This is a formal research paper. I expect correct usage of English, complete sentences, and proper references. The paper must be typed in double space, 12 point font.
This is also to be a comprehensive research paper. That is, I expect full coverage of whatever topic in navigation you have chosen to research. Therefore, your paper must include at least fifteen references, at least ten of which shall be journal articles. There are two reasons why I insist on this number of journal articles in your paper. First, all cutting edge research is presented in journal articles. Yes, a great deal of information is available in books, but by the time a book is published the research discussed in it is no longer new. This is especially true of any navigation research done in the last ten years. For example, Gould (1986) claimed to have demonstrated cognitive mapping in honey bees. Gallistel (1990) in his book Organization of Behavior relies heavily on Gould's article to defend his arguement that there are certain behavioural abilities that cross all species boundaries. However, in the time it took for Gallistel's book to be run off the press, new articles (e.g., Wehner, Bleuler, Nievergelt, and Shah 1990) cast significant doubt on Gould's (1986) claims that honey bees use cognitive maps. The second reason for focusing on journal articles over books is that I want you to be very familiar with reading journal articles by the time this course is over. If you intend to continue in academia you must be skilled in reading journal articles critically. Also, you will have to be able to find the journal articles that are relevant, which means you will have to learn how to make effective use of the Library's search resources.
I am not terribly fussy about how, exactly, you format your paper. In simplest form a research paper includes a title page, an introduction, a body, a conclusion, and a reference list. Within these confines, how you write your paper is entirely up to you.
As a final point, depending on when you give your research presentation there may be a greater or lesser degree of similarity between it and your final research paper. Regardless, keep in mind that an oral presentation is substantially different from a formally written paper. There are things you can do in an oral presentation that simply will not work in a paper. Last year one student gave me, essentially, the identical material for their research presentation outline and their research paper. Without indicating what the student's final mark was, let me simply say that this little incident lowered it substantially.
Take this link for some ideas about how to get started.