Research paper instructions
Research paper. The research paper is intended to provide you with the opportunity to more fully explore your class discussion topic, as well as examine it from a more empirical perspective. Details of the requirements for the assignment are provided in this document. The paper should be approximately 10 pages in length [not including a cover page or references]. It should consist of at least 3 empirical research articles from reputable biomaterial journals [acceptable journals include: Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Biomaterials, Acta Biomaterialia, Journal of Biomechanics, Journal of Materials Research, Textile Research Journal, Journal of Vascular Surgery, Circulation, Journal of Cardiac Surgery, Journal of Biomaterials Applications, Artificial Organs, Journal of Medical Devices, Macromolecules Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Nature, Nature Materials, Science]. Inclusion of materials from popular magazines or the web can be used in the paper, but do not count toward the article requirement. You should strive to find articles from the past five years. You are also required to attach the first page [that includes the abstract] of the articles to the end of your paper. The paper will be written in APA style for review articles [see canvas for a hand-out regarding APA style that should be followed for this paper]. The final paper is due on November 2nd.
Research paper instructions:
The paper is required to be written in APA style for review articles [see canvas for APA style guides]. It should consist of at least 3 empirical research articles from reputable journals. Rough drafts are welcome for feedback [must be given to me at least one week before paper is due].
Things to do list:
- Try to find review articles and other basic information to use for background [outside of what is provided in textbook]
- Find 3 empirical articles [papers have method/results sections]
- Write the paper
- Background information to topic; research question/hypotheses
- Describe/summarize empirical articles
- Critically analyze topic; synthesize findings from articles
- Propose future directions/research [be as specific as you’d like]
Requirements:
- The 3 “empirical papers” must have methods/results You may use as many extra review articles or other empirical articles as you would like, but there must be at least 3 studies that are discussed and critiqued in detail.
- Describe the background, method, results, and conclusions of the 3 empirical
- Provide your own “take” on the topic in the form of a critique and future research You MUST show that you have gone beyond a summary, and have critically thought about the topic.
- The paper must be written in APA There are 2 primary ways you will use APA formatting: referencing and use of section headers.
- Referencing must be in APA style. Please see below for details. You can use your textbook as an example of how to Any ideas or conclusions that are not your own [information that you have learned], you must cite.
- Section headers are required in your paper. These should be descriptive of the paragraph[s] in that section [e.g. “Mechanical Strength of hip implant” then “Degradation characteristics of the hip implant”, etc.]. The headers should be italicized and on their own line.
- There is not a page requirement or limit, but typical papers are approximately 10 pages, double-spaced, 12-pt font, with additional, separate title page and reference page. Please include page Other APA style formatting, such as running heads or an abstract, are not required but welcomed.
- Reference page: Only include references of papers that YOU have read. If you have any questions about how to correctly cite a source, please ask, but also see information below, or follow your textbook’s examples at the end of each section!
- Attach the 1st pages of your 3 empirical papers to the back of your paper so that I can read the Other abstract pages are welcomed but not necessary.
Grading scheme includes:
Content: 40 pt
Full explanation of topic Introduction to topic
Background, method, results, conclusions of 3 studies Conclusion to paper
Depth of thought: 30pt
Provided own conclusions and thoughts Critical analysis of research
Provide future directions
Clarity: 20pt
Written in clear and understandable language Logical order
Provides connections among papers Succinct language Grammar/Technical aspect:
APA style / other requirements: 10pt Includes section headers
Referencing within paper
Reference page at end [with all references from paper] Attached 1st page of empirical papers
Specific APA style information:
Components of paper
Title page: Name, title, class, section, date Body [use headers where appropriate]
References: end of paper with centered title “References”
Margins – One inch margins are required on every side. [File > Page setup]
Spacing – Double-spaced
Font – Times New Roman, 12 point
Page numbers – Make sure to put page numbers at top right corner of every page [in
header]
Good writing tips
USE OTHER LITERATURE REVIEWS AND ARTICLES AS A GUIDE
QUOTATIONS: Quotations should generally not be used. VOICE: AVOID 1ST PERSON [GALVAN, 2004, P. 54]
Ex. Improper “voice” for academic writing
In this review, I will show that the literature on treating juvenile murderers is sparse and suffers from the same problems as the general literature … Unfortunately, I have found that most of the treatment results are based on clinical case reports of …
Ex. Suitable “voice” for academic writing
The literature on treating juvenile murderers is sparse and suffers from the same problems as the general literature… Most of the treatment results are based on clinical case reports…
AVOID SLANG. USE PROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE
“conducted a study” instead of “did a study” “examined” instead of “looked at”
“utilize” instead of “use” [where appropriate] “great deal” instead of “a lot”
“furthermore” instead of run-on sentences
ORGANIZE THE PAPER BY TOPICS NOT CHRONOLOGY: Build paper with a clear thesis. Good writing should provide clear and organized evidence for your argument or theory.
BE CONSICE: Delete unnecessary words, phrases, and sentences to drastically improve your writing. Scientific writing is concise and to-the-point!
REVISE AND REWRITE: Good writing takes hard work. Give yourself enough time to take a break from the paper. Time away from the paper provides perspective regarding organization and allows the opportunity to find technical errors.
REFER TO THE TECHNICAL WRITING GUIDE
