SOCI 4500 –Fall 2020Page 1of 3Sociology of Childhood and AdolescenceResearch PaperGuidelinesOverviewYour research paper is the culminating productof your research project. As such, your paper should effectively draw upon your interview data and references to other scholarly work to develop a solid research thesis,supported by evidence, concerning our understanding of childhood and adolescencein contemporary society. OrganizationConsider the following organizing outlineas you think about how to structure your paper. Thestudies we have read in class as well as your referencescan serve asusefulmodels for your own paper.Sample student papersare also available on Canvas.1.Introduction/Background: introduces the topic–including why it is important, summarizes connections to course readings and other scholarlyreferences, presents the paper’s research questions or areas of inquiry 2.Methodology: discusses how interview protocol was developed, how data was collected and analyzed, provides basic information about the interviewees3.Findings: puts forth findings supported by the data, including your interpretation of the data and, if relevant, alternative explanations4.Conclusion: summarizes the study findings and the implications of these findings for our understanding of childhood and adolescencein contemporary societyReferencesYou must have a minimum of sixreferences in your final paper. At least threereferences shouldbe from course readingsand threemust be original references relevant to your research topic. Although only six references are required, you are encouraged to cite more so long as they are relevant to and strengthen your paper. Your original references should be research studies, either published in scholarly journals, government reports, or other reputable research reports.Consult with me if you are unsure about the quality of a reference.You are free to cite other relevant non-academic materials (such as news articles); these must be cited correctly and do not count toward the sixrequired references. You may, with prior approvalfrom me, substitute course references for your own references. To do so, you will need to provide the exact citation, abstract or description of the reference, and a succinct reason for why this reference is relevant for your research paper.Your final paper should engage deeply with your references. In general, your references should: 1) help motivate your research topic (Why should we care about this?How have others framed this issue?), 2) assist in developing your interview protocol (What’s important to ask?), 3) provide a framework for analyzing your data (Are your findings from interviews consistent with your references? Why or why not?). SOCI 4500 –Fall 2020Page 2of 3Reflection MemoYou must submit a reflection memo along with your paper. The memo is your chance to reflect on the project. Questions toconsider include, but are not limited to: What challenges did you experience? What findings did you anticipate and what findings were unexpected? How, if at all, do you think your own identity influenced your research, particularly in terms of data collection and analysis? How, if at all, did your perspective about the issue you researched change as a result of the project? The memo should be no longer than onesingle-spaced page. FormattingYour paper should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman and single-spaced. There is no specific page requirement, but as a general guideline, your paper should be somewhere between 2,500-4,000 words(about 5-8 single-spaced pages), excluding the list of references, interview protocol, and reflection memo. Cite your references using the American Sociological Association style (guide on Canvas). Include a properly formatted list of references at the end ofyour paperand a copy of your interview protocol(s) after the list of references.Submitting Your Paperand Receiving FeedbackSubmit your paper as a Word document onCanvas by9pmDecember 7, 2020. No extensions will be granted. Please note in your research paper whether you wantwrittenfeedback on your paper (asentence requesting feedback at the bottom of your paper will suffice).If you do not request feedback, you will receive a final score for the paper (and sub-scores based on the rubric) but will not receive my comments.Academic IntegrityYour research paper must be your own original work(including data collection and writing) and must properly credit the work of othersthat you draw upon(i.e., properly reference non-original materials). Your final paper will be submitted through Turnitin, a plagiarism checking tool, via Canvas. Any violation of the University’s Student Academic Integritypolicywill be referred to the Office of Academic Integrity(https://vpaa.unt.edu/ss/integrity) and will be reflected in your final grade.Help withWritingAs a general rule, I will not read full drafts of papers prior to submission. If, however, you are experiencing a significant challenge with regards to your paper, you may make an appointment to discuss it with me during office hoursbeforethe deadline. Come to the meeting prepared to discuss the specific issue(s)and possible solutions.You can also make an appointment to receive writing help from the UNTWriting Center: https://writingcenter.unt.edu/. SOCI 4500 –Fall 2020Page 3of 3Grading Rubric(300 Points Total):DataCollection: 60points•Conducted a minimum of 3 interviews: 30points•Interview protocol and choice of interviewees correspondto research topic:30pointsData Analysis: 165 points•Clearly identifies a central research thesis, claim(s), or argumentconsistent with interview data: 45points•Develops clear and reasonable findingssupported by data: 75points•Effectively uses references throughout paper: 45pointsOverall Writing: 45points•Paper is proofread,free of spelling and grammatical errors, and references are properly cited: 15points•Writing is organized, clear, and concise: 30pointsReflection Memo: 30 points

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