Outline for the Scientific Report (Assignment 4 of 4)

The Eruption of Toba
In Sumatra, Indonesia, approximately 74,000 years ago the volcano known as Toba erupted. This
is thought to be the largest volcanic eruption in the last 2 million years. Because rocks are
resilient, we can look at geological evidence to see that the eruption was colossal and affected a
wide area. The aerosols from the eruption may have changed climate around the world.
However, it is difficult to find (preserved) evidence of the impact of the eruption on the
environment and the creatures that lived there. Scientists have speculated that the Toba event
resulted in a sharp decline in human population and affected the pathway of human evolution.
This sounds like an excellent event to teach us about the wide-spread and varied consequences of
a catastrophic volcanic eruption. In fact, this event led to the “Toba catastrophe theory”.
Despite the potential for the eruption of Toba to be a regional (or even global) catastrophe, there
are many scientists that claim the impacts of the eruption have been exaggerated and this
eruption did not change the course of human history. Part of the controversy is centered on
dating the event and part of the problem is varying interpretations of the scarce physical evidence
of vegetation change, fossils and climate change. Our knowledge of the sequence of events and
the severity of the consequences are pieced together from ancient evidence and hence
interpretations are debated.
Your final assignment (part 4 of 4) is to write a scientific report about the debate surrounding the
severity of the environmental and human impacts of the Toba eruption. Because of the
controversy surrounding this event you will need to be diligent in your research and convincing
in your writing.
Below is an outline of what I expect you to cover in your report. As always, use your own words,
and follow instructions closely.
Introduction
You submitted a draft of the Introduction for Assignment #3. The instructions here are•
the same. Use the feedback you received from the last assignment to improve your
Introduction for the major assignment.
Begin by just stating very simple facts – all the details will come in later in the report.•
Note the (approximate) date and location (a map is essential) of the events•
You’ll want to provide some introductory facts that will convince the reader that the•
event was a catastrophe. Your reader will wonder why you are writing about Toba so it’s
best to explain briefly in the introduction why the event was significant.
You’ll need to include a definition of “super-eruption” and “bottleneck”.•
Draw comparisons to other volcanic eruptions (e.g. Krakatau) that were also considered•
devastating. How does Toba rank among the world’s most devastating eruptions? What
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other factors make it significant or unique (again you are trying to convince the reader
why Toba deserves to be the topic of this assignment).
Briefly introduce the reader to the debate regarding the timing and consequences.•
Statement of Aim (this may be a subsidiary heading under Introduction or simply a•
separate paragraph): just a sentence or two about what the report will cover.
Geological Setting of Toba
Describe in detail the geological setting; why is there a volcano at this site?•
Provide the history of the volcano (past and subsequent eruptions and damage).•
How active is this volcano?•
Why are eruptions at this location explosive? What kind of volcano is this?•
This section should be brief•
The Toba super-eruption
This is the story of the “main event” of the eruption of Toba. This section will describe•
the physical processes that caused the devastation. Give the history of the event
including more detail than you stated in the Introduction.
Be sure to say something of the source of material: do they know the composition? What•
were the types/volumes of material ejected? etc.
After you have covered the big eruption, consider what significant developments have•
happened since then; include some statement as to potential future eruptions of Toba.
The consequences of the catastrophe and the debate
From your readings, you will know that there are many dire consequences that could•
have resulted from the Toba events (for example: loss of life, loss of vegetation, climate
change, population bottleneck).
In this section you should discuss the impacts of the eruption on the region (and possibly•
globally). What is a volcanic winter? Be sure to talk about the evidence that we use to
determine these impacts.
When discussing this impact include information from both sides of the debate about the•
severity of the eruption, the timing of the event and the severity of the consequences.
Your goal should be to present both the evidence for and against the catastrophic nature•
of the Toba event.
Use this evidence to convince the reader that either Toba was a terrible catastrophe or•
that it was not. By the end of the section the reader should be convinced of one of these
things (that means you will need to have an opinion based on your research).
When researching a topic like this you will encounter different sources that may•
contradict each other. This does not necessarily mean that one opinion/source is wrong.
Some research might consider a bigger/smaller area that was affected more or less. In
addition, more recent research might have new data available that allows for alternative
interpretations. Keep these things in mind when reading the literature so that you can
“build the story” of what really happened.
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Think hard on this section, do lots of reading, rewrite often…….and write it up with•
documenting evidence.
This section is worth twice as many marks as the other sections (see marking scheme)•
and so it should be approximately twice as long.
Conclusions
This is a summary of the important parts of the report; neither new material nor personal•
opinions should be included.
Marking Scheme
In order that you appreciate how important format is to a scientific report, there is an almost
equal split in marks for format (45%) and content (55%) for the assignment.
Component: Marks Comments

