- Introduction
- Briefly give an overview of the topic you selected.
- Briefly introduce why this topic is important and why you chose this topic.
- Body
- Summarize and analyze the main findings from the research you have gathered related to your topic. Organize your paragraphs by a common theme rather than writing each paragraph about a particular piece of research you found. While paraphrasing other researchers may be helpful in some instances, also consider adding your interpretations where possible. Define any terms that you are using that are specific to your selected topic.
- Build a case for your study. Is there a gap in the existing literature that you want to explore? Are there weaknesses or limitations in the studies you’ve found that your proposed study would remedy?
- Conclusion (1/2 – 1 page)
- Propose a set of potential hypotheses or research questions that your subsequent quantitative and qualitative proposals will further address.
- Don’t just simply tack on a set of hypotheses or research questions at the end of your paper. Your essay should lead the reader from the general view of the topic (in the introduction) to your specific focus (built up through the body).
- Minimum of 10 sources, 5 of which must be peer-reviewed, scholarly sources (e.g., journal articles, academic textbooks, etc.).
- Popular press articles (e.g., articles appearing in The New York Times, Washington Post, Time.com, PEW Research, Nielsen, etc.), while often helpful for adding context, do not count as scholarly sources. If you have a question about whether your sources qualify as “scholarly,” please contact me at robert.*********************.
- While you can use assigned readings in the course as sources, they do not count toward the minimum source requirement. Part of the goal behind this assignment is for you to get experience researching a topic on your own and then analyzing and synthesizing the information from those sources.
- Sources must be properly cited (both in the text and on the references page) to count toward this requirement.
- Note: you may not find sources that are about your specific topic. However, consider how related research might apply within the context of your topic. For instance, you might not find many published research studies that specifically focused on the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation through Facebook, but there are plenty of studies out there that have examined the spread of health-related misinformation through online channels.
- Must be formatted using APA style.
- Please see Content > Assignment Resources for resources related to how to format your paper using APA style.
- At a minimum, be sure to: (1) include cover page, (2) provide properly formatted in-text citations where appropriate, (3) if applicable, include a references page with properly formatted full citations for the works cited in the text, and (4) format appropriately (use Calibri 11 pt, Arial 11 pt, Lucida Sans Unicode 10 pt, Times New Roman 12 pt, or Georgia 11 pt font, double space throughout, 1” margins, etc.).