Your paper needs to be at least 1,500 words (references do not count towards your word count). There is no
maximum word limit. You will not be penalized for going over 1,500 words, but you will be penalized 10 points
if your paper is under the word count. You must use Times New Roman 12-point font, double spaced with 1”
margins. Only write your name at the top of your paper and number your pages. You need to use APA citations
which includes both in-text citations and a reference list at the end of your paper listing all the sources that appear
in your paper You do not need to include a cover page or running headlines. Your paper needs to contain all of the
following elements:
1. Introduction: Your introduction gives a preview of what you’re going to discuss in your paper. You should
not begin summarizing your theory in the introduction. Your introduction should provide your reader with a sense
of what he or she can expect to read in your paper. Strong introductions often talk broadly about communication
theories in general and then move to an introduction of the specific theory that serves as the basis for the paper.
The last sentence in your introduction should be your thesis statement. (1 paragraph)
2. Thesis: Your thesis statement should be the theme of your paper. Your thesis should tell the reader how the
various elements of your paper connect. Your thesis statement should not be a summary of your theory. Instead,
your thesis statement should explain how your theory can be used in a specific communication context (for
example, social media, business relationships, friendships, doctor-patient relationships, political advertisements,
etc.). Your thesis should be based upon your real-life section (#4 below) and your research section (#5 below).
Your thesis statement should only be one sentence long and it should be the last sentence you write in your
introduction paragraph. The rest of your paper will provide support for your thesis statement. You need to think
about how each section of your paper relates to your thesis and connect each section to your thesis as you write.
3. Summary of Theory: Your summary is an overview of your theory. Your summary should include a
discussion of the overall theory as well as the key concepts and assumptions. Write your summary for an audience
that doesn’t know anything about your theory or communication theories in general. You can draw from the
information in your textbook for your summary. However, you must paraphrase what’s in the textbook. This
means describe the theory using your own words and properly cite the information from your textbook using APA
in-text citations. Do not rely on direct quotations for this section of your paper. (approximately 2-3 paragraphs)
4. Real-Life: In this section of your paper, you’re going to show how your theory can be used to better
understand or explain communication that we see in real life. Think of this section as a way to highlight the
utility, or usefulness of the theory. You need to show how your theory is used in everyday life, either in your own
life or the life of someone around you. You need to discuss the key concepts of the theory and relate them to your
real-life example. Do not use examples from the textbook for this section or any outside resources. Instead,
discuss examples from your own life or others around you, just like you’ve done in your journals throughout the
semester. This section can be written in the first person and should sound more personal and journal-like
compared to the other sections of your paper. (approximately 1-2 paragraphs)
5. Academic Research: You need to find two scholarly academic research articles from reputable peer-reviewed
journals that present empirical research related to your theory. This means no newspaper articles, websites, books,
book chapters, conference papers or dissertations. These articles should be focused on the same topic or context
(which should relate to your thesis and your real-life section). Your two scholarly research articles need to test,
illustrate or apply your theory in a similar context. For each research study, you should discuss the methods used
in the study, how your theory relates to the study, the overall results, and how the study relates to your real-life
examples. Show how your research articles relate to the real-life communication that you identified in step 4.
Make sure you properly cite the research articles using APA in-text citations. In addition, do not rely on direct
quotations for this section of your paper. Paraphrase the information using your own words. (approximately 4
paragraphs total, 2 paragraphs for each academic journal article)
6. Conclusion: Your conclusion wraps up your paper highlighting your thesis and main argument. Your
conclusion should not introduce any new information and should echo your introduction. (1 paragraph)
7. Reference List: This is the last page of your paper. Your references are a list of all the sources that are found in
your paper, in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name. The reference citations must be in correct APA
format and contain all the required information. Your reference list should begin on a new page. All the sources in
the reference list must appear in your paper. The reference list does not count towards your word count.
