You should create a 15-20 double-spaced page paper (not including any appendices) reflecting your own original research. Papers should be in Times New Roman 12-point font, 1 inch margins, Chicago author-date style citations and references, academic-style tables, and include the following sections:
Abstract: An overview of the entire research project, generally less than 150 words. It can reuse some sentences from the body of the paper. This is not the introduction. Your paper should be able to stand alone without the abstract.
Introduction: A brief introduction (usually about 1 page) to your topic. Start with an interesting “hook” (story, example, statistic, or the like) to draw the reader in.
Literature Review: Explain prior research that has been done in this area, including controversies or inconsistencies. Reference at least 8 scholarly sources, and organize your narrative by theme.
Theory and Hypotheses: Explain how your research adds to, extends, or departs from prior literature. Provide specific expectations about the association between your variables. Lay out what statistical relationships you plan on testing (your hypotheses). Explain your general reasoning behind those hypotheses (causal theory). You must have at least three hypotheses.
Methods and Data: Explain where the data comes from. Discuss your population, sampling, validity of data, and reliability of data. Explain how your concepts are operationalized. Note any recoding or reformatting of variables. Please include a variable table like the one in Research Exercise #5.
Results and Discussion: Include univariate analysis for your IV/DV, and include at least 1 graph (e.g., histogram, scatterplot, bar chart). Show linear regression models in the form of the table from Research Exercise #7. Discuss regression results in terms of the three S’s (sign, size, and significance.) Explain your findings as they relate to your hypotheses (supporting or rejecting). Also, summarize in non-statistical language what your findings mean. Discuss possible explanations for negative findings. Avoid use of the word “prove”!
Conclusion: This is the ‘so what’ aspect of your paper. Why do we care about what you found? Provide a big picture takeaway and implications for future research.
Works Cited: Include at least 8 scholarly articles and/or books, plus other sources you might use such as news articles. Additionally, be sure to have an entry for your data source (WVS). Note that every item on your works cited page must be cited in the text at least once, and every item cited in your text must appear on the works cited page.
