Assignment 5: Final Paper (50%)
You will write a paper that describes plans to conduct a research project. This will be a project proposal and similar to a Chapter 1 in many Master's and PhD Theses. It is also similar to the first half of many conference papers (e.g., Introduction, Related Work, Study Method sections). To do so, read at least five papers in your research area. Frame a single new research question with sub-questions in the context of existing work. Create a plan for a research design in a single methodological tradition that is appropriate to answer your research questions.
Write a research proposal of a maximum 3200 words (this should be about 10 pages, but worry about word count) in SFU's thesis format. You can find the thesis format here. When you submit your assignment, please remove the front matter from pages ii to xii since it is not needed.
Include the following sections:
1. Introduction (~1 page)
2. Related Work (~2-3 pages)
3. Research Questions (~1-2 pages)
4. Research Objectives (~1-2 pages)
5. Methodological Approach (~2 pages)
6. Conclusion (~1 page)
Note that the structure above assumes that the research is oriented towards a 'research question/problem'. If your research is not oriented in this way, you will need to modify these sections to match the worldview and paradigm that you have selected.
Examples:
See Chapter 1s of these theses:
Note that many of the above examples are from Carman's students, so they fit a particular style. You can adjust the style of your own writing to fit what is typical for your supervisor or discipline.
Peer Review and Revision
You will write a draft of your paper and it will be distributed to the class for peer review. Each student must review one paper and provide written critique of less than one page (single spaced) (5%). Each student must reflect on the peer review suggestions and then refine the paper (5%).
There are some example paper reviews on this page here. They are focused on reviewing conference papers, but I think the general principles still apply. When you do your peer review of a classmate's proposal / paper, you'll want to assess each section and provide a critique including what could be improved and what is already well done. Look for issues of clarity, proper articulation of research questions, appropriate methods and methodology, etc.
To submit your paper for review:
We will be using a conference management system called EasyChair. You will submit your paper to EasyChair and perform your review in it. Reviews will be blind so the authors will not know who the review is written by.
Final Submission
The final revised paper is worth 40% for a total of 50% for this activity.
Your final submission should contain:
Submit the paper over email to carman@sfu.ca. The submission should contain the above two files only.
Grading
Peer Review Process (10%)
Final Version of Paper (40%) - for each of the following sections, you will be graded based on how well you addressed the above criteria
Writing quality will be assessed within each section.
Assignments over the word/page limit will receive a penalty of 10% or only be graded up to the word/page limit, at the discretion of the instructor.
RESOURCE ALERT! Drop into the Open Writing Lab (sorry, Burnaby and Vancouver campus only right now) for help with your writing. You can also schedule a writing consultation (available at all three campuses!) for a 30-60min discussion around time management and goal setting for writing, stages of the writing process, and planning for different writing assignments.