Research Paper
Writing a research paper is a journey. It is kind of like hiking up a mountain. Take it one step at a time, and you will reach the peak of the mountain and look down at the beautiful view! The hard work will be worth it when you get to the end, and you can feel so proud of your accomplishments!
So here are the steps:
1. Your statement of inquiry (your research topic/question). But you already did this.
2. Identify two peer reviewed journal articles (see lib guide and follow links to locate articles). In order to select quality articles, you will need to read the abstract, and the first page or so of the article. You will find that some of the articles aren't answering what you want them to... so move on and find another. (But you already did this, too!)
3. Start your APA works cited (you already did this, too... just add to it as you go, being sure to follow APA format. You will likely need to look up the most recent statistics for whatever you are researching. So be sure to include that source on this list, too).
4. Read the two articles that you selected. Every peer reviewed article follows the same basic blueprint regarding formatting.
They start with an abstract where they tell you their research question and a little about their methods and findings. Then they have an introduction, where they talk about the prior research that other people have done about this subject.
This is such an important part of the article because it gives you all of the background information that you need to understand the bigger picture. Then they talk about their methods (which you should read, but not dwell on every word). Lastly, they talk about their findings. And then conclude it all by reviewing everything they just said.
Peer review articles are redundant and they use big words. But once you figure out the blueprint, you will be able to understand the article's main points pretty quickly.
5. As you are reading the articles, take notes on the following:
i. Main points from previous research (see intro - or sometimes it is called a "literature review").
ii. The primary research questions that these folks were trying to answer (see intro).
iii. How did they answer it? (see methods)
iv. What were their findings? (see findings - or sometimes it is called "results")
6. Write your paper using the format below (see the next page).
7. Proofread and edit your paper.
8. Revisit your Works Cited and make sure it is properly formatted and includes everything.
9. Submit your paper by the deadline. Congrats!!
HOW TO FORMAT YOUR RESEARCH PAPER:
Your research paper will be 3 pages long, and it will follow this format.
I) Introduction (paragraphs 1-2):
• State the social problem being examined (i.e. "Over the past few decades, we have seen increasing wealth disparities based on... For example... (cite)...)." Provide any relevant statistical information (and cite appropriately).
• State your research question.
• What is the sociological significance (why does this matter?)
• Provide any important definitions
II) Literature Review (paragraphs 3-4):
• Outline the research that has been done before (look at the first couple of pages of your peer reviewed journal articles where they outline this for you). Be sure not to plagiarize.
III) Compare and contrast (paragraphs 5-7):
• Summarize the main points of each article. What was their research question? How did they answer it? What were their findings?
• How do the articles differ? How are they similar? Do they contradict each other?
• Were there gaps in their research? What could they have done differently?
IV) Synthesize and Conclusion (paragraph 8):
• Review why all of this is important for us to think about. Tell us about possibilities for future research. If you have formed an opinion, summarize it here and explain how the research supports your argument.