AERO 3012

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Abstract

The abstract of the document is a brief recap of the study. It is about 150-250 words in length, and
should provide an overview of the paper, in the order presented in the paper. It is only one
paragraph long, and as in this example, it is left and right justified, with no indent. The text
throughout the whole document is Times New Roman, font size 12. The paper follows a standard
margin, and it is double-spaced throughout. The abstract follows this recipe: A brief summary of the
introduction, (make sure to give an abridged version of the problem statement), a concise overview
of the methodology used in the research, a condensed description of the results, and a cogent
discussion or conclusion of the research.

Introduction

Take a moment to realize that the headings (Abstract, Introduction, and others following) have a
specific format. The ‘chapter’ heading is cantered, boldface, and has both uppercase and lowercase
letters. From this point forward, notice that the paper is left justified, with the first line of each
paragraph indented. There is no ‘extra space’ between paragraphs; just follow the same double-
space format throughout. In the first paragraph of the introduction, there is a brief overview of the
items that are in this ‘chapter’. These include the background, problem statement, purpose, and
importance.

Background

Notice that the subheadings are left-aligned, boldface, and use uppercase and lowercase letters. The
text of the subheading follows on the line after the subheading. Chances are, in the Introduction,
only levels one and two (please refer to APA 6th edition for formatting information) will be used in
the headings and subheadings. In the background, describe what has lead to the creation of the
problem. Perhaps a brief history is needed. Perhaps a brief discussion of what has been tried along
with an explanation of why that particular direction did not work. Notice that there is no use of first
or second person (I, you, we) in a formal paper. With very few exceptions, numbers one through
nine are spelled out, and numbers 10 and above are written with numbers.

Problem statement

The problem statement is one of the most difficult sections to write in a research paper, and it will
probably change (at least a little) as more literature is read and incorporated to the paper. Take time
to write and review the problem statement. Research papers typically change direction or focus, and
there will be many iterations of the research paper. The problem statement will guide the entire
project, so take time to improve upon it. There are many sites that you can read to get a better grasp
on how to structure a problem statement. Common points to writing a successful problem
statement are this: 1) define the ideal; communicate the desired goal or best situation, 2) describe
the current reality of the situation, and identify how this is a failure (think in terms of dollar figures,
time, amount of waste, etc), 3) provide a ‘what needs to be done’. This is not a solution to the
problem, but it is an outcome. For example, [1) define the ideal] The best situation would be if all
students were to graduate with an undergraduate degree within three years. [2) describe the
current reality:] Currently, only 80% of students complete their undergraduate within three years.
[3) provide a ‘what needs to be done’] While there will be some students who cannot complete their
degree for a variety of reasons, the percentage needs to increase to 90% of students completing
their undergraduate degree within three years. Please note, in the individual paper, please do not
use 1), 2), 3); just write in standard paragraph format.

Purpose

The purpose statement is a logical outflow from the problem statement. The easiest way to write
this is to state, “The purpose of this research will be to…” and follow with your description of what
will be examined/studied/accomplished in this current research to bring the current situation closer
to the defined ideal. The purpose statement is probably going to be one of the shortest, if not the
shortest, section in the paper.

Importance

This brief paragraph identifies who should care that this research is being done, and why they
should care. This defines the generalizability of the study and how it will benefit society. Perhaps it
will benefit a particular marginalized group in some way, and perhaps it will benefit the population
at large.

Literature Review

The literature review should be organized by topic area, not by author. One of the common
problems is that students will write an annotated bibliography, then copy/paste the information to
the literature section. There should be one important step taken after the annotated bibliography is
written; the information should be organized by topic area. Each topic area will have its own
heading. This way, the paper will have a wonderful flow of ideas, and there will be ample
opportunities to compare and contrast the findings of various research. The literature should be
presented in a logical fashion, with one complete idea followed by another complete idea. If this
section is written in the method of one study following another, it takes on more of a ‘stream of
consciousness’ feeling, which is not pleasant to read.

Sub heading

As in the Introduction, the subheading is left justified, bold face, and has both upper and lowercase
letters. It is easiest to organize the literature by topics that follow a logical order. Write the topic
areas from the topics that were discovered in the writing of the annotated bibliography. The
research that has been performed by other researchers needs to be synthesized,
compared/contrasted, and it should steer the reader toward a logical conclusion. Then the research
questions and hypothesis/hypotheses can be written. While writing this section of the paper, please
be mindful to use in-text citations. There are a few different ways of writing those, but probably the
easiest way is to state what some author stated in an article, and follow it with (Author, year). If
using a direct quotation, remember to use quotation marks and also include the page or paragraph
number with the intext citation at the end of the sentence (Author, year, page). Please note that the
in-text citation comes before the full stop.

