28 Dec Topic: Comparison and analysis of

Topic: Comparison and analysis of the two main parties in the US government.

HONORS GOVERNMENT RESEARCH PROJECT

What do we have to lose? Liberties, Rights and Justice in an Uncivil Society

PAPER FORMAT

Paper must be typed, double-spaced, 1” margins, 12pt. font, 6-8 pages in length and should include the following:

A. Cover Sheet

B. The body of the paper should be labeled with the following section titles/subheadings:

I. Introduction

II. Literature Review

III. Research question(s) or Hypothesis

IV. Methods

V. Findings

VI. Conclusion

VII. References

RESEARCH DETAILS-

I. Introduction – Describe what your topic is and why it is important.

II. Literature Review– The literature review (background research) tells what others have found out about your subject, what other research has been done.

Scholars always begin by finding out what else has been done on the question they wish to explore (or on a closely related topic). You can’t really enter a scholarly conversation until you have had a chance to find out what has already been said. This will help you know what kinds of studies have already been done, how they have been structured, and what questions remain to be answered. Find articles and/or books that report research similar to or related to what you plan to do. It is OK to plan a project that simply replicates (perhaps in a simpler form and with a more limited sample) a previous study. If nothing has been done in the area you propose to investigate simply find out what similar research has been done. Look for these studies in scholarly books or journals. It is important that your sources not be textbooks or articles in popular magazines. If your project involves analyzing popular magazines as data, then the magazines function as primary sources for analysis, but not as any of the scholarly sources which you must also consult.

Research Questions or Hypotheses – From the literature review, develop a logical argument that leads to the statement of your hypothesis or research question. This should not take more than a few sentences or a paragraph. For example: “Based on the previous research, we constructed the following hypothesis…” or “Based on the review of the literature, our study focuses on the following research question….”

III. Methods – The methods and data collection section explains how you went about collecting your data and analyzing it. For example, if you conduct a survey, address why you decided to survey the people you selected? How representative do you think those persons are of the general population? Explain how you operationalized your variables? (see class notes) Describe any strengths, weaknesses, limitations of your research design. (It is part of the scientific method to tell readers what the shortcomings of the study are.)

IV. Findings – This section includes your data analysis and interpretation. This is where you explain your analysis of the data. For example, describe the demographics of your respondents and any other information that helps the reader understand who you surveyed (# of males and females, average age, race, etc.) Describe your analyzed results. This includes percentages.

Include tables, charts, or graphs. Be sure to discuss tables/charts/graphs in the paper. Any material presented in a table or chart should be described – including giving all numerical values – in the text.

VI. Conclusion – Explain what your results mean in the end. Was your original hypothesis supported? If not, why not? What ramifications do the results have for society/politics? What suggestions do you have for future researchers to expand on the study?

VII. References: Sources should be included in a clear manner. Use APA. (go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ for information on how to cite sources APA style). Use scholarly sources, not popular magazines or mainstream news.

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