Overview
Your DRAFT paper should be maximum of 20-25 pages, double-spaced, including figures, tables, and references. Refer to the links provided in Sub-Module 0.D (Writing Resources) and to the grading rubric provided to guide you in completing the FINAL version of your research paper. It is only required that you submit this to me (your instructor), although you are always welcome to share any information with each other if you like. More important than the length of your DRAFT paper is that you show me that you have mastered and know well your research topic and the peer-reviewed literature surrounding your research topic.
Looking forward to Deliverable 4 (DRAFT Paper), you should focus your efforts on showing me that you are curious about your research topic and that have gone deeper into some aspect(s) of it since Deliverable 3. You already have a good, solid general background knowledge of your topic. But how do you go deeper? You have to choose one or more specific directions to take your research into. NOW IS WHEN THINGS GET INTERESTING because YOU HAVE CHOICES TO MAKE! Let's say, for the sake of discussion, your topic is "Stabilizing Wastes to Reduce Leaching of Heavy Metals" and you have already read and put in the References section of your Oral Presentation 15 peer-reviewed publications on this topic (remember, I don't want to see any links to websites or webpages from now on... ONLY PEER-REVIEWED sources). You could easily read 100 more general papers on stabilization of heavy metals and put them in your References section. However, if the text in your paper does not reflect additional knowledge you gained from reading these papers, you will not be given credit for that. For example, if I say in my Deliverable 2 or 3, "Stabilization is a common method to reduce leaching of heavy metals in waste (Smith, 2006)". I then list that citation (Smith, 2006) in the References section. But if I add 10 or even 100 references in my Deliverable 4 to support that claim "Stabilization is a common method to reduce leaching of heavy metals in waste", and have not demonstrated additional knowledge gained between Deliverable 3 and Deliverable 4, I will not get a good grade. Some students try to do this, "fluffing out" or adding meaningless and empty volume to their Deliverable 2 to make their Deliverable 4 seem like they have done more research, and then doing the same to their Deliverable 4 to turn in their 20-25 page Deliverable 5 (FINAL Paper).
From now on, in Deliverable 4, and then again when I read your Deliverable 5, I am looking for NEW knowledge you have gained. You need to, for example, narrow your focus on "heavy metals" to one or two (i.e., Pb, Cr, etc.) to show me you have deepened your knowledge in specific area. Or maybe you find and read peer-reviewed articles on a certain type of waste, like stabilizing Hg in residues from chlor-alkali facilities or stabilizing Cr in wastes from metal plating facilities with heavy metals that you find references on, like. Whatever takes your fancy and keeps your interest.
But as your research progresses from your Oral Presentation to Deliverable 4 (DRAFT Paper), and then as you continue your research to complete Deliverable 5 (FINAL Paper), I will be looking closely to see that you have deepened your knowledge since Deliverable 3. I will be looking at the peer-reviewed articles you cite, at your Discussion of those new references, and at your Conclusions to determine how much you have deepened your knowledge and in which direction you took your research.
I look forward to reading your Deliverable 4 submission (DRAFT Papers).