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Final : Background Research Paper

Article by Judy Fisher:
How to Get an A

•4+ pages of good information, well written, in student's own words; you must know and understand what you are talking about.
• double spaced
•One inch margins
•14 point (Times) or 12 point (Helvetica) type (for PC) 12 pt for Macs
•Written in third person- NO YOUs (pts will be lost for yous!)
•Cite references for all specific information and facts that are not common knowledge, for all quotations, and for all research results. USE FOOTNOTE format
•Include numbered bibliography for all references used and cited; Place them in ALPHABETICAL ORDER!! No more than ONE encyclopedia article; include periodicals; include recent resources (last 5 years).

BIBLIOGRAPHIC SEARCH:
Locate books, periodicals, television references, web sites, and human resources which might help you learn more about your subject. READ about your topic before attempting to design an experiment. Write out bibliographic references in standard form for all resources used.
See the end of this page for standard bibliographic format. Before turning in this part of the assignment organize all references in alphabetical order by last name of authors. All references with NO authors follow the alphabetized references with authors. Those references without authors are alphabetized by the first letter of the first word in their titles. TV programs and interviewed consultants are listed last.




THE FINAL WRITTEN RESEARCH PAPER
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS FORMAT! USE YOUR CARDS!!

Introduction (minimum 1/2, maximum l page)
- Description of the problem being investigated; NOT a question.
- How (not why) the experimenter selected this problem; what reading or experience or process led to selection of this problem
- Why this is a useful/interesting/important question to investigate.
Previous Research in This Field Tie to Your Hypothesis
- What has been done by others in this field, or on related topics? This section should cite specific experiments, 3 or 4 that you have read about. For each include a short 3-4 sentence summary indicating what was done (the problem), what they found out (result, conclusion), and who did it. Be sure to give the reference information and page numbers. DO NOT list or give numbered steps.
This section is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT.
- Tie this previous research in with your project and tell how it led to or influenced your hypothesis. Include your hypothesis, and HIGHLIGHT your hypothesis in some way--boldface , or CAPS.
Techniques and Resources
- Write a synopsis of your experiment - NOT numbered procedures, but a one paragraph summary or general view of what you will do (revise after conducting the experiment to tell what you have done); what you might tell a friend about how you were going to conduct your experiment, but in more formal language.
- Describe the techniques that must be mastered in order for you to conduct this experiment, and a discussion of the resources and assistance that might be required.
Core Science Knowledge
- This section should include core scientific information that you need as background to understand the specific research papers and technical information that you used in planning and conducting your experiment. The information should relate directly to your particular research project, not be vaguely in the same area. This information should be derived from science texts, journals, other books and periodicals, web sites, encyclopedias, scientists and any other references you can find.
- This section should not be more than 20-25 percent of your total paper. Thus if your paper is 5 pages, this section should be no more than 1-1 1/2 pages. This is NOT filler; only truly necessary and related information should be included. You MUST understand what you write, and
be able to explain it in your own words. Look up unfamiliar vocabulary.
Conclusion
- Summary of key points that were made in above sections, NOT in same words--the take home message. Include relevance , key research leading to hypothesis (one of the three or four described earlier), and an ending or phase out.