Structure of Final Research Paper
Goal: One of the key skills doctoral students can possess is that of becoming an effective researcher. One of the principal research competencies doctoral students can acquire is skills of search, that is knowing how to find information on any given topic, being able to efficiently access this information, target those information sources which connect to the topic of inquiry, and then decide which sources will be the most beneficial. The final paper is based on these skills of search–especially of databases– and your ability to proficiently apply them. It also involves skills of higher order thinking, decision-making, and communication.
The paper should use references from (mostly) psychology to examine your issue and discuss some of the key findings in the field and some thinking about these findings. The topic should consist of some form of behavior paired with a specific developmental stage (see Blackboard link for some topic examples).
The paper is, basically, a synthesis paper, that is you summarize key items from a variety of sources (journal articles, websites, podcasts etc.) and explain how they provide some understanding for your research topic. You can take, as an example, the opening sections (called Review of Literature) of many of the research studies under review this semester. These provide the context for the questions being examined in the study and help to place the study in its proper empirical perspective.
Organization of the Paper
• Title Page (1 page)
• Abstract (3 key words)
• Introduction– Reader is introduced to the paper’s topic. A basic introduction to the topic that includes its importance, its connection to psychology, and your interest in it. (2-3 pages)
• Literature Review comprising a discussion of at least five to seven diverse studies (research articles, reports, videos, websites etc.) that look at the theme. What has been learned about it? How have researchers treated the topic? What seem to be some conclusions that can be drawn about the topic? How are these findings best summarized and interpreted? (5-7 pages)
• Discussion, Summary, & Conclusions– What are some overall conclusions? How did the studies you selected change your thinking (if they did)? What future directions would you like to see the research on this topic go? What are the implications of this for education? For society? (2-3 pages)
• References (as needed)
*Note: Page recommendations are approximations. They may vary according to your topic and the individual themes in your paper.