Formatting: See the Report Preparation Instructions for formatting
information. Deductions will be made for each formatting error
Title page 2
Table of Contents 5
Word limit – See report formatting instructions for deductions
Page numbers 2
Illustrations/Tables 8 Quality and suitability: illustrations should support and enhance
your report
Headings 2
References 15 Marks for correct formatting and quality of references. See
Assignment #2 for instructions on choosing good references.
Spelling 3
Grammar 3
Style 5 Marks for coherent and clear writing and professional
presentation.

Content: See the Report Outline for details of what should be included in
the following sections. You will be graded on what information
you choose to include and how well you express that
information, justify your arguments and achieve your statement
of aim.
Introduction

13
Geological Setting
The Toba Supereruption

5
7
The Consequences
and Debates
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Conclusion 5

Report Preparation Instructions

A significant portion of you mark is for correct formatting.
Follow these instructions closely if you want those marks.
The requirements for a good scientific report are always very rigorous. What I’ve defined
below is roughly what an editor of a scientific journal might ask of you. There are a few
notable differences between a scientific report and an essay:
1) Scientific reports use headings for different sections of the report
2) Nothing is ever written in the first person (do not use “I”).
3) We only report facts. We do not include personal opinions except on rare
occasions. Those opinions must be backed up by facts from a cited reference.
4) We use figures to demonstrate complex ideas (maps, graphs with data, diagrams)
that would be complicated to explain in words.
There are many details in the following document that you must remember; please print
it out and keep it handy as you construct your report.
A. File Format
Word Processing Software
The only acceptable formats for submission are
Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx extensions)•
Rich Text Format (.rtf extension); this one loads VERY slowly•

Most word processing software converts files readily to MSWord or RTF. It’s usually
done in the ‘Save As…’ option. Please understand that I cannot accept reports
submitted in any other formats because markers will not have other software. We
do not want to mark a PDF file because it is difficult to insert comments. A PDF file may
be marked, but may not receive many comments.
Please note: many people use Apple’s “Pages” software, but the conversion to MSWord format is
something of a disaster (no matter what the company claims). So, if you use Pages, be sure to submit
2 files: the MSWord conversion plus the pdf conversion (NOT your original “Pages” file).
B. Report Structure
1. Report length
Word count should be 2500 ± 200 (double spaced). Do the word-count as follows:
Place the cursor at the beginning of the word “Introduction” and select straight•
through to the last word in “Conclusions”. The count of that block should be 2500 ±
200 words; that is the method of counting the marker will use. DO NOT selectively
add/subtract any components (headings, figure captions, etc.) within that block. However, if
your software for ‘word count’ shows a checked box for “Include textboxes, footnotes
and endnotes”, then uncheck that box.
Reports with word counts between 2000 and 2299 words or between 2701 and 3000•
words will be penalized 5 marks.
Reports less than 2000 words or greater than 3000 words will be penalized 10 marks.•
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2. Title Page
o The title page must include
report title
author’s name
student number
date submitted
name/number of this course.
o The title page must not have a page number (the easiest thing is to assign it ‘0’ but not
have page number printing start appearing until page 1; see the options under ‘Insert’>’Page
Numbering’).
o Do not put a picture on the title page
3. Table of Contents
o This page must be numbered 1.
o All the headings/subheadings within the report must appear here exactly as they do
inside the report, in order, and with the page number (align all numbers in a column on
the right side) at which that heading appears in the report. Do not give a range of
pages for content of topics included under headings – only the page number at
which the heading appears.
o The heading following ‘Conclusions’ should be ‘References’ (not ‘Bibliography’).
It is best to choose some numbering sequence for headings so their hierarchy is
obvious to the reader/marker.
o Following ‘References’ (we’re still in the Table of Contents) must be a list of
‘Illustrations’ and then ‘Tables’ (every assignment will require some illustration or table).
Each illustration must be listed as:
Figure 1 Title or Caption (keep it short) page #.
Tables must have similar format.

