Instructions sheet under the Final Paper Module. Be sure to follow all directions as indicated in the instructions sheet. The final paper draft should include all sections indicated in the instructions sheet. Page 1 of 2 Final Paper Instructions CCJ3300 For your final paper you will be reviewing and critiquing an article. You are to choose ONE article from the three listed in the “Final Paper Materials” module. Choose an article that you feel comfortable with and think you can write about. You will use this same article to complete each of the sections indicated below. Your critique should include an overview of the research question, methodology, and critique of internal and external validity as well as measurement issues of the selected article. Your paper should include the information below in the “Final Paper Guidelines” section. Please format your paper with the major headings included in the guidelines section (e.g., Sampling) and include all the relevant information within each section. Failure to adhere to formatting guidelines will result in a loss of points on your final paper. Please ensure that your final paper adheres to academic standards by abstaining from the inclusion of personal anecdotes or stories, maintaining a scholarly tone throughout. Please note that this assignment is not a review of the literature; instead, it should strictly adhere to the guidelines provided for the inclusion of specific sections. Although there is no length requirement on this paper, you should plan to write 6 to 7 pages (double- spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font). You should not use any quoted material in your paper. Keep in mind that I not only want you to provide me with the design and critique but provide an explanation. For example, it is not enough to say, “This paper is an example of deductive reasoning.” Rather, you must explain why it is an example of deductive reasoning. You should include the APA citation of your chosen article on the last page of your paper. Your paper should generally be written in third person point of view (excluding question 5b), and use the knowledge learned within this class to justify your responses. The paper should be written in paragraph formatting, bullet points will not be accepted. Final Paper Guidelines 1. Types of Research/Classifying Research a. What is/are the research question(s)? b. Summarize the hypotheses (if any) c. What is the purpose of the research? (i.e., exploratory, descriptive, explanatory) i. Why? d. Is the theorizing/explanation inductive or deductive? Why? e. What is the unit of analysis? f. Are the data quantitative or qualitative? 2. Strength of Causal Inference a. Does the basic design of the study meet the three criteria for establishing causality? i. Why or why not? b. Are there any specific threats to internal validity? 3. Measurement Issues a. What are the key concepts? b. How are the concepts operationalized? c. What is the level of measurement of the variables? d. Do the measures appear to be reliable and valid? 4. Sampling a. What is the population of interest? b. Does the sampling frame seem to be representative of the population? c. How was the sampling process conducted? Probability (e.g., simple, systematic, etc.) or non-probability (e.g., convenience, quota, etc.)? d. Are the results generalizable? Why or why not? (e.g., external validity) 5. Study Design a. Explain the basic design – experimental, survey, field research, content analysis, secondary analysis, etc. b. Critique the choice of study design to answer the research question: i. Is it appropriate? ii. Is it the best way or would you have done something different?
