write a 3-4 page essay (12- point, double spaced) on a selected topic, such as:
– the formation of the Moon
– craters
– water on the Moon
– how the distance to the Moon is known
– tides
– a comparison of our Moon and another Moon in the solar system

Note that full references are to be given, and your sources must include books and/or referred journal articles – you cannot only use wikipedia.

You will be graded on style as well as content, so make sure you use formal essay structure – avoid colloquialisms, and make sure you have someone proofread for spelling and grammar.

How to Write an Essay About a Scientific Topic

1. Choose your general topic

2. Read as much as possible on your topic
– use Library website search engines rather than google
– also check our Library’s book collection, or order books via inter-library loan
– go to a museum – Royal Ontario Museum, Science Centre
– talk to an expert

3. Choose (probably just 1) subtopic that interests you most
– focus is important – read further on that subtopic

4. Write your essay about that topic. Include:
Introduction (1/2 – 1 p)
– captures reader
– contains essence of why you were attracted to that topic
– sets stage for what is contained in essay (may or may not include “This essay discusses ABC in Sections 123”, etc.)
– don’t start abruptly and discuss technical details immediately
Body (several paragraphs)
– may or may not contain subheadings
– move from general discussion to specific
– generally should discuss at least 1 example in detail
– explain all relevant underlying physics concepts (as completely as you can)
– discuss process at atomic/molecular level (if applicable)
– avoid personal comments (using ‘I’’ e.g ‘I read this and found it confusing…’) in a research essay
Conclusion (~1/2p)
– summarize essay
– link back to something in introduction
– don’t end essay abruptly

5. In-text citations – make sure you do in-text citations (in APA or MLA format), for any factual information, as well as extended ideas which are not ‘common knowledge’
– see: http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/01/writing-in-text-citations-in-apa-style.html
Sample APA formats for in-text citations:
Book:
The bones broke easily because they were porous (Cole, 2011).
Smith and Wexwood (2010) reported that after the intervention, children increased in the number of books read per week.
Webpage with no author:
…the observations found (“Arctic Voyage,” 2014)

6. Figures/Diagrams – make sure you give a full citation under each figure used in your essay

7. References – list completely in alphabetical order
– use APA (or MLA) format
– APA: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
– a useful summary document: https://libraries.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/library/Style_Guides/apa_style6.pdf

Sample APA formats for reference list:
Book:
Austin, J. H. (1998). Zen and the brain: Toward an understanding of meditation and consciousness. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Web:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). 2009 H1N1 Flu (“Swine Flu”) and You. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

8. Proofread – get someone with exceptional English skills to proofread your essay for spelling and grammar
– common mistakes: it’s = it is; its is possessive
– indent paragraphs
– correct scientific nomenclature: CO2 not CO2

9. NO PLAGIARISM!!