Writing a geology paper is a very significant step for students, because it is their chance to practise in scientific writing and acquire useful skills and experience for their future thesis. Therefore, do not consider this task light-heartedly, but rather follow some standard regulations and requirements that will guide you.
Your first task would be to come up with a promising topic. Ideally, it is a topic that explores some interesting and up-to-date phenomenon, covers a lot of ground from your geology course, but at the same time is not too broad and encourages engaging discussion within the word limits of your paper.
If you are at a loss, what topic to concentrate on, ask your professor to recommend you something or use the Internet. No paper can be done without careful research, so start by reading the articles on your topic in scientific magazines, as they give the most current data, and proceed to more serious sources. This preparation work will assist you in singling out some aspects or arguments to include in your paper and will help you develop the outline.
While writing, be careful to cite all quotations you use, unless you want to be accused of plagiarism, which is a serious violation of rules in the scientific world. In terms of style, your paper has to be matter-of-fact and avoid personal opinions. To get a better idea of what is expected from you, pay attention to the style of the articles in the scientific journals.