- Structure of the paper. The paper should be double-spaced. It should be around a minimum 9 to maximum 12 pages, NOT including a required reference page. You are not penalized for writing less or more- this is just a guideline to help you understand how comprehensive your answers should be. Put your name, panther ID, Paper title and date (single- spaced) in the top left corner. Set up a separate reference page at the end. A title page and abstract is not required, and they will not count toward the page/ word total. The margins should be no more than 1 inch (do not use wider margins or tab after numbering the question; that just highlights that you are trying to take up space). The font should be Times New Roman and no larger than size 12. The paper must be submitted using Microsoft word; wpd, txt or other formats will not be accepted. Please see the provided examples of a guide on how to set up your research paper.
- Answer what is being asked. To answer each question, just put the number and the response. DO NOT rewrite the question or put a lead in discussion, abstract or introduction. DO NOT use first person or a conversational style. DO NOT include personal opinion or content beyond the course or peer reviewed research. This is an academic paper and should be approached as such. This will be considered evidence of not following instructions.
- Provide analysis. For every question (this means the three questions within question sets numbered 1, 2 and 3; total of 9 questions) you need to begin by clearly defining the concept/ term being asked about. This means not only do you cite the one or two sentence definition from the text, but go further and fully explain the concept using your own words. Fully illustrate what the concept/ term is and its broad application in society or various contexts.
- Apply concepts to content. After you have provided a comprehensive definition, then illustrate its application to the video/ article assigned with this Research Paper. Discuss the evidence in this video/ clip that does or does not support the term/ concepts meaning as outlined in the textbook research. Be sure to fully explain how the content you selected from the video/ article supports or refutes the research outlined in the textbook or peer reviewed articles. Do not simply give the example without linking it to the research you have put forth.
- Integrate external research. For the question that asks about the external/ peer reviewed research, you must include an article that comes from a peer reviewed journal outside of the course. For information about finding peer reviewed journals go to RESEARCH RESOURCES in the RESEARCH PAPER section of the course.
Once you have found an article that directly relates to the questions being asked, illustrate how the research findings in the article support or refute the question. This means that you must outline the research study focus and findings. What did the study do, who were the subjects and what did they find? This should be clearly spelled out and integrated into your answer. Just providing an overview of the abstract is not enough. Integrate the research study findings with the examples you are using. Clearly show the applicability of the study is in terms of further explaining what is happening in the video/article. Discuss these findings in the context of the question being asked; this means that you must link your answer to the broader question.
- Review your paper. Be sure to check your paper for grammatical and spelling errors once you are finished. Also, be sure that you have used APA style correctly. APA style guides have been provided for you in the RESEARCH RESOURCES file located in the RESEARCH PAPER section of the course. Also, ensure your paper is reflective of your own work. If an assignment is more than 15% copied as shown by Turnitin.com- including if it is properly cited- students will automatically be given a zero on this assignment AND will have an additional 10 points deducted from their total grade (equivalent of the extra credit total).
- Submit your paper correctly. Be sure to submit your paper in the appropriate link located in ASSIGNMENTS. Dr. Stephens does not accept papers sent in after 11:00pm so be sure you have gone through the instructions carefully. Failure to submit your paper properly for ANY REASON will mean your paper was not turned in.Out of fairness to students who submit their paper by the 11:00pm deadline, late papers, incorrect versions or missing sections will not be accepted for ANY reason. This means students who fail to submit their assignments correctly considered to not have turned their work in (e.g. file with just gibberish, wrong format, wrong version, email to Dr. Stephens’ regular FIU email account).
- Reviewing your grade. It usually takes 2- 3 weeks for your paper to be graded, due to the large number of students in the course. You will be provided with brief general feedback on your research paper in GRADES. Students are encourage to meet with Dr. Stephens if they would like detailed feedback.Please note that students cannot submit on a topic they have previously submitted a paper for.
