Set the Stage; State the Problem
(your introduction)
- Topic:
generally describe the topic and how it fits into your field of study
- Set the scene
Describe the environment and its conditions
Get permission before using personal information
- Introduce and describe the problem
Describe what you intend to show/argue and why
What is its significance?
Illustrate the problem with an interesting example
(Remember you are writing for an audience and want to capture their
interest)
- Begin to define terms, concepts, vocabulary
If possible, use one authoritative source or combine definitions and
footnote your sources
Later in the development of your paper, be conscious of using new terms
and their definitions
- Since tasks begun well, likely have
good finishes (Sophocles)
review the topic, scene, and problem with your teacher or supervisor to
verify if you are on the right path
Review the Literature
What research is relevant?
How is it organized? c.f.: Writing Center/University of Wisconsin's
"Review
of literature"
Develop your Hypotheses
Your hypothesis is your proposed explanation that you will test to
determine whether it is true or false
It will contain measurable variables (those that change or can be
manipulated)
with results that can be compared with each other.
Avoid over-generalizing, and reference the research findings of others to
support why you think this will work
C.F. National Health Museum's
Writing Hypotheses: a student lesson
Methods
Give enough information so that others can follow your procedure,
and can replicate it (and hopefully come up with the same findings and
conclusions as you did!)
- Describe your procedure as completely as possible so that someone
can duplicate it completely
- Define your sample and its characteristics
These should be consistent throughout the test
- List the variables used
These are what change, or that you manipulate, throughout the test
- Try to anticipated criticism that affects either your internal or
external validity
These might be considered "flaws"
Findings
This is descriptive and numeric data
Discussion
Develop your argument based upon your findings.
While the data may read for itself, you will need to interpret
- how it validates your hypothesis
- what falls outside of validity
- how it impacts the literature you cited
- where further research is needed
Conclusion
Restate and summarize your findings and discussion either in order to
simply complexity or to provide a summary for those who skip to it!
References
Verify with your teacher the proper format
Recommendations:
A research paper is not an essay, an editorial, or a story.
All assertions of fact must be documented.
Be careful of any generalizations that you make.
Strive to be value-free in your inquiry.
Review our
Guide on the Scientific Method
...it's worth stressing that the evaluation of your paper
will never be determined by whether or not your hypotheses are verified. It is
important to remember that a hypothesis supported by the data does not mean
that it is true as there conceivably is an infinite number of other theories
that lead to the same prediction. Similarly, failure of support does not
necessarily mean that your hypothesis is wrong: it may be hold true in some
populations, you may have incorrectly measured your theory's concepts, your
sampling may be flawed, etc. Philosopher Karl Popper, in fact, argues that
science is not a method for verifying hypotheses. Instead, all that science
can logically lead to is the falsification of hypotheses. In sum, negative
results can be every bit as important as positive ones.
1
Marvin Harris (Cultural Materialism
1979:7)
"facts are always unreliable without theories that guide
their collection and that distinguish between superficial and significant
appearances." 1
See also:
1.
Kearl, Michael,
The Research Paper,
Trinity University,
San Antonio, Texas, (September 17, 2004)
2. Online Writing Lab,
Writing
a Research Paper, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN, (September 17, 2004)
3. Torisky, Theresa,
How to Effectively Organize a Paper,
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, March 17, 1997 (September
17, 2004)
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