Topic: Compare the atmospheres of the terrestrial planets”
Your paper must be at least four full pages. You will be penalized if your paper is shorter than four full pages (not including your title and header!). Please use 12 pt Times New Roman font and double-space your text.
1. You will be writing a brief paper about one of the topics given above. A good paper will focus on the following:
• Some context – Why is this object or topic important and interesting to the field of astronomy?
• What is the most current knowledge in the field (if applicable)? (You will not be able to write about everything, so choose a few important discoveries. Please note the word “current” – you should report on the most recent information you can find, not information from a few decades ago.)
• What unanswered questions remain?
When creating your paper, start with an introduction paragraph. The last sentence of this paragraph should be your thesis statement, which lays out your argument for the
paper. The body paragraphs of your paper should be arranged logically so that your writing flows from one topic to another. Your paper should also end with a conclusion paragraph.
2. You must use at least three sources besides your text. Your text can be one of your sources, but you must have at least three others in addition to it. Encyclopedias (either hardcopy or online) are not appropriate sources. You can use them as starting points and links to other information, but you cannot count them as one of your sources. Good sources include books, magazines, web sites from universities or NASA, etc. Be careful – not all sources are created equal, especially online!
3. Your paper will undergo originality checking upon submission against various databases, and you will see an Originality Report which I will be checking. Please read carefully the final note below regarding plagiarism.
4. Please cite your sources in a bibliography at the end of your paper. You can use MLA or APA styles – your choice, but be consistent. Make sure you attribute information you’re using properly using in-text citations, whether you’re directly quoting or paraphrasing that information.
Note that a short paper should rely primarily on paraphrased information, not direct quotes.
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