Individual paper and book
chapter: explanation of
the assignment
Jointly writing an interdisciplinary islands eBook
Introduction
During the coming months we are going to jointly write an interdisciplinary eBook about island
sustainability on different islands around the globe. This document contains an explanation of the
assignment and the assessment criteria for the individual paper and the book chapter. Writing the eBook
will be both an individual and a group effort. The writing the eBook will consist of four phases (Figure 1):
1. Preparation: Each person develops a preliminary research question and decides on
the island and topic she/he wants to focus on.
2. Writing individual papers: Each person will write an individual paper on a specific
island and a specific topic.
3. Writing book chapters: The individual papers will be combined into a book chapter
on the same island.
4. eBook: The book chapters will be combined into an eBook.
Figure 1. Four phases of writing the eBook.
Phase 1: Preparation (preliminary research question, decide
upon island and topic)
Before you start writing your paper, think about on which island and topic you want to focus. You might
consider using the following documents to help you decide on which island and topic you want to focus
your paper (please make sure enough literature is available):
 The students of last year have composed an extensive eBook (see blackboard).
 The national geographic traveler has composed a panel of 522 experts that surveyed 111 islands
around the globe (website or pdf version).
 It might also be helpful to have a look at the website of the 2014 UN conference on Small Island
Developing States.
The broad topics you can choose from can be found in Table 1. A list of keywords which you can use to
look for literature and narrow down your research question. After the second lecture you should indicate
your preference for a topic and island on blackboard. Based on your responses, groups of approximately
4-6 students will be formed (taking disciplinary background and preference into account as much as
possible). People that provide a clear motivation for a topic take precedence. It might occur that two
students in the same group will focus on the same topic but since the topics are very broad, this won’t be
a problem.
Table 1. Topics for book chapters and individual papers.
Topic
Possible keywords (not an extensive list!)
Well-being
Well-being (subjective/objective), quality of life, human needs, Human Development Index (HDI), United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), capabilities, freedom, health, access to education, literacy rate,
suicide rate, (un)employment rate, gender equality, obesity, food insecurity, social welfare, etc.
Politics
Governance, form of government, international relations, divided islands, governance, security, island state
borders, external affairs, power relations with outside actors (states, NGO’s, multinational companies), etc.
Culture
Identity, art, literature, oral traditions, music, film, globalization, imagology, representation, cultural diversity,
homogenization, migration, demography, gender, cultural evolution, etc.
Economy
Self-sufficiency, MIRAB (migration, remittances, aid, bureaucracy), development, economic diversification,
sectoral contribution to GDP, balance of trade (import/export), import dependency, resource curse, pollution
taxes, household income, informal labor, transportation system, etc.
Tourism
Images, representation, eco-tourism, diving tourism, resorts, number of tourists relative to population,
community integration, etc.
Agriculture
Food self-sufficiency, conservation agriculture, food security/sovereignty, nutrition, (over) fishing, agroecology, urban food gardening, comparative advantage, diets, Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC), soil erosion,
etc.
Biodiversity
Nature conservation, species invasions, endemism, (marine) protected areas, extinction/extirpation,
terrestrial/aquatic ecosystems, habitat fragmentation, etc.
Energy
Energy self-sufficiency, renewable energy, green energy, wind energy, solar energy, biofuels, energy subsidies,
etc.
Water
Water quality, water quantity, fresh water, ground water shortage, water pollution, drought, desertification,
water equity, etc.
Climate
Climate change mitigation/adaptation, cyclone activity, storm shelters, sea-level rise, etc.
Waste
Waste management, municipal solid waste, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA), air pollution, water pollution, recycling, hazardous waste, sustainable waste management,
waste treatment, toxicity, life cycle assessment, landfill, etc.
Phase 2: Writing an individual paper (case-study on a specific
island and topic)
For the individual paper assignment you will do a case-study on a specific island regarding a central topic
(see separate document on blackboard ‘layout for individual paper’ for more details). Although this is an
individual assignment make sure to keep regular contact with your fellow group members.
Phase 3: Combining the individual papers into a book chapter
The book chapter consists of an introduction, a conclusion, and the peer-reviewed individual papers.
