Undergraduate Course: Research Training for Geophysics (EASC09055)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Trained scientists need a variety of skills. The aim of this course is to provide a number of these skills before the students begin work on their individual research projects in the SH year. A major component of the course is a group project which will continue from one year to the next. Projects are provided to cover a range of interests. In particular, meteorology or climate projects will be provided for students on the Geophysics+Meteorology degree. Projects this year include:
- Analysis and assessment of the last year of global seismicity
- Seismic Interpretation
- Wibbly Wobbly ¿ what happened to the Chandler wobble?
- Subsurface structure around Edinburgh using gravity surveying
- Simple Climate Modelling
In addition to the group project, the course covers a variety of research-related skills including the production of scientific research documents, the use of the scientific literature, the presentation of research at meetings and conferences etc.
The course also includes a substantial component on ethics.
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| Course description |
**May be subject to change
Semester 1
Week 1 Introduction to course, literature review and to group projects. Summary of each project from supervisors. Poll of interest from students for projects. A first look at the scientific literature. Referencing and how to do it properly. Use of Web of Science and citation searches. Introduction to literature review exercise and talk. Assignment of papers to be reviewed.
Week 2 Doing science. What is this about? The importance of starting with the evidence. What makes a good figure and caption to illustrate the evidence?
Week 3 Scientific writing as a logical argument. The conventions that people tend to stick to. What makes good scientific writing and what makes bad scientific writing? Judgement and critique.
Week 4 Introduction to LATEX.
Week 5 Working in a Group
Weeks 5-10 Get started on your group projects
Week 6 Giving presentations. What makes a good (and a bad) presentation.
Week 7 Deadline for literature review.
Week 8 Student practice presentations on literature review: part 1
¿ Attendance MANDATORY for ENTIRE CLASS
Week 9 Student practice presentations on literature review: part 2
¿ Attendance MANDATORY for ENTIRE CLASS
Week 10 Introduction to GIS
Semester 2
Weeks 2, 3 Ethics
Week 5 - Group work update
Weeks 1-9 Work on group projects
Week 9 ¿ Submission of group project reports
Week 10 Group presentations on group projects, as part of end-of-year day of geophysics including 4th year presentations on their individual research projects.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed
Physics of the Earth (EASC08016)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 18,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 30,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
134 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework - 100%
Assessment will consist of:
- Report on group project (8 credits, 40%)
- Group presentation on group project (2 credits, 10%)
- Ethics section, assessed by in-class participation and a short presentation (4 credits, 20%)
- Literature review (6 credits, 30%)
For further information on deadlines, please refer to the learn page.
Assessment Deadlines
- Literature Review Semester 1, Week 7 (Friday) (submit online via Turnitin)
- Ethics Semester 2, Weeks 2-3 (Note, there are no hand-ins. Students are required to attend ALL ethics classes as they are marked for in-class participation.)
- Group Presentation - Semester 2, Week 10 ( Wednesday)
- Report on Group Project Semester 2. Week 9 (Friday) (submit online via Turnitin)
Students must attain an overall mark of 40% (or above) to pass the course.
AI usage Statement:
AI-Assisted Generation
AI tools may be used to identify ideas, key themes, and plan your assessment, but not to generate content. If you use AI, you must acknowledge it in your submission. |
| Feedback |
The non-assessed individual presentations in S1 will provide feedback that will be useful for the assessed group presentation at the end of S2.
The literature review is assessed, but the feedback on this will be relevant to the individual reports on the group projects.
Each group project will be supervised by a staff member who will give feedback on progress during regular group meetings.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Work collaboratively in a group
- Be familiar with the scientific literature and how it works
- Understand some of the ethical issues that affect the conduct of scientific research
- Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the practicalities of a research technique of interest
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Reading List
Day, RA and B Gastel, 2006. (6th edition - or more by now) 'How to write and publish a scientific paper'
Ethics-related reading material referred to in the Appendix (mainly hand-outs).
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Group work, research and writing skills, awareness of ethical issues |
| Keywords | Writing,presenting,skills,research |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Ian Main
Tel: (0131 6)50 4911
Email: Ian.Main@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Rebecca Steele
Tel:
Email: Rebecca.Steele@ed.ac.uk |
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