Is the material logically organized, so that a reader can easily follow the writers train of thought?

which sort of toxicity you are addressing, and which equipment you would use to measure that. Also key is narrowing down to a specific area, and laying out an approach to sampling.

The report must 4 to 6 pages (double spaced, Times New Roman 12pt, 1-inch margins) excluding tables, pictures, references, and any optional appendices. Please see below for a more detailed rubric.

As mentioned before, students can also consult the guidance on report structure in Montello & Sutton pp. 70-4, which is on Canvas.

The project should involve clear links between:

(1) QUESTION that is addressed in your Reports Introduction

(2) DATA to answer that question

(3) METHODS to acquire that data, and

(4) EQUIPMENT utilized for those methods.

For information specific to your research topic, please consult the readings for the respective week. If relevant, please also see the Supplementary Resources. You will also need to also draw a bit on your own independent research. Students can also speak with the professor to further refine the research project and locate useful literature and guides.

Some criteria for evaluating the research plan include:

Is the research question and/or goal well defined and clearly stated?
Does the author discuss relevant issues and literature on the subject?
Is the methodology appropriate to answer the research question(s)?
Is the material logically organized, so that a reader can easily follow the writers train of thought?
Is the writing grammatically correct and free of typos?
Do tables and figures add useful/important information for the reader?
Are citations included where appropriate, and are footnotes and bibliography properly formatted?

Detailed Grading Rubric

Formatting (3%)

The document should be double spaced, Times New Roman 12pt, 1-inch margins.

Length (6%)

The document should be 4 – 6 pages, excluding tables, pictures, references, and any optional appendices.

Writing (Tone, SpellCheck) (3%)

For tone, please be specific and try to clearly explain step-by-step the reasoning behind your decisions for designing the plan. Also, please be sure to run spell check, and/or you can try reading it aloud or sharing with a friend or fellow student to check for grammar mistakes.

Introduction (8%)

The introduction should include:

> why your general topic is important (both for scholarly knowledge, and also for society and the world more broadly)

> your **specific** research question (you should mention here precisely the exact kind of data that you will obtain)

> discussion of some relevant research that has been done that is related to your research question and topic

> a brief few sentences to give an overview of the following sections of your research plan about data needed, and methods and equipment used

> a brief sentence or two describing the location and time of the study

> you might also discuss some of the potential risks or possible things that could go wrong, and how you have planned ahead to mitigate those (you can discuss this further in methods)

> if you are using other supplementary data (not from field research), please also mention which data that is, what is the source, and how you will use it.

Methods (8%)

Your discussion of methods should include:

> what exact data do you plan to obtain, and why?

> how exactly will you obtain which data?

> when exactly will you obtain which data, and why?

> where exactly will you obtain which data, and why?

> what are some of the challenges in obtaining data that you can anticipate, and how do your plans try to mitigate risks or prepare for those challenges?

Equipment (8%)

You discussion of equipment should include:

> which equipment will you use to obtain which data? (what is the general type of tool that it is, what is the complete and exact name, who is the manufacturer, how can it be obtained, what is the cost)

> what are some of the advantages and limitations of the equipment?

> what are some known or possible sources of error in using the equipment?

Discussion (0%)

We cannot write up the discussion without results/data/findings.

Conclusion (0%)

We cannot write up the conclusion without results/data/findings.

Consistency of QMDE (6%)

Your research plan should show a clear explanation of the logical ways that research Question, Methods, Data, and Equipment are related and consistent. This does not need to always flow in one direction (from Question -> Methods, for example). Instead, it can be iterative the kind of equipment or data you have access to might shape which kinds of methods and questions you have. It is perfectly normal to have limitations, you just need to be clear and explicit and describe what the limitations are and how they shape the other components of the research plan.

Your introduction should describe how Questions, Methods, Data, and Equipment relate logically. And you can also describe this consistency a bit in each of sections on Methods and Equipment also.

Map (5%)

Since we are unable to collect data, you should describe the kind of map (or maps) that you would use to display your data and to discuss your conclusions.

If you wish to do a simple drawing to illustrate the overall format of the map, that may be helpful, but it is not required.

Please make sure to include the following information, as well as other information that may be relevant:

1) what is the objective of the map?

2) where is the approximate area of the map?

3) what is the approximate scale of the map?

4) which kinds of features will you use to show which kinds of data (be specific – for example, colors, icons, pie charts, points, boundaries, lines, etc).

5) which base layer will you use?

6) which software or technique will you use to make the map?

7) which kinds of labels will you include in the map?

8) which additional special notations will you include, if any?

References (3%)

References should be in APA style, listed alphabetically. For journal articles, please be sure to include the journal title, volume, number, and page numbers (not just the url). For books, be sure to include the publisher and publication location (usually found on the first few pages of a book, or on the citation information for it online).

In the text, you should cite references to attribute credit or sources when you use specific claims, specific information or statistics, and ALWAYS when you directly quote someone. When you cite a reference in the text, use this style (Authorlastname YEAR: PAGES). So, for example (Smith 2014: 26-28).