PREPARING TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER

Use the following as a guideline when beginning to plan for your independent study. ISSUE/TOPIC YOU ARE RESEARCHING:

FOCUS OF YOUR RESEARCH:(What are you specifically interested in?)

IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING ISSUE OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE

YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION:

LEGITIMATE SOURCES FOR RESEARCH i. Use 3-4 different sources from the school database. You may use more sources, and these can be from a credible internet source. ii. Include a least 2 different types of sources journal articles, newspaper articles, etc. iii. Use sources published within the last 10 years iv. Newspaper and magazine articles must be published in the last three years The following sources are considered to be appropriate: a) Professional family/sociological journals i. Journal of Marriage and Family, Family Relations b) Non-fiction, research-based books c) Research based periodicals i. Transitions, Psychology Today d) Statistical or Government publications i. Canadian Social Trends, E-STAT e) Audio Visual sources i. Documentaries, videos, interviews, radio/television f) Reputable Newspaper and Magazine articles i. McLeans, Time, Globe and Mail

CITING WORK INCLUDE CORRECT REFERENCING APPROVED RESOURCES. FOR EACH OF YOUR

American Psychological Association (APA) Citation Style

APA style is an editorial style used to present material and give credit to the original source. Many others working in the social and behavioural sciences have adopted this style as their standard.

USING IN-TEXT CITATIONS In-text citations are used for the following:

another persons idea, opinion, or theory any facts, statistics, graphs, illustrations that are not common knowledge quotations of another persons actual spoken or written words a paraphrase of another persons spoken or written words

GENERAL RULES FOR WORKS CITED OR REFERENCES PAGE

The Works Cited or References page must be on a separate sheet of paper and placed at the end of your report. Entries must be in alphabetical order. Create one listdont separate the entries by type of resource Punctuation is important The order of the information in the entries is important. Note the order, for example, of the authors names and the year of publication. Use Noodletools to help you organize your works cited sheet

Cover Page: Give your report a title which indicates the nature of the

FORMAT OF THE RESEARCH PAPER

content. You can be creative with your title page, but the title, your name, and the report completion date must all be clear. Table of Contents: Organize your information to make it easier for your reader to quickly find information. Each section and subsection should be listed and the page number identified, so number your pages as well.

Introduction

a) Generate interest in the topic and situate the topic or problem which you intend to examine in a broader context. Why did you research this? Why is it interesting? Etc. b) Introduce the reader to the structure and organization of the paper (that is, the main points or subheadings to be discussed in the order in which they will be presented) c) Research statement/question clearly presented d) Define any terminology e) Your thesis or your research question Body The body of the research paper must provide the reader with detailed information on each of the subtopics upon which the paper is structured. To avoid confusing the reader, it is usually advisable to discuss each of the subtopics in the order in which they were presented in the introduction. Information must be logically organized. This is the section where you present all of your written information. You will use direct and indirect quotations. You will write in your own words for summaries of background information. ****You can include tables, charts, illustrations etc. embedded in your body if they are small and fit easily. For any large supplementary information, include your material in an appendix and just reference it in your text. Generally anything larger than page goes in an appendix. Conclusion State your thesis now that research is complete No new information is introduced Summarizes the main headings of the review Identifies what kind of information was not available States or suggests the implications of your research

RESEARCH PAPER RUBRIC Name:____________________

Categories/Criteria Knowledge/Understanding /20 Use of relevant and substantial evidence Information is gathered from multiple sources Thinking/Inquiry /40 Research question (s) are formed through the paper, clearly stated, and thoroughly answered Thesis is specific, substantial and clearly stated Research is well organized and logical Thoughtful discussion of evidence and ideas. Communication /20 Vocabulary and sentence structure are varied and grade appropriate Effective use of subtitles. Effective incorporation of evidence Effective transitions Essay is carefully edited and free of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar Application /20 Introduction Interesting intro to topic Clear preview of subtopics Clear thesis or research question Conclusion Re-states thesis Reviews subtopics Strong ending Documentation Proper format and internal citation of research

Overall Mark________/100
Below Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 1

Proper APA format works cited

Submitting the Final Report What to include

(
Title Page

Introduction

See detailed instructions (approx. page)

BODY Subtopic 1: 2. specific 3. focus stated in topic sentence BODY Subtopic 2: Specific focus stated in topic sentence

Total body is a minimum of 3 pages level 4 requires more.

3 subtopics is the minimum number; theres no max.

BODY Subtopic 3: Specific focus stated in topic sentence

Conclusion

- See detailed instructions (approx. page)

Works Cited