Review of Research Papers PAD 305 Management October 2009

Review of Research Papers PAD 305 Management October 2009

Review of Research Papers

Goal: Ensure students can produce high quality research papers

Six Stage Strategy: 1. Conduct in class seminar on success in research papers 2. Weekly progress reports with technical assistance from the instructor

concerning topic selection, research strategies, etc. 3. Review of draft research papers by instructor – strengths identified to retain &

areas for improvement identified with specific recommendations to effectively address those aspects of the paper – 75% of students in Tuesday night & 55% of students in Thursday submitted drafts for review

4. Grading of final papers 5. Papers returned to students – specific written comments provided - keep these

as future guides/checklists for when you are writing your next paper (NOTE: I tended to focus on areas for improvement so my comments will largely be on what you did not do right or could do better – factor that in as you read my comments)

6. Post-class review with class of the major strengths & important needed improvements for future papers


Important Considerations For a number of students, this was their first research paper in the Public

Administration Program and first time writing to APA style and standards – we were working to “build the model” that you could replicate in future classes – it’s key that you absorb the lessons from this experience & carry them forward.

I saw solid improvements from a number of students between their draft and their final papers

You can and will learn the rules for success in research papers!


Strengths Excellent topics Well researched – most students not only employed peer reviewed

sources but some students conducted interviews with subject matter experts (collected & analyzed their own data)

Good content Valuable contributions to our understanding of major issues facing

public managers


3 Problems Students Can Experience with the Use of Quoted Material in aResearch Paper (these 3 were easily identifiable with the Turn It In technology)

Problem #1 The passage/paragraph is a direct quote (maybe multiple paragraphs or

pages) but there’s no indication that it’s a direct quote from somebody else No citation is given & the source for the quote is not listed on the reference

page for the paper (no citation/no reference) For quoted material (identical or highly similar – student changed a word

here or there), the rule is NO citation + NO reference = PLAGIARISM Someone’s else’s work has been stolen and is being represented as the

student’s work – this is a clear case of plagiarism A serious sanction will be applied (F or zero for the paper – could be F in

the course).Solution to Problem #1 – always cite and always reference the source for any

idea or quote that did not originate with you


Problem #2 The passage/paragraph is actually a direct quote and the citation was

provided and the source is listed on the reference page BUT it was not presented as a direct quote - direct quotes need to be clearly presented as such!

If it happened once or twice, that’s an oversight (subtract points for not following proper quote format – quotes need to be clearly identified as such)

If it is a pattern and the student did properly quote other quotes within the same paper but has a pattern of not properly quoting other quotes even though a citation accompanies them, then it may be being utilized as a shortcut to fill content using the author’s words instead of doing the harder work of paraphrasing/summarizing someone else’s thoughts in your own words

There will be a reduction in points or grade depending on the severity of the problem

Solution to Problem #2 - Either the passage should have been written in the student’s own words with the source citation provided to credit the author with the idea or it should have been presented as a direct quote also crediting the author of the quote


Problem #3Overuse of direct quotes or the paper is pretty much a series of direct quotes

(maybe even entire pages are simply direct quotes) They are properly cited and referenced so there’s no plagiarism or failure to present a

direct quote as a direct quote BUT the student is merely filling the content of the paper with a series of lengthy quotes and therefore, is not generating any kind of original intellectual product - they have a paper consisting largely of someone else’s thoughts expressed in someone else’s words – a research paper is someone else’s ideas largely expressed in your words

A paper is not a “cut and paste” exercise where students simply line up a series of lengthy quotes to fill most of the content of the paper – students were instructed to avoid doing this

There will be a reduction in points or grade depending on the severity of the problem Solution to Problem #3 – Utilize quotes strategically – employ them to support a key

point not express that key point (they are supporting actors not lead actors) – there should be less than 5 quotes in your whole paper – maybe only 2-3 per paper not 2-3 quotes per page – pay attention to avoiding looking like you are filling content and pages via quotes (it does not look good) - express the idea within the quote in your own words – do not employ the quote as a substitute for you expressing the main idea in your own words – yes, you may think that someone said it better than you can but it’s still your job to do the work of communicating that concept – moreover, the only way we improve as writers is to do the hard work of writing.


