Research Paper (20%) Presentation (5%)
Now that you have created a research proposal, the next step is the actual research. Your research proposal acts as an outline and guide to your research paper. Please note that this assignment also includes a formal presentation on your research topic.
Essay Guide
- Format: 5-7 pages (not including the cover page or work-cited page); APA format with cover page. Visual image should be placed somewhere on the cover page, along with the article’s title and your name/course name.
- Minimum of Four Sources: Two of your sources must contain an experimental research component, and the other two sources can come from review papers.
- Your paper must begin with an abstract, and followed in IMRAD format.
- IMRAD format means that your paper must have an introduction/background, Methods, and Results/Discussion section.
Introduction Section: Your introduction must respond to all of the Moves, 1, 2, and 3, discussed in class:
- Move 1: Establish topic and significance
- Move 2: Establish need for present research
- Move 3: Introduce the present research
Methods Section: Unless you are doing an actual experiment, your research will be based on a review of other research experiments or studies. Therefore you are tasked with analyzing the methods used in one or two of your primary research sources, that either supports or counter-argues your claim. In other words, you must evaluate their research methods by responding to the following questions:
- Were the study’s subjects screen and selected for the appropriate characteristics?
- Were subjects assigned to groups and conditions without bias?
- Did the study include a sufficient number of subjects?
- How appropriate was the study design for resolving the research issue?
- How valid and comprehensive were the study’s independent variables?
- How valid and reliable were the study’s dependent variables?
- During the course of the study, how effectively did the researchers control for extraneous variables?
- How appropriate and accurate were the study’s statistical analyses?
Results Section/Discussion Sections: The results and discussion sections can be combined or evaluated separately; it all depends on your research, argument, and rhetorical goals. This is the section(s) where you prove and legitimize your argument using scientific analysis and facts based on your research.
Conclusion: Your conclusion should describe how your research informs and benefits the science community, and the wider world. It should resonate with your readers in a way that will make them want to learn more about your topic.
Due Dates:
Wed 11/14 – First draft online peer-review
Wed 11/21 – Final draft