Sub-sub heading. Notice that the third heading level is in boldface, uses upper and lowercase letters,
is indented, and is followed by a full stop. The writing follows immediately after the full stop. It might
not be necessary to use sub-sub headings, but this is how you would format it.

Research Question

The research question should be a logical step from the literature review. The literature provides
information to the reader and is a careful presentation of what studies have found. Do keep in mind
that it is important to list different views; not just the ones that support a particular thought process.
The purpose of the research question is to highlight the gap in the literature. This gap speaks to the
problem statement and the purpose statement of this research document. Ensure that the research
question is focused, built upon the literature, and provide a direction for the hypothesis. The
research question is not something that has a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. It is more along the lines of,
“Therefore, in light of the literature presented, there is a question that remains. What impact do
self-efficacy and financial support have on completing an undergraduate degree within three years?”
Design

Begin this section with an identification of the variables in the research and be sure to include the
type of each variable (ex. Independent, Dependant, Moderating, and Mediating). This is a logical
flow from the research question. It might be helpful to include a diagram of the study, showing the
relationship of the variables. Define what kind of design will be followed. Some common types are
Descriptive, Correlational, Causational, Experimental, and Case study. It is important to provide a
rationale of why a particular design was chosen for the study. The only variables that should be
included are what have been discussed in the literature review.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is the next logical step, and it indicates what the researcher believes what will
happen in the research. It is the prediction of the outcome. It is essential to understand that a
researcher does not have to be ‘right’ in the hypothesis. There are many well-written studies where
the outcome of the study was a rejection of the hypothesis! The hypothesis must be testable, and it
must only use the variables that have been defined. Use the design section to aid in writing the
direction of the hypothesis. In the hypothesis, define the expected outcome of the relationship of
the variables. For example, a null hypothesis would be written like this: H0. There is no difference
between the impact of self-efficacy or financial support on completing an undergraduate degree
within three years. While a directional hypothesis would be written like this: Ha. Financial support
will have a significantly higher impact on completing an undergraduate degree in three years than
self-efficacy.

Methodology

The first paragraph of the Methodology section provides an overview of how the research will be
carried out, and how the data will be analysed. The method may impact the results of the study,
therefore, it is important to adequately discuss each of the headings provided in this section.

Population and Sample

The population is the whole generalizable group that relates to the study. The sample is a
subset of the population. For example, using the study regarding undergraduate students, the
population of the study would be all undergraduate students in South Australia. This would be
impossible to speak with or give a questionnaire to the population, so a sample is needed. For this
undergraduate Aviation Project, it is acceptable to use a convenience sample. State an estimate of
how many people will be in the sample.

Materials

The materials section presents the items that will be used in the research. The instruments
must be limited in scope to only answer the questions related to this research. There are a number
of common materials, including questionnaires, observations, standardized assessments, interviews,
and analysis of data. Present the instrument that will be used, along with any information regarding
that instrument.

Limitations and Assumptions

Separate out the limitations from the assumptions. The limitations are related to the methodology
of the study. The following are common limitations: sample size, access to the sample, self-reported
data (for example on a questionnaire). Assumptions are those things that are accepted to be true.
For example, an assumption might be that participants will be honest in their answers.
Ethics
All studies that involve humans and animals must be conducted in an ethical manner. While there is
much necessary information to read about this topic, it is important to know that the first rule is to
not do harm. In this section, take time to show that you structured the study to ensure that the
research was ethical.

Procedure

The procedure section should be written well enough and detailed enough that a future researcher
could conduct a comparative analysis among a different population. Think in terms of writing a
recipe. How were people asked to be involved with the study? Was it necessary to ensure the
anonymity of the participants, and if so, why? How were questionnaires distributed, and how were
they returned to the researcher? How were interviews set up? Was audio or visual equipment
necessary, and if so, why?

Data analysis

In this section, define what kind of analysis conducted on the data, and provide rationale. It might be
helpful to look up ‘statistics decision tree’ to help determine what kind of analysis should be done. If
the study is a quantitative test, then set up an excel spreadsheet, and run the data analysis from
there (be sure to install the Analysis ToolPak, and VBA).

Findings and Conclusion

This section of the paper uses the analysis to answer the hypothesis of the study. There are many
questions that need to be answered in this section. By examining the study in its entirety, develop a
set of questions to answer in paragraph format. Some common questions are: What was discovered
in the research? Was the hypothesis rejected, or was there a failure to reject the hypothesis? Was
there anything surprising about the findings? The conclusion of the paper summarizes the research
and two important questions need to be answered: What impact does this study have to society at
large? Based upon this research, what future research should be conducted?

References
All references used in the document must be properly listed in this section and be written in APA 6th
edition.