This topic will be about
Racial & Ethnic Inequality
RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINE
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
What topic are you discussing?
What is the problem/issue?
Why are you discussing it? (So, What?)
Why should your audience listen? (Who Cares?)
Thesis Statement (focal point of your paper) Underline and Bold
LITERATURE REVIEW
What scholars/experts have said about your subject?
What is the current thinking/findings of the problem?
Minimum of six scholarly references (Wikipedia is NOT considered scholarly work).
Primary References Only (No URL or http references)
What conclusions or recommendations do the experts offer?
Does your position agree/disagree with the scholars?
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Identify a theory or paradigm (or both) you feel best aligns with your topic and position.
Identify a theorist aligned with the selected paradigm or theory.
Why your selection best represents your assumptions?
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
Discuss insight into problem/topic.
What did you conclude?
Tie your conclusion back to the statement of the problem.
What issues remain unsolved.
What needs to be done to change/improve the problem.
2
What gaps remain.
What new questions should be asked?
REFERENCES
References must be primary or secondary sources.
Primary sources are first hand reports or observations from research. Secondary sources
are descriptions or summaries of another person’s work. Textbooks are secondary
sources. References should be in alpha order by the author’s last name.
APA format is required. Refer to the 6th edition of American Psychological
Association Manual. Below are links to two of many websites for APA style writing:
http://www.apastyle.org/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Example of correct APA citation:
Rodriguez, N. (2005). Restorative justice, communities and delinquency: Whom do we
reintegrate? Criminology and Public Policy, 4,103-130. doi:10.1111/j.1745-
9133.2005.00010.x/full
Example of incorrect APA citation:
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2005.00010.x
Research Paper Requirements: APA format; 8-10 pgs. (not including title and reference
pages). Times Roman 12 pt. font; double-spaced; grammar/spell checked; pages
numbered, and stapled. Do not print double-sided.
This is a formal paper. Do not write as if you are speaking Do not provide a link to a document. Download the document and use the
primary or secondary source only.
Do not copy large blocks of information from any source. Your professor is more
interested in reading how YOU interpret what you have read.
Use quotations sparingly. If you use quotations you must use “quotation marks”
around the words copied. Cite the author, year, and page number for in-text
citations (e.g., Brown, 2019, p.363). Dates, statistics and/or direct quotes must be cited.
Do up-front research on “how to write a thesis statement”.
Your thesis statement is the focal point of your research paper. The thesis statement tells the reader (me) what your paper will be about. TAKE A STAND ON YOUR TOPIC.
Be careful not to make your topic too broad. Be as specific as you can.
Once you have selected the topic, problem, or issue, the thesis statement states specifically what you will address and why. TAKE A STAND ON YOUR TOPIC.
Follow the research paper outline to develop your paper.
Feel free to start your thesis statement in the following manner. “In this paper, I intend to show…; or “The purpose of this paper is to …” These are examples and not requirements.
