What follows are instructions to help guide the development of your research paper. Please be sure you understand these well before you start and contact me with other questions.
What do I mean by a research paper?: With this paper you are attempting to answer a research question, for instance, Does spanking lead to adult dating violence? or How is poverty associated with crime? To do so, you are not conducting original research as you might in senior project, but rather consulting the scientific literature relevant to your question. Although you are addressing a particular question, your review of the data should be AS NEUTRAL AS POSSIBLE. In other words, where the literature is contradictory (and it often is) you need to be honest about those contradictions. This may mean that, in the end, you dont actually answer the question but, rather, present evidence for and against different positions. Everything you state in the paper should be DATA BASED and cited.
Your opinion doesnt matter: This is NOT an opinion piece, so be very careful NOT to inject your opinion into the coverage. Remember to remain as neutral and balanced as possible.
Basic info: Paper length should be 7 pages, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1 margins, dont add in any weird hard returns to make the paper longer etc. Note the page length does NOT include the title page, abstract or references. Pages should be numbered per APA style. These papers should have a title page (with staple!), abstract and reference section (10 references minimum, journal articles, scholarly books, legal decisions are all acceptable references), and should be 7 pages long, not including title page, abstract or references. Format is Times New Roman, double spaced, 12-point font, 1 margins.
APA Style: The paper should be APA style, including running head, abstract, in-text citations and references. If youre around Deland, we have a publication manual for APA style in the Psychology Department. Just ask Ms. Roberts if you can borrow it (you can borrow it and work on your paper in our student lounge area but cant remove it from the department.) If not, there are a number of websites that do a decent job with the basics of APA style which is probably all that you need. Watch the and and & with citations and referencesmixing them up is one of the more common mistakes.
DO NOT DIRECT QUOTE: Do not use direct quotes from studies when describing them. Always put descriptions into your own words with a proper citation for the source. Direct quotes in science writing appear to be lazy or like you didnt really know what the source was saying and couldnt be bothered to try to understand. I will take off A LETTER GRADE for each direct quote that you use.
Proper Sources: Most of your sources should be peer-reviewed journal articles. The easiest way to find them is with a search database like PsycINFO, available through the library. If you are not on campus, you can access PsycINFO from anywhere using your Stetson login info. If you have trouble accessing PsycINFO please contact the library and they can help you. You can also use sources like Google Scholar, although that tends to be a bit wonkier. Court cases, government white papers and such may also be reasonable sources. Do NOT use newspapers, press releases, news magazines, etc., as sources. When discussing a study, please discuss it in sufficient detail including methods, results and any limitations such that the reader (i.e. me) can understand what they did.
Flow: Your paper should flow, both from one paragraph to the next, as well as in overall organization structure in a way that makes sense. It should not be merely a bunch of unconnected paragraphs about a bunch of different studies. It should all weave together into a sensible narrative.
Watch the Spelling and the Grammar: Those little red and blue lines under your words are your friends. But they dont catch everything. Make sure to proofread and, if youre not the best of writers, take advantage of the Writing Center and have them help you.
Keep the language professional and avoid clichs: Dont engage in exaggerated claims or hyperbole. Dont use clichs like In todays society to start your sentences or paragraphs. Dont use casual phrases.
Dont use first or second person: Dont use I, we, or you in your narrative.
Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.
[order_calculator]