Research Paper 写作指导

选择 Topic & 制定 research question

如果教授表明可以自选 topic 以及 research question，你可以这么做：

第一步：根据自身情况，挑选一个你感兴趣且熟悉的话题。比如：digital media, streaming
service, economic inflation, environmental protection 等。
第二步：选定大范围后，逐渐缩小话题。你可以选择结合当下时事热点或者目前社会所存
在的一些问题。比如：社交媒体改变人们互动交流的方式；通货膨胀对超市的影响等。
第三步：具体化你的话题和研究方向，包括且不限于 case study 研究对象，国家/城市地点，
年份/时间范围，研究群体等。

如何判断自己的写的 research question 是否合格？

学术类型的 research question 不会以 do/are/is/has 等方式询问。简单用 yes/no 就能回答的问
题不是一个好的 research question。 close-ended question

学术类型的 research question 应该以 why，how， what 等开放式提问的方式询问。

Bad Research Question: Is X or Y a better policy?

Good Research Question: How effective are X and Y policies at reducing rates of Z?

Bad Research Question: What effect does social media have on people’s minds?
Good Research Question: What effect does daily use of Twitter have on the attention span of 16-
year-olds at your local high school?

Bad Research Question: Has there been an increase in those experiencing homelessness in the
US in the past ten years?
Good Research Question: How have economic and political factors affected patterns of
experiencing homelessness in the US over the past ten years?

Close-ended question vs open-ended question

练习：
媒体是如何帮助政治家取得更大权力的？
How does the media (哪方面的 media) help （effective）politicians gain more
power （在哪场选举中）？

每天过度沉迷于 TikTok 是怎么样影响高年级的高中生的学术表现的？

中国游戏中的青少年防沉迷系统 是如何影响初三学生的学术成绩的？

Literature Review & Annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography 和 Literature Review 是不一样的内容，但两者也有共同点。

What is Annotated Bibliography? 什么是参考书目？ （论文前的准备工作）
An annotated bibliography is a list of the academic sources (e.g. books, journal articles, etc.) that
you used to research a topic in preparation for writing a term paper. In an annotated
bibliography, each source in the list is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph
of 4-5 sentences

proposal 提案

3 个点：总结 source 主要内容；评估 source 作者的主旨（支持/不支持）；

1-2 句话去写这个 source 为什么对你的 research paper 有帮助，在哪一部分有帮助。

What is a Literature Review? 什么是文献综述 （写论文中）

A literature review is a survey and discussion of the literature in a given area of study. It is a
concise overview of what has been studied, argued, and established about a topic, and it is
usually organized chronologically or thematically. A literature review is written in essay format.

research paper 的顺序：intro (topic background, thesis, roadmap)，literature

review，research
method，findings，discussion，conclusion，references，appendix

Research method

研究方法的数据一般分为两种类型: Quantitative VS Qualitative----primary data

Quantitative Data 数量

Quantitative data refers to any information that can be quantified — that is, numbers. If it can be
counted or measured, and given a numerical value, it's quantitative in nature. Think of it as a
measuring stick.
优点: 快速并容易得出结论，通常涉及统计等数据测量工具更高效且不易出错，可以重复
研究且大批量复制数据。
缺点：因为没有背景审查检索，信息可能会不连贯，数据比较浅显简单，仅仅关注于数字
可能也会忽视看不到的一些问题。

Surveys
A survey is one of the most common research methods with quantitative data that involves
questioning a large group of people. Questions are usually closed-ended and are the same for all
participants. An unclear questionnaire can lead to distorted research outcomes.
例如：街上的问卷调查，一般都会问你是/否，设定好的地点以及时间选项，满意/不满意
的程度等

Polls
Similar to surveys, polls yield quantitative data. That is, you poll a number of people and apply a
numeric value to how many people responded with each answer.
例如：西方政治选举期间经常举行民意 polls 调查预测哪位候选人可以胜出

Experiments
An experiment is another common method that usually involves a control group and an
experimental group. The experiment is controlled and the conditions can be manipulated
accordingly. You can examine any type of records involved if they pertain to the experiment, so
the data is extensive.

Or you can mix it up — use mixed methods of both to combine qualitative and quantitative data.

Controlled experiments, A/B tests, blind experiments, and many others fall under this category.
例如：为测评医疗药物的效果，做医疗实验的时候会把参与者分为：注射药物以及注射生
理盐水两种，然后观察他们的身体健康变化。

Qualitative Data 质量

Qualitative data analysis describes information cannot be measured or counted. It refers to the
words or labels used to describe certain characteristics or traits.

You would turn to qualitative data to answer the "why?" or "how?" questions. It is often used to
investigate open-ended studies, allowing participants (or customers) to show their true feelings
and actions without guidance.

优点：数据提供丰富且深入的见解，可以了解数据提供者的背景，对未来后续的连续数据
提供预测元素。
缺点：不涉及统计性的数据收集形式，主观判断比较多，可能会导致误导性的结论。

Interviews
An interview is the most common qualitative research method. This method involves personal
interaction (either in real life or virtually) with a participant. It’s mostly used for exploring
attitudes and opinions regarding certain issues.
例如：当想要做校园霸凌相关的实验时，可以采访不同学校，不同年龄段的学生，进行一
对一的深入采访，询问一下她们的想法，感受以及经历。

Focus groups
Data analysis by focus group is another method where participants are guided by a host to collect
data. Within a group (either in person or online), each member shares their opinion
例如：焦点小组访谈，成员之间互相分享自己的想法，经历
简短的范例：A sample of 1,178 middle school students completed a confidential peer
nomination form as part of a standard bullying survey. Students with multiple nominations were
interviewed by school counselors to confirm victim status.

Findings
注意！为保持连续性和流畅性，有必要重复 research question。之后就是讨论：你的数
据最后得出来的结论什么？

如果研究涉及多个问题，则结果部分必须分别与每个问题相关联。这确保了清晰度并最大
程度地减少了阅读时的混乱。

考虑以视觉方式表示您的结果。例如，图表、表格和其他数字可以帮助说明您论文的发现，
尤其是当结果中包含大量数据时。

对比数据你有什么样的发现也同样重要。
Discussion （reflection 反思）

很多学生会困惑，前面已经把该说的都说了，我还能怎么写呢？

Discussion 可以包含的内容：
回顾你的 topic 板块和你的 research question，你的结论是否和之前的 hypothesis 假设是
一致的？如果不一致，是哪方面超出了预料？整个研究过程是否有什么不足的地方？ 不
足的地方是否可以避免解决，怎么样解决？实验发现对该领域有什么样的贡献？这个结构
对后续的研究有什么样的帮助？

Conclusion
不需要任何的 citation，也不需要任何新的东西。

References
关于 references 请查看我们之前上课的讲义