2014 Instructions for Document Preparation
Research paper for Alaska Region NOSB
The research project is optional. Teams can compete in the quiz bowl portion of the Tsunami Bowl without doing a project.
The project is made up of two equally weighted parts: a 20-page paper due to the Tsunami Bowl coordinator, Phyllis Shoemaker, in Seward by December 1, 2013, and a 20-minute oral presentation given by the team at the Tsunami Bowl in Seward, February 28–March 2. The paper and the oral presentation are each worth 25 points. Contact research project coordinator Dean Stockwell or Phyllis Shoemaker if there are extenuating circumstances they should take into account.
The paper turned in to Phyllis on December 1 should be considered the final product.
Electronic manuscripts must be double-spaced throughout. Manuscripts, including all graphics and "References Cited," must be 20 pages or less. There should be two title pages. The first should identify the title, the authors, and the primary contact for the manuscript. It should also include the following disclaimer:
This paper was written as part of the Alaska Ocean Sciences Bowl high school competition. The conclusions in this report are solely those of the student authors.
The second should include only the manuscript title and the abstract. The title pages and abstract do not count as part of the 20-page limit. Text should be in 12-point font with 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins on top, bottom, and both sides. Number all pages beginning with the page following title page #2.
Deadlines
Electronic copy sent to Phyllis Shoemaker must be received no later than December 1, 2013. No paper copies are required. Email manuscript to phyllis.shoemaker@alaska.edu.
Late manuscripts will be penalized. Missing the deadline for the paper will result in a 5-point penalty, with an additional one-point reduction for each week the paper is late.
Document structure
Electronic documents must be double-spaced throughout. The sequence of material in the document should be as follows:
Title page #1: Should include the title, authors' names, name of school and team, school's address, and e-mail address of coach or contact person. Also indicate which author will be the primary contact for the paper in case of questions. Include this disclaimer: This paper was written as part of the Alaska Ocean Sciences Bowl high school competition. The conclusions in this report are solely those of the student authors.
Title page #2: Should include the title and abstract.
The two title pages do not count as part of the 20-page limit.
Manuscript: The organization of the material is up to each team. However, the format should be as follows:
- Manuscripts must be double-spaced throughout.
- Manuscripts, including all graphics and “References Cited,” must be 20 pages or less.
- Text should be in 12 point font with 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins on top, bottom and both sides.
- Number all pages beginning with the page following title page #2.
- Each figure and table must be referred to in the text. Text references are listed by author, followed by the year of publication. For example: “Previous research showed the effect of advection on uptake is strongly size dependent (Munk and Riley, 1952).” “Batchelor (1979) proved that the fractional increase in transport due to advection is independent of the shape.”
- Personal communications should be cited with the person's complete name, followed by pers. comm. For example: “Mike LaSota (pers. comm.) stated that black cod were found in deeper water during El Niño years.”
- Information taken from the Web should reference the specific website address. For example: “Permits to take fur seals are issued under the MMPA and the FSA (http://www.nmfs.gov/tmcintyr/permits/appl_ins.html).”
Figures and tables: Each table and figure should be accompanied by a legend or caption. Plan tables and figures with care. Each table and figure legend or caption should be on the same page as the table or figure.
References cited: List all published materials referred to in the manuscript alphabetically by first author. Each citation should be complete, according to the following examples:
- Article: Day, R.H., and D.G. Shaw. 1987. Patterns in the abundance of pelagic plastic and tar in the North Pacific Ocean, 1976-1985. Marine Pollution Bulletin 18:311-310.
- Book: National Research Council. 1990. The Bering Sea Ecosystem. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. 307 pages.
- Chapter: Wooster, W. 1992. King crab dethroned. Pp. 15-30 in Climate Variability, Climate Change, and Fisheries, M.H. Glanz, editor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
List all interviewed sources referred to in the manuscript alphabetically by last name. Give last and first names, any affiliation, addresses and telephone numbers. For example: LaSota, Mike. F/V Defiance, PO Box 626, Seward, AK 99664, 907-224-5009.
For references to electronic publications, alphabetically list agency, application, website, and date accessed. For example: National Marine Fisheries Service; marine mammal permits. http://ww.nmfs.gov/tmcintyr/permits/appl_ins.html. 6/18/98.
Any published document downloaded from a website must cite the original published source; do not use a website address citation for published materials (e.g., a scientific journal paper) obtained on the Web.
A few helpful links
- Basic steps in the research process (Cambridge Rindge & Latin School)
- General writing concerns—planning/writing/revising (Purdue Online Writing Lab)
- Hints for giving oral presentations using PowerPoint (The Oceanography Society; PDF; 2.7 MB)
- Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial (University of California Berkeley)
- Find Websites (University of California Berkeley)
Getting it published
Project reports will be published on the Alaska Tsunami Ocean Sciences Bowl website after the regional competition. If you have made corrections after submitting the paper for review, please bring an electronic version on CD to the regional competition and turn it in to Phyllis Shoemaker. This will have no effect on the final score given the paper, but will allow the paper posted on the website to be as correct as possible.
Web publishing guidelines
PDF is the preferred format for electronic documents. If that is not possible, electronic documents should be saved in Microsoft Word, RTF (rich text format), or text-only.
