SOCI 380

INSTRUCTIONS RE. RESEARCH PAPER

DUE DATE: The research paper is due on the last day of class

You are required to write and submit a detailed research paper. The research paper will be based on your working group project, but will also involve original work undertaken by yourself.

Your research proposal should be about 10 - 15 pages in length (typed, double spaced), plus Appendices.

Please use headings and subheadings.

Your research paper should include the following sections:

Title Page Table of Contents Abstract

PART 1: The Research Problem Introduction Literature Research Questions and Hypotheses

PART 2: METHODS Sampling Data Collection Operationalization of Variables• Ethical Issues

PART 3: RESULTS Analysis and Results

PART 4: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Discussion• Conclusions

ENDNOTES

REFERENCES

APPENDICES

SOME DETAILS ON THE CONTENT:

Abstract

You should provide a concise summary of the contents of your research paper.

(If you are unsure what an abstract involves, I would suggest that you examine some journal abstracts and try to emulate them.

Some suggestions for journals to look at include: American Sociological Review, Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology.)

PART 1: The Research Problem

Introduction

You should give an overview of your research topic, state the objectives of your research project, and describe what issues your research will address.

You may also provide a “substantive” context for your research topic (e.g., what real world issues or problems make this research interesting).

Literature

In the literature section you should provide an overview of theories and concepts that are relevant to your topic and research problem, and review past research.

In particular, you should organize your review of the literature around providing a context for your research question(s) and hypotheses. The literature should provide some motivation for your research.

Note: while someone in your group will do some work identifying key references, and perhaps providing a description of them, you are free to expand upon this.

Research Questions and Hypotheses

You should introduce the main research question(s) that your paper will explore.

You should provide a context for your question(s); e.g., explain why it is important and/or theoretically interesting to answer. What justification is there for your hypotheses?

Note: while the working group has produced one or more research questions and hypotheses you are free to go beyond these, and produce some additional ones on your own.

You should distinguish between those developed by the working group, and those that you have developed.

PART 2: METHODS

Sampling

You should talk about the population you are studying, and all of the details of your sampling strategy; e.g., what kind of sample was undertaken and why? What are the strengths and weakness of your sampling procedure.

Data Collection

You should describe the data collection technique(s), and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the procedure(s).

Operationalization of Variables

Identify the key variables in your research questions and hypotheses. Link these to the specific questionnaire items; e.g., you should make up a table itemizing each variable and linking it to a specific questionnaire or interview schedule item (or items).

Describe any composite variables (e.g., indexes or scales) that you have created.

Describe control variables. (One of your appendices should contain your questionnaire, and any other materials distributed with the questionnaire.)

Ethics

Discuss ethical considerations related to your research and how you addressed them.

PART 3: RESULTS

Analysis and Results

Using spss, you are required to provide a quantitative analysis of your data.

You should 1) provide some descriptive statistics for key variables, and 2) provide analyses to examine your hypotheses.

You should provide tables and/or graphs as appropriate.

If you are unsure of how to construct tables describing your results, then you might look at some some journal articles to see how other researchers have presented their findings.

(Some models for presenting findings will also be available in examples provided in class.)

PART 4. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Discussion

In a thesis or journal article, the discussion section is one of the most important sections of the document.

Discuss the relevance of your findings to your research questions and hypotheses, and examine how your results relate to the literature you presented earlier on.

Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of your research design, and make suggestions on how you might go about doing further research on this topic.

Discuss how your proposed research is related to broader theoretical arguments, and make suggestions for avenues of future research. If applicable, discuss potential policy options and policy recommendations that might arise from your findings.

ENDNOTES

You may want to provide some endnotes or footnotes for supplementary information that does not fit within the text.

REFERENCES

You must provide full bibliographic information using ASR style. E.g.:

Gould, Roger V. 1991. "Multiple Networks and Mobilization

in the Paris Commune, 1871.”

American Sociological Review 56:

716-729.

Humphrey, C. and F. Buttel. 1982. Pp.

11-136 in "The Environmental

Movement: Historical Roots and

Current Trends" in C. Humphrey and

F. Buttel, Environment, Energy, and

Society. Belmont, California:

Wadsworth.

APPENDICES

• Include an appendix containing your questionnaire (and any related materials).

• Include an SPSS codebook for your data.

CLARIFICATION OF INDIVIDUAL VERSUS GROUP WORK COMPONENTS

You group will have developed one or more research questions and hypotheses, developed operationalizations for key variables, designed a questionnaire, collected data using the questionnaire, put the data into spss, and undertaken some basic quantitative analyses of the data.

Someone in your group will also have done some work on a literature review for your topic. At the end of the term, your group may also be asked to provide a brief presentation on your project.

The group mark will be based on the quality of the above work.

In the research paper there are a considerable variety of opportunities for individuals to show creativity and competence: the majority of the material in most of the sections will be written by you as an individual.

You will write your own abstract, introduction, and literature review.

You may develop some additional research questions and hypotheses.

You will provide your own descriptions of the methods, including discussing their strengths and weaknesses.

You may develop some additional analyses (and related tables and graphs).

You will write up your own results, discussion, and conclusion.

One key distinction between the group work and individual work is that while everyone will be using the same basic materials, I want you to write it up in your own words.