Major Priorities for Your Next Research Paper (these were common problems/mistakes for a number of you)

1. Structure - The Introduction informs the reader that topics A, B, C, & D will be examined. The Body then covers A, B, C, & D. The Conclusion restates/re-summarizes A, B, C, & D. The Intro is a roadmap for the paper. It specifies which major aspects of the topic will be examined and then the Body of the paper follows that roadmap. The Intro should do more than hint or give a general sense or provide a partial picture - be specific in your Intro about the specific topics. Then, these topics serve to structure the Body of the paper so the reader knows “hey, we are now discussing A”.

The reader should not be surprised to find new topics in new paragraphs but instead be able to follow a logical flow between expected topics in an expected order.

The Intro, Body, and Conclusion each serve a specific function. The topics under study should be clear & consistent throughout the paper from start

to finish. Employ lead in sentences to notify the reader of new topics being examined in

new sections as well as effective transition sentences between different topics.


Major Priorities for Your Next Research Paper (these were common problems/mistakes for a number of you)

2. Proofread/Edit – Identify and remedy any grammatical, spelling, sentence structure, or APA issues BEFORE I read your paper! (not an understandable mistake to make in the era of spell-check)

3. Sources – Source problems fall into different categories – a) Need to source all major statements (you may believe it’s true and can stand without a source but if it is not something that is accepted as common knowledge like “the Earth is round”, then it needs a source) b) Don’t have a major or controversial conclusion depending on only a single source – back it up with more than one source (Smith, 2004; Jones, 2000) c) Utilize peer-reviewed sources (it’s OK to reference an article from Newsweek as a secondary source on your reference page but papers need 6-8 peer reviewed sources – secondary or supplemental sources like magazines or newspaper stories don’t count towards the 6-8 required sources)

4. Follow the APA standards & style – for example, an internal citation is (Last Name of Author, Year of Publication) – it’s not last name only or last name, first name, year of publication – add page # is needed only when it is an internal citation following a direct quote

5. Need to develop key points – don’t just make a relatively quick mention of a key point and then dart off to the next topic - make sure the reader learns what they need to know – make sure the issue is given sufficient treatment and properly analyzed/discussed


Major Priorities for Your Next Research Paper

(these were common problems/mistakes for a number of you)

6. Abstract – it’s a 150 word summary of the key issues, methods of research, & major findings of the paper – make sure your paper has one!

7. It’s hard to explain best practices to a reader without giving any examples – a case study or two can help.

8. Avoid monster paragraphs – if your single paragraph is crossing multiple pages, it’s too long

9. If there are competing views on a subject and there are ALWAYS competing views on topics in public policy & public administration, please present them. Your instructors tend to be aware of the major competing views on topics in Public Administration and they will wonder why they are missing. Don’t just present what the specific sources you happen to have found say – make sure you cover the major aspects of each topic & significant competing views on the topic utilizing applicable research to do so.


Major Priorities for Your Next Research Paper(these were common problems/mistakes for a number of you)

10. Define the topic and then write the paper. It takes time, thought, and initial research to properly define your paper topic. Once you have successfully defined the topic under examination, the paper becomes much easier to research and write and more valuable to the reader. Problems with topic definition will tend to keep expressing themselves throughout a paper (hard to remedy without going back and redefining the topic) – effectively defining the topic is the crucial first step to success.

11. Organize your paper around topics not sources – the paper should not read like a series of “Smith said” and “Jones said” but rather it should include the research as accompanying discussion of each major point in the paper - the paper needs to be topic-driven not source-driven - structure your paper around topics not sources - sources support topics not the other way around.

12. Deliver on what you promised the reader – if you promised a discussion of the strengths & limitations of privatization of social services, then the paper needs to present all of the major strengths & limitations of the privatization of social services – if a major aspect of that discussion is missing when it should be there, the instructor will notice.


Good luck & best wishes for success on your next research paper!

Documents

Review of Research Papers PAD 305 Management October 2009