Research Paper
Your research paper must include:
- An introduction;
- A literature review (including appropriate theory);
- A conceptual methodology section (explained below); and
- A complete reference list formatted in APA style. (Do not include the reference list in the word count.)
If you do not already know how to think about and execute these components of a research paper, then you have some work to do. See the handout Research Paper Guide (PDF, 2 pages, 11 KB) and the text by Rubin, Rubin, and Haridakis (on the Books page).
Make sure you also read the Writing Tips page in its entirety.
In Week 5, I will give you several conference papers to read and use as models. However, you may need to do more than simply reading those papers to prepare yourself to do a good job (and get a good grade). I will be happy to meet with you outside class to discuss this.
Introduction
See Rubin, Rubin, and Haridakis if you do not know what an introduction ought to include and do.
Research Questions
I suggest that you define your research questions clearly at the end of your introduction. Two to four questions would be fine. Number your research questions clearly in the proper format. Note that I am not interested in hypotheses. Do not write hypotheses.
Literature Review
Your literature review should be clearly connected to your research questions. A proper lit review is NOT a summary of everything you have read -- it is an organized overview of the literature that is precisely relevant to your research questions. (It includes the theory you will follow in your study.)
Methodology
The methodology section is "conceptual" because I do not want you to conduct the research before you hand in your paper. Your paper MUST include a precise methodology for answering the research questions that you will raise (and define) in your paper. Your conceptual methodology section will show me that you understand how to conduct a study properly to obtain valid results.
If you have not yet completed a graduate-level research methods course, then you will have to do some work to prepare yourself for writing this section. See the handout Research Paper Guide (PDF, 2 pages, 11 KB) and the text by Rubin, Rubin, and Haridakis (on the Books page).
Results and Discussion
Your paper will not include a results section or a discussion section, because you will not be conducting an actual study.
Length of the Research Paper
Not including the reference list, the paper must be at least 3,000 words long and must not exceed 4,000 words.
The Reference List
This is as important as each of the other parts of your research paper.
Make sure to read why taking shortcuts in research is dishonest, and remember that academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for this course (not just for the paper).
- Every source that appears on your reference list must be properly cited within the text of your paper.
- Every source that is cited in your text must appear in the reference list.
- APA stye from the 5th or 6th edition of the printed APA manual must be followed for all citations and for all reference list entries. If you are not using the book, then you are NOT doing it right. The book is in the library, or you can buy it. (See Books.)
I can scarcely emphasize enough how much weight I will put on your reference list in this paper. As a graduate-level RESEARCH paper, it needs to have a substantial and proper reference list. If you don't understand that, then please come and meet with me outside of class.
> You must include at least 10 relevant sources from acceptable scholarly journals. See the Writing Tips for help with this. Also see my list of acceptable journals. If you don't understand how to judge whether a journal is "scholarly" or not, please meet with me in my office.
> Include at least two books that were not assigned for this course. One of them MAY BE the book you used for your book review in this course. (Of course, if that book does not fit your research topic, do not include it.)
> Other sources may be used in addition to the 10 scholarly journal articles and two books.
If you cite any Web pages or Web sites, be sure you know where the information came from, who wrote it, and when it was published. It is your responsibility to verify that you are using reliable, respectable sources in your research.