For the research paper, the sedimentary unit of the Juana Diaz Formation will be analyzed and described. The analysis, at a minimum, should include: formation thickness, extent, contacts, and age, location of type section, variation in lithology across region, time equivalent strata, underlying and overlying units, determination of age, description of the lithology (including lithologic variation), depositional environment and tectonic setting, economic value/special interest. It should also include a more specific study to your paper to make added inferences: e.g. {Description of subfacies at particular site, grain to grain relationships in phosphatic pebbles of Grimsby (based on thin sections) suggesting certain beds were initially an open-work}, {paleocurrent direction from crossbeds in Potsdam Sandstone inferring orientation of paleocurrents or position of Cambrian shoreline}, {current alignment of graptolites in Utica Shale suggesting the presence of bottom currents}, etc. In this case, a more specific study will revolve around the prevalence of benthic foraminifera indicating major and minor cyclic marine events. Please read the following information and be sure to thoroughly follow it. The research paper should be limited to between 5–10 pages double-spaced. Suggested initial sources include but are not limited to : NYSGA Guidebooks, Lexicon of North American Geology (see GEOLEX on USGS web pages), Geologic Map of New York State, GEOREF, etc. A cover paper will also be attached upon submission. Moreover, an overview must be submitted before Friday, October 20, 11.59pm that includes the paper topic–formation to investigate- and the research question to be pursued. Also include 10 relevant references that address the formation and research topic. In addition, some common grammatical and structure guidelines should be followed in scientific writing: 1a) write in third person, for the most part in past tense (e.g., do not use I, me, we, you) b’) be sure tense stays the same in a sentence 2) use direct phrasing 3) place the subject near the beginning of the sentence 4) do not use clauses or sentences that do not convey an idea or information 5) do not use a sentence to introduce a table or figure – a table or figure is never the subject 6) do not use quotes unless the actual wording is important, paraphrase and reference 7) do not cite the same source multiple times in a paragraph 8) do not give possessive to an inanimate object (e.g., “the Rochester Shale’s fossils” → should read “fossils of the Rochester Shale”). 9) Lastly, the research paper must be written in GSA format. For guides on this, check the below link: https://rock.geosociety.org/net/documents/gsa/pubs/GSA_RefGuide_Examples.pdf The parts of a scientific paper are: Title – clear indication of paper content Author, Address Abstract – synopsis of paper Introduction – background information and purpose (what question are you addressing/answering) Methods, Results – describe research method and data Discussion – analysis of topic, relevance of other studies Conclusion/Summary – brief statement of paper content and importance References – list of published material cited in text The introduction and discussion may utilize subheadings to clarify topics of discussion in the paper. Use figures and tables where appropriate. Pay attention to format: figure captions are referenced in the text and placed beneath the figure; table captions go above the information. Be consistent in usage throughout the paper. Figures, tables, and the captions can go at the end of the paper, so you do not have to constantly reformat. Lastly, paper would be 1’’ margin, pages numbered, grammar/spelling checked, cover, etc. The attached file can be used if it is of any use, or simply ignored.
