RESEARCH PROJECT:
You will, as part of a group of 2 students, conduct a semester-long research project about a topic of your choice. The topic must be approved by me. With the instructor’s approval, a student can opt to pursue an individual semester-long research project. The research project would be graded on the basis to which it contributes to the literature and how well it is written. Research papers that represent original contribution to the literature, that would likely be accepted in a conference, and potentially publishable in a refereed journal will attract high points. Research papers that are just a repetition of work that has already been done or that contributes little or nothing to the literature will attract low points. You will work with me and the Teaching Assistant(s) throughout the process of writing the semester long research paper. Each group will meet regularly with the Teaching Assistant(s) or the professor at least once a week. Regular meetings with the Teaching Assistant(s) and the professor is absolutely essential for success in the semester- long project.
MEETING WITH TA/Professor (WEEKLY):
In the second week of classes, you will create a google shared folder where all research articles, write-ups and materials would be stored. You will share the google shared folder with the TA(s) and the professor. In the google folder, you will create a google sheet and name it “Agenda for Research Meetings”. At least 12 hours before the research meeting, you will submit a 1 paragraph write-up about the issues that have come up with your research that you would like to discuss, questions that you would like to ask, and any concerns that you may have. The write-up should be written on the “Agenda for Research Meetings” google sheet. Participation points will be awarded for meetings with the TA(s) and/or the instructor.
PRESENTATIONS:
You will give a 15-minute presentation about your research sometime closer to the end of the semester.
More details about the research paper will be given in class and/or on the course Moodle site.
CONTRIBUTION TO RESEARCH PROJECT:
Each student will write a report about their contribution to the group research project. The report should provide specific details about the tasks they performed and how those tasks contributed to the success of the project. In writing the report, they should talk about the task done by others and what lesson they learn from their teammates. Two reports should be submitted. The first report should be submitted on October 31 and the second report should be submitted on December 12. Reports should be submitted no later than 10pm. In case there is a report of free riding on the part of any group, the professor would decide on the appropriate action to take. This may include splitting up the group and asking the free rider to work on their own individual project. Other measures that would ensure fairness and preserve the integrity of the research process would be applied if the case of free riding is reported.
The TA and the professor’s goal is to help you learn the processes of conducting research.
I WANT YOU TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS. PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY ASK QUESTIONS AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK!
Intended Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this project, students are expected to:
- learn the processes of scholarly writing in economics
- learn how to receive and make use of constructive feedback to improve a paper
- develop effective writing skills through the use of drafts.
Recommended Text: McCloskey, D. 2000. Economical Writing, 2nd edition. Waveland Press
The research project should include the following sections:
(1) Introduction (should contains all the elements of an introduction including literature review)
(2) Conceptual framework/Data and Observation
(3) Empirical Strategy/Economic model
(4) Results and Discussion
(5) Conclusion/direction for further research
Stages of the Research Project
Stage 1: Introduction
Week 1 and 2 : Finding a topic worth pursuing
Please follow the following process before you meet with the TAs/Professor
I have an idea that I would like to work on. eg. The effect of trade on wages in the U.S manufacturing sector
To do:
Step 1: Did you check out the topic on google scholar? if Yes, good. If no, please do. [Link to google scholar]
The google scholar process:
How many papers worked on a similar idea as yours? [Get 5 of these papers and read the abtracts first, if you are not sure about the ideas in the paper, please go ahead and read the introductions of the paper]
On google scholar, you can also filter your search by clicking on since 2017, since 2020 or since 2021. This gives you the latest papers on the topic. If you are able to detect the most important/influential paper on the topic (you can use the number of citations as a guide here) you can go to the reference section to see what other papers have been cited and decide whether this papers are relevant to your topic. This is just way one. Alternatively, you can just rely on the closely related papers that google scholar pulls out.
Read this papers (roughly 5 papers that are related to your paper) closely paying attention to the research question and the contributions. Are the research questions different from your proposed research question? How will your contribution differ from what these papers have done?
Identifying the gaps in Research:
Also, identify the gaps in literature and how your paper could fill these gaps (examine the assumptions of the paper, the methods employed and whether there are other questions that the paper could not answer)
After checking google scholar, if it appears that the topic may not work: Look for another topic and repeat the process above all over again.
After checking google scholar, you are satisfied that you have found a good topic that may work: Submit a written description of your topic/ideas (250-300 words) to the TAs/Professor 12 hours before meeting them.
Include in your write-up you the research questions of the papers you have read, a summary of their contributions and the source of data used. Please list the 5 papers as references so that the TA/professor can also read those papers before meeting with you. Also include your own research question that you intend to investigate in the write-up.
Prepare to have a fruitful conversation with the TA/professor during the meeting.
Note: At this stage, you can discuss more than one topic with the TAs/Professor
Stages of the Research Project
Stage 1: Introduction
Week 1 and 2 : Finding a topic worth pursuing
Please follow the following process before you meet with the TAs/Professor
I have an idea that I would like to work on. eg. The effect of trade on wages in the U.S manufacturing sector
To do:
Step 1: Did you check out the topic on google scholar? if Yes, good. If no, please do. [Link to google scholar]
The google scholar process:
How many papers worked on a similar idea as yours? [Get 5 of these papers and read the abtracts first, if you are not sure about the ideas in the paper, please go ahead and read the introductions of the paper]
On google scholar, you can also filter your search by clicking on since 2017, since 2020 or since 2021. This gives you the latest papers on the topic. If you are able to detect the most important/influential paper on the topic (you can use the number of citations as a guide here) you can go to the reference section to see what other papers have been cited and decide whether this papers are relevant to your topic. This is just way one. Alternatively, you can just rely on the closely related papers that google scholar pulls out.
Read this papers (roughly 5 papers that are related to your paper) closely paying attention to the research question and the contributions. Are the research questions different from your proposed research question? How will your contribution differ from what these papers have done?
Identifying the gaps in Research:
Also, identify the gaps in literature and how your paper could fill these gaps (examine the assumptions of the paper, the methods employed and whether there are other questions that the paper could not answer)
After checking google scholar, if it appears that the topic may not work: Look for another topic and repeat the process above all over again.
After checking google scholar, you are satisfied that you have found a good topic that may work: Submit a written description of your topic/ideas (250-300 words) to the TAs/Professor 12 hours before meeting them.
Include in your write-up you the research questions of the papers you have read, a summary of their contributions and the source of data used. Please list the 5 papers as references so that the TA/professor can also read those papers before meeting with you. Also include your own research question that you intend to investigate in the write-up.
Prepare to have a fruitful conversation with the TA/professor during the meeting.
Note: At this stage, you can discuss more than one topic with the TAs/Professor