Editing the book chapter is a joint responsibility of all group members. However, it is highly
recommended to appoint one or two persons in the group as a chair person (main editor). Since we will
combine the book chapters into an eBook it is necessary that the style of all chapters is identical (see
document ‘lay-out for book chapter’ on blackboard for more details). The structure of the book chapter
should be as follows:
 Front page
 Abstract
 Introduction to chapter
 Peer-reviewed individual papers (without reference lists)
 Chapter conclusion and discussion
 Reference list of all literature cited in the chapter (alphabetical order, APA style)
Phase 4: Symposium and eBook
During the symposium each group will present their main findings to the audience and a jury
(approximately 15-20 min. per group). The aim of the symposium is to learn from each other. The
presentations will not be graded. The eBook will be sent to all authors after the symposium.
Assessment
The individual paper will be graded at the same moment as the book chapter. The papers should comply
to all standards that are required for an academic paper. In addition, the paper should comply to some
specific requirements. Two separate assessment forms will be used for the individual paper and the book
chapter (see tables on following pages).
Assessment criteria for individual paper
Table 2. Assessment criteria for the individual paper. More information about the Dutch grading scale can be found here:
http://www.studyinholland.nl/documentation/grading-systems-in-the-netherlands-the-united-states-and-the-unitedkingdom.pdf
Introduction
 Introduction to the island and topic
 Are central research question(s) and problem statement(s) clearly
presented?
 Is the relevance clearly explained?
Comments
Analysis of island and topic
 Critical reflection on the current state of the island regarding the chosen
topic
 Critical reflection on ‘islandness’: isolation/connectivity, boundedness,
resilience/vulnerability, remoteness (core/periphery), etc. based on
theory (including the lectures and corresponding literature)
Comments
Conclusion
 Answer to central research question(s)
 Does the conclusion follow logically from previous sections?
 Clear take home message including future challenges/opportunities
(what lessons can be learnt from the island?)
Comments
Structure and style
 Structure of the paper (e.g. information presented in a logical way,
structure clearly indicated, consistency of information)
 Academic writing style (grammar, spelling, readability, etc.)
 In-text citations (correct, consistent).
 Layout as indicated in document ‘layout for individual paper’ and
consistent
Comments
The ISLANDS factor
 Originality, creativity, curiosity, enthusiasm, out-of-the-island thinking
 Visualizations (e.g. figures, tables, graphs etc.)
 Integration of insights from social sciences, natural sciences, humanities
Comments
1-10
15%
1-10
45%
1-10
15%
1-10
15%
1-10
10%
Assessment criteria for book chapter (group assignment)
Table 3. Assessment criteria for the book chapter. More information about the Dutch grading scale can be found here:
http://www.nuffic.nl/bestanden/documenten/over-de-nuffic/publicaties/gradingsystems.pdf
Abstract and introduction
 Does the abstract provide a concise summary of the main points of the
book chapter?
 Is the introduction clear? (aim of the chapter, relevance, central
questions, etc.)
 Is a common framework created?
Comments
Integrated discussion and conclusion
 Do the authors provide an integrated analysis of biophysical and
sociocultural processes that have shaped the island and its biological
and cultural communities?
 Are the individual papers connected into an integrated discussion and
conclusion?
 Do the authors reflect critically on insights from the individual papers
and theory (lectures and literature)?
 What lessons can be learnt when bringing insights from the individual
case-studies together?
 Do the authors reflect on ‘islandness’?
Comments
Structure and style
 Structure of the paper (e.g. information presented in a logical way,
structure clearly indicated, consistency of information)
 Academic writing style (grammar, spelling, readability, etc.)
 Reference list (correct, consistent)
 Layout as indicated in document ‘layout for book chapter’ and
consistent
Comments
The ISLANDS factor
 Originality, creativity, curiosity, enthusiasm, out-of-the-island thinking
 Visualizations (e.g. figures, tables, graphs etc.)
 Integration of insights from social sciences, natural sciences, humanities
Comments
1-10
30%
1-10
30%
1-10
30%
1-10
10%