The paper should be typed, single spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and at least 2 pages long (but please, no more than 4 pages), including diagrams and references. You must spell and grammar check, as that will count in the final paper. Most of you could probably use the help of the writing center.
Your references should be included as endnotes (References>Insert Endnote if you’re using Microsoft Word from your free Office 365 subscription). While I would love for you to format them using ACS Style, that is not required. You may use APA or MLA or Chicago or any formatting style, as long as you are consistent. Do NOT just include a list of works cited. You should be referencing specific passages in your paper. It is HIGHLY unlikely that you will need to quote anything…you should be expressing these ideas in YOUR OWN words, but you are citing the source of your information.
All figures must be numbered, have a caption, have a reference (unless you drew it), and be explicitly discussed in the text. [Example: “Good” ozone is located in the stratosphere, not the troposphere (Figure 1).]
Your essay should include answers to some or all of the following questions, but NOT as bullet points. Your goal is to “tell a good (educational) story” to someone of similar training/knowledge as yourself! I do NOT want a “book report” on Chapter 3. You should answer some/all of these questions by starting your paper with an introductory paragraph containing a thesis statement of your own choosing, supporting your thesis with several paragraphs (each of which tells its own part of the story), and then ending with a strong concluding paragraph summing up your paper. Your paper CAN NOT simply be a bunch of disjointed responses to these questions:
What is ozone?
Where is ozone in the atmosphere?
Where is it “good” and “bad” for us and why?
How is it formed and depleted, naturally and anthropogenically?
How does it protect us from harmful radiation?
What types of chemicals cause ozone depletion, what are they used for, and why are/were they used?
Identify one or more products that you use in your everyday life which may contribute to ozone depletion.
What is being/has been done to reduce depletion of the ozone layer?
Discuss ways in which you can help to reduce the depletion of the ozone layer.
Speaking of questions, there is an informal (and immature) writing style that many students tend to adopt wherein they write something like: “Have you ever wondered what ozone is? Well, let me tell you. Ozone is the name of the molecule O3…..Now that you’ve learned about [topic], let’s talk about [next topic].” While I welcome and praise creativity in your writing, that is not college-level writing. Please do not write your paper that way. Your paper should NOT be written in first person. It is not an opinion paper. Do NOT use the words “I” or “we” or “you” in your paper. It is a formal, scientific paper.
Here are some other source ideas for you, though feel free to find your own. Remember that all CUNY students are eligible to receive a FREE NYTimes subscription (register using your QCC email address), and by searching for “ozone research” on the QCC library website, you can find effectively unlimited articles. Our librarians would be happy to help you. (I do not know if the last 3 bullets below are available to watch now, but they give you an idea of the range of what’s out there):
Frank Warrick’s World Around Us – Hole in the sky (this is a link to the complete program from Australia’s Channel 7 in the late 90s- the 40-minute program begins with a lovely reminder that The Highlander movie series begins with humans “fixing” the ozone hole)
The Chemical and Engineering News issue I posted honoring Black history month has an ozone article in it which could serve as a springboard to further sources
The Sky’s On Fire (1998 ABC made for TV movie)
Saving Planet Earth: Fixing a Hole (2018 documentary)
Captain Planet and the Planeteers: Ozone Hole (1991 cartoon)
