UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO CIV440H1S - 2013 - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND RISK ASSESSMENT Term Paper Discussion of Published Research Paper

r Due: In Class on Monday, April 1st, 2013 Theoretical and applied research related to environmental impact assessment and risk assessment is being carried out in many places around the world. Research can be defined as a careful study to discover new facts or collate old facts to improve our understanding of, or practices in, a field. Research related to environmental impact assessment and risk assessment has been directed at specific projects, at improving assessment processes (e.g., predicting impacts, assessing significance, consulting with stakeholders, etc.), at understanding impacts and risks (e.g., their causes and effects), and at other relevant issues. The purpose of this assignment is to expose you to an example of such research. You are to select, review and discuss a published paper on research related to the course. Find a paper that was published on line or in print form in a peer-reviewed/research journal after April 2012, and that describes research on: an assessment process; a specific type of environmental impact or risk from an engineering process, project or activity; or an environmental assessment or risk assessment of a specific type of activity. Do not select a paper that focuses on a mitigation method. Try to select a paper on a topic that interests you. You can find research journals in the Engineering Library and on the Web through the U of T Librarys site - see the Course Materials (Jan. 9, 2013) or Course outline on Sources of Information on blackboard. Your paper is to include: 1. A brief description of the topic of the published research paper; 2. An explicit, clear explanation of the relevance of the research paper to a specific aspect(s) of environmental impact assessment and/or risk assessment, using course terminology as appropriate and references to course notes and lectures; 3. An analysis of how the research that is reported in the paper contributes to improving environmental impact assessment and/or risk assessment (NOT on improving the paper you are reviewing); and 4. Proper referencing of sources of information (including the paper you are reviewing and course notes) It should be evident from your term paper that you have read the research paper and considered and understood the relevance of the research to the course and to improving environmental impact or risk assessments. You are not expected to understand fully the technical details in the paper. On the next page are suggested steps on How to Review a Published Research Paper. Your mark will also be based on the choice of research paper (i.e. its relevance to the course), on the quality of your discussion and on the presentation (i.e. organization, clarity, grammar, spelling). If you have difficulties writing papers, you are strongly encouraged to discuss a draft of your paper with staff in the Engineering Communication Program in the SF building. Your paper should not be longer than 500 words excluding the list of references, it must be doublespaced, and it must state at the top of the paper the full bibliographic information about the research paper that you are discussing. Attach to your paper: 1) a copy of the published research paper (print 2-sided if possible); and 2) a signed Unsupervised Term Work Statement . Your term paper will not be marked if it does not have both of these two important items attached to it. The paper is worth 10% of your final mark. There will be a late penalty of 2% per day (e.g. the maximum possible mark will be 6% if it is two days late), and no papers will be accepted after April 5.

How to Review a Published Research Paper Suggested Steps: 1. Carefully read assignment in order to know why you are reading the paper. 2. Read and think about the title and abstract to understand the basic purpose of the research paper. 3. Look at the affiliation of the author(s) to see the perspective from which the paper is likely written. 4. Skim the paper to get an overview of th e papers scope and difficulty and the time it will take to fully read. 5. Look at the list of references to get idea of the relevant issues and areas. 6. Make a preliminary judgment on the relevance of the paper to the course and how it relates to research. 7. Carefully read through paper in detail, making notes in margin, e.g. Unclear, Poor explanation, etc. Great idea Relevant to (a specific aspect of EA or RA) Improvement to . (a specific aspect of EA or RA) 8. Skim back through the paper and your comments to form an overall opinion about the value and usefulness of the paper/research to improving EA and/or RA. 9. Re-read the assignment and set up an appropriate structure for your paper. It is suggested that you organize your paper with subheadings or at least separate paragraphs dealing with each of the required elements. 10. Draft your paper based on notes, i.e. from # 6, 7 and 8. 11. Read your draft paper to make sure it covers all requirements of the assignment. Do a crosscheck. 12. Carefully edit your paper for organization, grammar, spelling, referencing, etc.

13. You must be clear about the source of statements (e.g. ideas, views, data, etc.) in your
paper. For example, if you are stating an idea from the paper you are reviewing, use wording such as According to the author(s) . or The paper mentions . If you do not mention any source, it is assumed to be you.