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Assignment | Grant Proposal (Spears): Getting Started

Spring 2021 | GEOLH 1404 | Prof. C. Spears

About the Project

Historical Geology Honors Project                 
Goal:

A written and oral proposal that addresses a scientific question about a geologic event that occurred in the past.

  1. Written proposal following the National Science Foundation guidelines
  2. 10-minute oral presentation

Objectives:

  • Identify a question and explain its significance
    • Present a question that is not fully answered, and
    • Explain the contribution or implication of addressing such question
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of existing scientific work
    • Describe and synthesize previous work with at least three scientific studies
    • Demonstrate how a tool/technique is used to determine information about a geologic event in the past with at least two references
  • Present a clear research plan
    • Clearly state a testable hypothesis
    • Describe how the methods for testing the hypothesis (should include tools that will be used, sampling strategy, and any analytical techniques)
    • Describe the possible outcomes and their significance
  • Communicate Effectively
    • Writing style should be scientific (not conversational) and persuasive
    • Information presented in a way that is organized and easy to follow (important information highlighted)
    • In-text citations and bibliography follow APA-style formatting

Summary only - Complete assignment description is in D2L

Accessing the Databases

Access 100+ databases organized by subject area from the Research Databases page. Also try our dynamic, sortable database list!

Student ID BadgeTo access the databases locked icon (same icon that displays by the LSC-limited access resources) from off-campus, you must provide the 14-digit library barcode.

Don't have one yet? Request a barcode number online.

Assignments & Due Dates

  • Topic Selection
  • Background
  • Project Description
  • Experiment Design 
  • Methods
  • Possible Outcomes and Implications 
  • Proposal Draft for Peer-Review
  • Final Proposal 
  • In-Class Presentation 
  • Honors Day Presentation 

Finding Information in Databases

LSCS Libraries offer dozens of databases covering all of the major disciplines. You can search for a database by subject, or enter a specific database through our alphabetical list.

  • Some databases contain only peer-reviewed (scholarly) articles.
  • Many databases contain scholarly journal articles as well as popular articles from magazines and newspapers.
  • Some databases are subject-specific and others are multidisciplinary
  • Choosing the right databases and the right types of articles is easy and, if you have questions, we can show you how. 

Finding Information with an ILL

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Requests: How to Get Unavailable Articles 

Article not available? If we don't have the full text article available through our databases, do not despair! You can request articles through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Thanks to TexShare, a program funded by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, we are able to request materials from other libraries throughout the state. Often a PDF of the article you need can be emailed to you within days. Begin your ILL request at the link above.

ILL does not deliver books at this time.

Managing Your Research

While conducting research you will need to capture the articles and associated citations. Your process will be very individual, but be consistent and choose a tool to help organize your research. Some suggested tools below:

OneDriveOneDrive - Cloud storage from Microsoft Office 365. 1 TB free for Lone Star College students.

 

EvernoteEvernote - The Basic version is free. Works across all mobile devices. Create notebooks for each course or writing assignment. Be sure to download the Web Clipper as well.

 

ZoteroZotero - Zotero is a free, open access extension that runs in the Firefox and Chrome browsers that's designed to gather, download, and tag your research. Helpful tutorials.