bounds of the course material. I have listed some potential topics below - they are provided only as example topics.

• Air pollution and mega-cities
• Air pollution and health
• Intercontinental transport of pollutants
• Biogenic emissions of VOCs
• Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) formation
• Composition of polar stratospheric clouds
• Biomass burning, and its effect on tropospheric ozone levels in tropical regions
• Halogen chemistry in the marine boundary layer
• Is the global oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere changing?
• Satellite observations of tropospheric composition
• Lightning and the global NOx budget
• Recent trends in CH4
• Effects of aerosols on tropospheric ozone
• Volcanoes and atmospheric chemistry
• Comparative atmospheres (Earth vs other planets)