RESEARCH DESIGN-An Overview

Dr. James Daniel Steele, Assistant Professor

It is important not to simply "DO A PAPER." The objective of writing a paper is to provide developed ideas and thoughts as reflected in your efforts to collect, analyze and disseminate information on the topic that you have chosen. A research paper should also be enhanced with the evidence of your ideas.

An important first step is for you to write a research design, an exercise that is devised for you to outline the focus of your research, to clarify your thoughts on the major concepts and ideas (their context and development) that will be examined.

At the end of this exercise, you should have a better idea of what you are doing, how you are going to do it and/or whether you have access to the materials necessary to adequately answer the question that you have posed in your research. With these basic questions answered, writing the paper should be inordinately easier. What am I asking for?

Organization of Paper

I. Statement of the Problem

II. Research Question

III. Hypothesis

IV. Literature Review

V. Major Concepts (to be explored an utilized in your paper)

VI. Concept Definition

VII. Methodology (e.g.-time period you will explore, countries, issues)

VIII. Justification (explain why these countries, issues, time periods and not others?

IX. Data Collection (e.g.-books, journals, newspapers)

X. Chapter/Section organization of your paper (e.g.-)

XI. Bibliography-Tentative (include at least three WEB Sites and five journal articles)

5-7 pages