Research Paper Instructions
You will write a 6-7 page APA style research paper that summarizes research on any topic related to developmental psychology. The paper should cite and reference at least 5 sources of information that are specifically journal articles of psychology. You can only use sources from our library. This includes EBSCOhost and Library Catalog. Note that each source needs to be cited at least once and included in the References. The paper should be between 6 and 7 pages including the title page, abstract, literature review, conclusion, and references. You may choose any topic covered in the textbook to write about.
Be sure you use scholarly sources. If you choose, you may also use a few websites in addition to research articles. Some examples include: psychologicalscience.org, apa.org, NIMH.gov, NIDA.gov. To reiterate, this is in ADDITION to any research articles you obtained from the school’s library. You can’t use any “.com” because there is no one to govern the truth of many of these sites. This means you can’t even use wikipedia.com or any other “wiki” site!
The important thing to remember here is NOT TO PLAGIARIZE the information. CITE your references in EVERY paragraph, and USE YOUR OWN WORDS! Please do not copy word for word from your sources unless you put those words in quotation marks.
You must summarize what you have read using plain English. Do not write scientific jargon (such as lists of prescription drugs or the ingredients of drugs) that is not understandable without a medical degree. If you do not use all of your own words, and do not properly cite your sources, this is plagiarizing and grounds for cheating. This would result in a zero on the paper.
This paper is worth 100 points of your course grade.
Research Paper Rubric
The research paper will be worth 100 points and should include:
- Title page: Title, running header, author, institution, and date. (10 points)
- Abstract: Summarize the literature in 150 words. You should write this section last because it is a summary of the rest of the paper (10 points)
- Introduction:
- Introduce the topic of your paper: describe the major concepts (ex. What is aggressive behavior, stereotyping, etc.) and mention some general knowledge supported by research.
- Propose a thesis (i.e. Viewing violent media causes aggressive behavior) and state how you will attempt to validate it (i.e. I will attempt to validate this claim by summarizing research related to violent TV and violent video games). (20 points)
- Literature Review: Summarize research related to your topic: What have others written about the topic in scientific journals and scholarly websites? You should attempt to validate your thesis with the research you summarize. This is the major portion of your paper and should contain several paragraphs totaling about 2-3 pages. (30 points)
- Conclusion: (A) Restate your thesis, and (B) briefly summarize why it is supported (mention the main points). (10 points)
- References: list all sources used for the research paper in APA format. Proper spelling and grammar are used throughout. (20 points)
Potential Paper Topics
The subject matter of this research paper will be your choice. Your possible topic choices are, but not limited to the following: Alcoholism, Adolescent Eating Disorders, Alzheimer’s Disease, Biosocial Development, Biobanks/Donors, Cancer, Child Abuse, Cognition, Corporal Punishment, Cultural Differences In Child Rearing, Death And Dying, Depression, Developmental Theory And Research, Diabetes, Education, Employment, Families, Food Safety, Jobs, Kids, Learning Disabilities, Life Extending Drugs, Marriage, Mixed Race, Nature Or Nurture, Pain, Parenting And Care Giving, Placebo Effect, Prenatal Development And Birth, Sex Differences, Sexual Reproductive System, Sleep, The Single Parent, Transplants, Talk Therapy, Vitamins, Yoga, And Other Related Areas. Any topic we have touched on, even briefly, would be appropriate for the assignment.