Climate change impacts on San Diego hydrology & water quality
The final draft of your project describes the research you did in a formal report. The project is based on the Topic Proposal, and will
1) provide motivation for the topic (why is this important?),
2) articulate research question(s) (RQs) related to the topic;
3) describe methods used by the student (data analysis paper) or by others (literature review paper) to answer the research question(s) and
4) tell how those methods answered or addressed the research questions(s).
See the Topic Proposal description for more on the Motivation and Research Question.
Methods.
Description of the Methods should include enough detail that the reader can describe for themselves how the student or authors addressed a research question, including, for example, what models or measurements were used, and the geographic location/region and time period of analysis. The student must strike a reasonable balance between too little and too much detail–for example, for routine analysis of water quality, the make and model of the machines used in the analysis may not be necessary, but the types of analysis performed, when samples were collected from where, etc, are essential.
Answer or address the RQs.
What were the major findings of the study as they relate to the main research questions? Were there any caveats to the answers? What new questions resulted from the research? What are the management or policy implications?
Tables and figures will likely play a role in answering the question.
Check to make sure that the answer you provide answers or addresses the stated research questions.
Frequently asked questions:
Q: Can the topic and/or RQs in the Final Draft differ from the Topic Proposal?
A: Yes. It is likely that the RQs will change once you have done more research. You’ll want to check with the Instructor to make sure the RQs are good ones.
