The paper format will depend on the particular assignment.  You are especially encouraged to select a topic that will contribute to the development of your own research.  When you turn in your paper it should be stapled in the upper-left corner, and have a cover page (no plastic covers) that includes your name, the date, the course, and your paper's title.  You will be graded on the content of your paper, your writing style (including spelling and grammar), and your adherence to the paper guidelines.  You may wish to bring your paper to the Writing Center for help with form and content.

A potentially useful strategy to find appropriate articles is to browse recent journals for articles that "look good."   Once you find a “good article,” look in an index (such as Science Citation Index) to see what other articles referenced your first article; chances are good that the second article will also be useful to you.  Use no more than 2-3 web sites in your citations; these will not count toward your minimum total. Complete citations must be given for electronic references.

If the assignment is to write a literature review/research paper, your paper should synthesize current knowledge and discuss current research for your particular topic; you DON'T want to discuss one paper at a time.  Often the general order of the paper will include an introduction, in which you lay out the problem and describe what you'll be writing about, followed by the literature review, in which you'll describe the work that's been done in that area (playing up any controversies, disagreements or conflicting ideas - if you're aware of any), and ends with a conclusion, in which you sum up the thoughts presented in your paper.  Headings and subheadings are extremely useful to the reader; these should be tailored to your particular topics.  Since this is a geography course that concerns itself with spatial distributions, your paper must include a map.  Do not just insert a map (or table or chart); make sure that it flows with your paper and you interpret it for the reader.  Make sure that the information in any figure or table is properly cited.

I am also open to the possibility of doing something other than the standard term paper.  If you would like to do a project (interviews, historical investigations, research project, computer program - whatever) don't hesitate to ask about it.
 
 

It is expected that you use the ideas and data of other persons – but you need to cite the source of these ideas or data.  In scientific writing, papers are referenced in the body of the text by the author's (or authors') last name, and the date of publication, not by footnotes.   Below, I have covered “the basics;” you may need to decide on an appropriate format for other cases not covered below.  Basically, though: cite everything you obtain for your paper, and include everything you cite (and nothing else!) in your Literature Cited section.  (Don’t cite lecture notes.) It is expected that you have examined all the references that you cite; if that is not possible, see section below on "references within other references."

Referencing studies within the text:
Dye and Moir (1977) examined successional stands of spruce-fir on Sierra Blanca, the highest peak in the White Mountains, and found striking compositional differences with more northerly disjunct stands of the Rocky Mountains.

Citing material parenthetically:
Although much research has been published  on spruce-fir communities of the central and northern Rocky Mountains (e.g., Day 1972; Knight 1982; Veblen et al. 1989; Whipple and Dix 1979), the ecology of high elevation spruce-fir communities of the southern Rocky Mountains is not as well known.

[note:  multiple sources listed alphabetically; list both authors of a two-author article, but for more than two use “et al.” (Latin shorthand for “and others.”)]

Direct quotes:
Researchers employing this approach would not argue that the present correlation of distributions with climatic variables "ensures that these are the sole or primary factors governing biotic ranges" or assume that "ranges will shift predictably in response to climatic change" (Roth 1996, 84).

[note: include page number(s). Also, do not use many quotations, be selective.  I want to see your work and your synthesis.]

References within other references:
Awareness of environmental degradation in America began in the mid-nineteenth century (Marsh 1864, in Opie 1971).

[note: it is expected that you will examine the original source whenever possible.]

 
 

You may check the bibliographies of your own sources for examples.  Overall, be consistent.  See me if you have any questions.

Single author:

Taylor, A.H. 1990. Tree invasion in meadows of Lassen Volcanic National Park,
    California. Professional Geographer 42: 457-470.

Vale, T.R. 1987. Vegetation changes and park purposes in the high elevations of
    Yosemite National Park, California. Annals of the Association of American
    Geographers 77: 1-18.

Vale, T.R. 1981. Tree invasion of montane meadows in Oregon. American
    Midland Naturalist 105: 61-69.

Multiple authors:

Buell, M.F., and F.H. Bormann. 1955. Deciduous forests of Ponemah Point, Red
    Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota. Ecology 36: 646-658.

Buell, M.F., and J.E. Cantlon. 1951. A study of two forest stands in Minnesota
    with an interpretation of the prairie-forest margin. Ecology 32: 294-316.

Veblen, T.T., K.S. Hadley, and M.S. Reid. 1989. Disturbance and stand
    development of Colorado subalpine forest. Journal of Biogeography
    18: 707-716.

Books, and chapters in books:

Braun, E.L. 1950. Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America.
    Philadelphia: Blakiston. 596 p.

Crow, T.R. 1990. Tilia americana L. In R.M. Burns and B.H. Honkala, tech.
    coords., Silvics of North America: 2. Hardwoods. Washington DC: USDA
    Forest Service Agricultural Handbook 654, pp. 784-791.

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