INTRODUCTION
[full title], in proper font
1. Opening paragraph(s). Introduce your topic, give the audience an idea about which area your research addresses. Define key terms here or at the beginning of your lit review.
2. Literature review of scholarly sources—what research has been done already and what
did they find? Feel free to quote or paraphrase the findings or break down the method of
particular studies, as long as relevant to your current research.
3. Transition into current study (significance of your current research + hypotheses explicitly stated)
In-text citation and page formatting (indentation, margin, font, line spacing…) in APA 7 required. Your introduction should be 3 pages minimum. Don’t have to use any lower levels headings (you can just let the paragraphs run on), but if you think adding some would give more clarity to the structure, feel free to do so.
METHOD
Your method section should go over 2 pages double-spaced (e.g., if you’re proposing a
simple correlational study, it could be 0.5 sample+0.8~1.5 measures +0.5~1 procedures +a
few sentences of analysis)
An outline that applies to most of you:
Method (L1 heading)
Sample (L2 heading)
Measures (L2 heading) (to discuss each measure in details, use L3 headings for each one). What measure(s) (e.g., pre-existing scales, your own survey items, demographic
questions, etc.) you are going to use? For which vars? Are they considered valid and reliable measures in general?
*Always try to reference pre-existing scales (standard scales, or other measures developed by some researchers in previous studies). If Cronbach’s alpha was reported, you can mention it as well. Don’t forget to cite the original measures from papers or websites/toolkits published online. Describe the kind of response scale the measure you choose or invent
based on previous ones (e.g., a 5/7-point unipolar scale, likert scale, Yes/No) and a few
sample questions (e.g., it includes questions like xxx and xxx). But don’t describe every single item—in real publication, it will be included in Appendix, not in the main body of the paper.
For some of you who want to do experiments, this heading could also be materials and apparatus instead of measures. If you are proposing an experiment and you want me to
run by your method structure, come to me after class or set up a meeting with me.
Procedure (L2 heading)—how the study is carried out
Statistical Analysis (L2 heading, one or two sentences would be enough for this proposal—the kind of test you want to run; the software where you’ll manage and process data)
I attached my introduction first draft, and below are her remarks on how to fix it, please go over her comments and fix first part.
Hi Sabrina,
1) this is quite below page requirement (3), so you’d expect some deduction in your grade. but it’s good to see some important components there.
2)You need to paraphrase the findings in your own words. In science we rarely direct quote anything b/c the wording itself doesn’t matter as much as the scientific content that is based on empirical rationalism.
3)You need to explain more the sources you cite, bc you are making statements with those sources—you show that your research topic is evidence-based, and there’s even more to be done and that’s why u propose this research.
4) You need more sources for sure. The lit review can’t be a lit review if it contains too few sources.
5)The second paragraph is something you’ll break down in method section. The thing is, with a few more sources, it’s easy to make it to above 3 pages. There’s too much you can say—now you are like having some of the bricks, but not very eager to construct the building. I do hope to see a strong draft of your method!!