1. Writing Style: Academic style；
2. Research Essay Structure: The research essay should have the
following contents:
§ State the topic and research question(s) of the proposed
research project, and explain why it is relevant (for science, for society, or
for you personally).
§ Discuss the main theories and perspectives you found in the literature. Explain
how they relate to your research question. Are there different / contradicting
viewpoints in the literature?
§ Explain what reasons researchers
give to support their theories / perspectives, what empirical evidence there is, and to what extent the different
theories/ perspectives are supported or contradicted by this evidence.
§ Contextualize the topic of your
research essay by discussing how it relates
to your personal experience, to experiences of people you know, or reports and stories that you found in the
media.
§ Sum up the main points and state
your conclusion regarding the research
question. If you believe the evidence is inconclusive and the question cannot
be answered in a definitive way, please state this. You also have the option to
formulate your own ideas regarding the question or suggest future directions
for research.
§ Report the count of all words in the document body (excluding title page and
references).
§ List the references in alphabetical order and APA 7 citation style.
3. Marking Criteria: Literature review 50% of the research paper grade, the quality of argument structure and critical analysis (40%), as well as language quality, writing style, and references (10%);
4. Detail of marking:
§ Literature review: A large amount of relevant
literature is discussed in great depth; highly relevant theories and
perspectives are extracted comprehensively from the literature; there is an
excellent critical comparison of different theories; empirical evidence is
discussed in great depth; structural variables and frameworks have been
identified in great depth.
§ Argument Structure and Critical Analysis: There is a clear and highly convincing logical argument structure and seamless coherence; engaging and highly relevant illustrative examples and contextualization is given; a convincing logical conclusion is drawn from the evidence, and own theoretical deliberations or proposals for future research are discussed; there an excellent critical and analytical treatment of the topic.
§ Language Quality, Writing Style and References: The
language quality is excellent; the writing style is concise, expressive and
elegant; citations and referencing are flawless.