4. Content Sections from ‘Introduction’ to ‘Conclusions’
o Obviously use whatever headings are appropriate to the topic. I will provide
suggestions within the ‘Outline’ for the assignment for the main sections you
should include. You are welcome to use sub-headings within these main sections;
however, avoid having too many short sections that will make you report choppy.
o The report text should always begin with ‘Introduction’ and end with
‘Conclusions’.
o The content of ‘Introduction’ should set the scene for what follows by introducing
the topic and noting why the report is being done (this latter is called the statement
of aim and it is a clear, short statement of what aspects of the topic you will be
presenting in the report). You may use a subheading for statement of aim or you
may simply isolate it in a separate paragraph.
o The section ‘Conclusions’ should contain no new data, only your appraisal of the
topic together with a summary of the very most significant facts learned.
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5. Illustrations/Tables Within the Report
o Believe me; every topic I assign will require illustrations! All illustrations inside
the report must be documented as follows (preferably below the illustration):
Figure xx. Title or captionReference number
The superscripted reference number is the source for the figure (Reference #s are described below).
o Every illustration you include must be relevant to the story you are telling (do not
include a picture just because ‘it’s nice’), and must be mentioned within the text, as
follows: “Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (Fig.1) is produced by…..” or “Figure 1
demonstrates that…”.
o Please insert illustrations into the text where they are relevant and not grouped
together at the end.
o Most illustrations won’t insert properly if you grab them from a website and drop
them directly into your report (and you’ll lose marks big-time if the marker can’t view your
illustrations). Here’s how to do it correctly:
Right click on an illustration you want (from the source) and save it to your•
computer.
Return to your report, and place the cursor in the report where you want the•
picture to appear, click ‘Insert’ on the top toolbar, choose ‘Picture’ then
browse to the picture file you just made, and double click on the picture you
want to insert into the report.
Chances are the inserted picture will occupy far too much space, so click on it,•
grab one corner, and ‘push’ it to the size you want.
A report always looks better if you wrap the text around the pictures. To do•
that, click on the picture, on the top toolbar click on ‘Format’ > ‘Picture’ >
‘Layout’ > ‘Tight’, and it should be wrapped. You can now move it exactly
where you want it (as long it’s not far, or it will jump out of place totally).
Keeping captions tied to pictures: Captions will ‘float’ away from the pictures•
if you make any revisions (or format conversions) to the report. There are
several ways to tie them together, but a simple way is to insert a text box
(adjusted to the right size by pulling on a corner) that will hold both the
picture and its caption as a single unit (You’ll see a text box symbol somewhere on one
of your toolbars; once you put your cursor where you want it to appear, click on that
symbol). So, make the text box first. Now, you can insert the picture into the
box, and type the caption below it. This is a bit awkward, no doubt about it, but it
works. If you are a pro and have photo editing software, you can normally type inside the
space assigned to the figure (and you can expand that if you need).
6. References
You will find advice on where to look for information and determining suitable
references in the instructions for Assignment #2. In any report, some of the content will
be based upon your personal general knowledge; for that, obviously, you don’t need
references. For all other content, it is essential, in any scientific report, that you note the
source as a proper reference. In most cases you will cite a reference for almost every
sentence in the report. Here is the easiest way to do it (and the method I want all of you
to use).
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Within the text, use a superscripted number to indicate the reference.•
On a page headed References at the end of the report, record the numbers sequentially•
and follow each number with the details of the reference.
Here’s an example of what might appear in the text:•
About 23% of incoming solar radiation is used to evaporate water1
.
Then, on the References page at the back, you’d see:
1
Abbott, P.L. (2002) Natural Disasters, Third Edition. McGraw Hill.
Note that the reference number is superscripted both within the text and on the
References page.
In the text and on the References page, keep the reference numbers in sequential•
order of new use; the first reference gets number 1, the second new reference gets
number 2, etc. If you use the first reference again somewhere later in the report, do not
