PSY 240

Research Paper

Grading Criteria

 

 

Your research papers are due the week of April 19th. They are to be turned in AT YOUR SCHEDULED RECITATION THAT WEEK. Late papers will lose points (to be determined on an individual basis).  You will help yourself by getting a draft done early so your TA can look at it (Hint: if we don’t tell you to fix something, we can’t take off points for it later).

 

Your paper is worth 10% of your final course grade. Each paper will be worth a total of 40 points. Here is how those points will be assigned.

 

Introduction: 6 points (15%)

Method: 6 points (15%)

Results: 4 points (10%)

Discussion: 8 points (20%)

References: 2 points (5%)

Readability (e.g., grammar, flow, etc.): 4 points (10%)

Group evaluations: 10 points (25%)

 

Note:  It is likely that each TA will grade their section’s papers differently (i.e., Ben may be more concerned about the Results section than either Natalie or Tim).  We will NOT consider re-grades based on the argument that somebody in another section “only lost 2 points for XXXX”, etc.  If you end up asking for a re-grade, THE ENTIRE ASSIGNMENT WILL BE REGRADED AGAIN. This means you may lose points. We will do our best to be fair and treat each paper independently.  Again, you can avoid this by getting us a draft early to view.

PSY 240

Research Paper

Writing Guideline

 

Your total paper should be 4-5 pages of TEXT.  This does not include a cover page or a reference page if you have one (hint: you should have a reference page).  Your final paper must be double-spaced with one inch margins all the way around. Furthermore, use a 12 point BLACK font of any of the following: Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier.  Be sure to include a cover page with your name, paper topic (e..g, Gender and Jealousy), recitation instructor, and date. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF POINTS.

 

Below, we provide some sample headings that will help you to structure your paper.  As you’ll see in the grading criteria, a paper must have these sections in order to meet all the grading criteria.

 

Introduction:  What is the topic and relevant research done thus far on the topic?  Be sure to cite AT LEAST 2 references (THE BOOK DOES NOT COUNT, but you can use references cited in the book). What are your hypotheses (or hypothesis – singular)?  Essentially, lay out the research question in a sensible fashion.

 

Method: This is the part where you tell us what you did (e.g., administered questionnaires to….).  Typically, the following sub-headings are useful: Participants, measures, procedure. You should also include your measures in an appendix so we can see them. This will help us to evaluate your study in a more thorough fashion.

 

Results:  What did you find?  You should present some numbers (e.g., means, frequencies, etc.). MAKE SURE that what you talk about in your results section addresses your hypotheses!!! A graph or table of your findings might be helpful.

 

Discussion: Now, put it all together. Discuss your results in a way that makes sense. If you got no findings, give some reasons why that might be.  What is the importance of your findings?  What is the bigger picture?  Do you have any suggestions for future research (hint: have some).  Where would you suggest further research go in this direction?  Are there any limitations to your study (hint: yes, for example, they are likely all college students).  Why are they limitations?

 

References:  What work did you draw upon for your introduction (or any other section)?  Be very careful not to plagiarize (the University views this as a serious offense). When in doubt – cite the work!!!

 

PSY 240

Research Paper

Group Evaluations

 

A significant portion of your paper grade (25%) will come from group evaluations. All semester you have been working on your research project with others in your recitation section. An important component of group work is being held accountable for the contribution you make to your group. Given the amount of time most groups have spent getting these projects together, it is very important that we assess the contribution of individual members.

 

Each of you is REQUIRED to evaluate your group members (i.e., if you don’t, you will lose points). We will provide a handout for doing so. You are going to be asked to rate each individual on a 10 point scale. Your Group Evaluation score will come from the average evaluations made by each of the people in your group.

 

Here is essentially what the form will look like:

 

Your name: ___________________________

 

Please use the following scale to rate each of your group’s members. Note: We are NOT interested in how much you LIKED a given individual (i.e., please, NO grudges).   Just rate them pertaining to how they contributed to your project.  If possible, provide the first AND LAST name of each group member you are evaluating.

 

Compared to other group members, _________ contributed positively to our project  (i.e., contributed ideas, was available for meetings, worked hard, etc.).

 

           1          2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9         10

  Do not agree                             Moderately                                               Agree

         at all                                         agree                                               Completely

 

Group member (i.e., who are you evaluating?): __________________________________

 

Rating: ______

 

Group member (i.e., who are you evaluating?): __________________________________

 

Rating: ______

 

Group member (i.e., who are you evaluating?): __________________________________

 

Rating: ______

 

Group member (i.e., who are you evaluating?): __________________________________

 

Rating: ______