give it a new number – reuse number 1.
If you wish to reference a website source, in the text of the report you will simply use•
a superscripted sequential number (in the same sequence). On the ‘References’ page,
beside that superscripted sequential number, you document the web address together
with a very short title so that a reader knows what that site is about. Please also list
the date that you accessed the site. For example:
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Details of the skyhooks: www.whateveritsays.html (accessed May 3, 2014).
Some websites – such as ‘Wikipedia.com’- are so complex that you must be careful to•
make a separate reference for every sub-site of those sites that you use material from.
[A word about Wikipedia use: I’m well aware that some instructors caution you to stay away from
Wikipedia use for non-Science topics – and deservedly so. However, Science articles are generally welldone;
if you see a site that contains abundant referencing, you can accept the content. You may find that
some sections bear ‘flags’ from the editorial advisors stating that more referencing is needed; to me
that speaks well for the cautionary care given by peer-scientists for the Wikipedia papers.]
If you cite information from a scientific journal article that you found on the internet,•
be sure to cite the article properly (see example below) rather than listing it as a website
source.
Text, table and illustrations must all have references, and they must all be•
incorporated within the one listing of sequential numbers.
If you use a subprogram such as ‘Endnotes’ to keep track of your references, you will•
soon discover (at least in older versions) that you are not permitted to use the same
number over and over. If you do not use the same number for the same reference, you
will certainly lose marks; my recommendation: keep track of reference numbering
manually. [The use of footnotes is NOT an acceptable alternative to the above procedure.]
All of what you write should be in your own words – no matter what your source of•
information. Sometimes direct quotations are just so effective no words of your own
can equal them. In that case, be sure to set off the quotation with quotation marks (and
follow it with the superscripted reference number, of course). But beware: It’s not
acceptable to have more than 5% of the word count as direct quotation. [A major
reason for expressing things in your own words is simply that you will have to understand the content to
do that; cut-and-paste doesn’t do a thing for your knowledge.] Be aware that if you use a cutand-paste
section that someone else has completed (without quotation marks and a
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cited reference), not only will markers not count that as part of your report, but you
can be accused of plagiarism – and markers are pretty good at finding the sources (the
Turnitin software program does it quickly).
Examples of how to format your reference list:
Note that the references are single-spaced and that each reference is separated by a space.
The authors’ last names and initials are followed by the date in parentheses. Pay attention
to the punctuation style. Journal articles must have the volume number (in bold) and
page number. Include the article title and the journal title (in italics). Books must
include the publisher’s name and location of printing. The examples below are for
journal articles (1 and 2), books (3), web sites (4), book chapters (5), an abstract (6) and a
thesis (7).
1
Petrophilas D. C. (1997) Rocks I have known and loved. Journal of Rocks 61, 123-321
2
Bells J. D. and Whistles H. P. (1995) Asperity-limited tectonic lithofacies juxtaposition in the northeastern
South-Central Mountains, West Virginia. Nature 447, 7767-7776
3
Nixon R. M. (1975) I Am Not a Crook. Vantage Press, New York
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Details of the skyhooks: www.whateveritsays.html (accessed May 3, 2014)
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Butcher N. D., Baker R. B., Waxwright C. M., Tinker, Jr., D. R. C. and Taylor G. J. (1998) Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr,
U-Th-Pb, Re-Os and K-Ar isotope systematics in 762 subangular pebbles from the bed of Oompa-Loompa
Creek, Glacier National Park. In Mesozoic Volcanic Activity in North America (eds. P. M.Thieux and F. T.
Frough). Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge. pp. 417-496
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Gibbs J. W. and Helmholtz H. L. (1997) Thermodynamic properties of triskadeka-biphenyl complexes of
Fe++ and Zn++ in the range 80°-85°C at pH 4.5 in aqueous solution from the ice in which ALH 84001 was
recovered. Lunar Planet. Sci. XXVIII. Lunar Planet. Inst., Houston. #7654(abstr.)
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Harvard J. (1787) Investigations on why the ground in New England is so rocky. Ph. D. thesis, Yale
University