Science depends on research, it’s how discoveries are made and theories are tested. Often it’s useful to pull together the findings from several different studies to get a more general picture of what’s been found within some particular area of inquiry. Do the various studies agree regarding basic findings or are there contradictions? Does one general theory cover all the relevant data or are there competing theories and interpretations? These are the questions a research paper is designed to answer by summarizing reports from a number of related sources. That’s the task here. You are to write a research paper on a specific topic from within one of the general topic areas listed.
Writing Your Paper
Your paper should summarize a minimum of three sources. It should be around five double-spaced pages in length using a 14 point font (nothing too small or too big). I also prefer half-inch margins. Given all that it should come out to around 1500 words. Since this is a psychology course I want you to reference your sources according to APA (American Psychological Association) style. More on that later. However, that is my only concern regarding APA style. Other than that, write this as you would any other paper for a course. You don’t need a title page, an abstract, running header or even page numbers. Keep it simple! But do remember to have a title and to put your name on it. 🙂
I would encourage you to work with a partner. That generally produces better papers as you edit each other’s work. However, I also realize coordinating efforts can be complicated. So, working with a partner is optional. If you decide to do so, get together early on so you can decide on the specific issue to research and plan how you’re going to divide up the work. Working with a partner should be a true collaboration, a joint effort. That is not the case if you write the first half, and your partner writes the second half. You’ll have to find ways to coordinate your efforts and pull it all together into a comprehensive paper. The requirements and grading criteria will be the same whether you work alone or with a partner. Partners will both receive the same grade for the collaborative effort. However, the way Canvas works each partner will need to submit a copy of the paper with both names on it to insure proper credit.
Regarding your sources, you should cite at least three, but you certainly can have more. Proper sources include textbooks, scholarly book chapters, peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, and legitimate videos from sources like PBS and Ted Talks. Use good sense and avoid Wikipedia, personal or corporate blogs as well as social media. The Cuyamaca LIbrary Resources page within this Module provides guides for determining if a source is legitimate, ways to search the college databases of psychology related journals and properly citing your sources.
In particular, you’ll need to cite your sources in the paper as you use them and in a reference list at the end of the paper. For APA style that means using just the last name(s) of the author(s) and the year such as ‘according to Jones (2024) …’ in the body of the paper. That’s it, nothing else. Any and all additional information goes in the citation in the reference list at the end. That should be alphabetical by author and each citation should contain all the information a person would need to find that particular source. Start with the name(s) of the author(s), then the year of publication, the article title, the journal title and the page numbers. Similar details if you cite a video. Simply providing a link or url address is not providing a reference. Those can change at any time and I may want to access the article from a different website.
I’ve also set up a voluntary, non-graded discussion board in this Module for questions about the research paper. I’ll monitor that and try to provide answers. But help each other out as well. Some of you are more experienced with writing this kind of paper than others. That discussion board could also be used to connect with a partner, exchange ideas, share resources and anything else related to the paper.
When writing your paper, your intended audience should be fellow students. Do your best to be clear and concise. Don’t assume any knowledge on the part of the reader. Define concepts and spell out acronyms the first time you use them. Even a non-expert should be able to easily follow along and understand the ideas you’re presenting. Although your paper should follow the basic rules of grammar and proper spelling, keep in mind that I’m not an English professor. I’m not going to be overly zealous or technical when it comes to matters of grammar. But it should be of higher quality than a text message. 🙂
The paper is due at the end of Week 15 by 11:59 pm Sunday evening. That’s the week before the final week, giving me time to read and grade them. There’s plenty of time, but the earlier you get started the easier it will be to find resources and pull them all together.
Choosing Your Topic
There are two general topic areas from which to select your topic. Now, you cannot address a large global issue effectively in 1500 words. So, once you’ve decided which general area interests you, you’ll need to narrow that down to a specific aspect of the larger issues to research for your paper. You can always ask for help in the Writing the Research Paper Discussion Board, or message me through Canvas Inbox, if you’re having trouble narrowing your topic to something manageable or finding relevant sources.
General Topic Area 1
In the United States there has recently been growing concern regarding the effects of social media on young people. A number of states joined together in a lawsuit against Meta, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. The U.S. congress is considering legislation to ban TikTok entirely. The government claims include national security issues, collection of data from children and teens, the prevalence of misinformation, foreign governments influencing public opinion and elections among the threats. When TikTok put out a message for users to contact their congressional representatives to protest and thousands upon thousands of children, teens and young adults did so it really didn’t help their case.
Social scientists have also raised concerns about social media. One claim is that social media employs aspects derived from gaming, such as particular colors and sounds, to stimulate the brains of users. In essence, the apps are addictive. A new term, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), is now used to describe the feelings of anxiety felt by young people when they don’t have access to social media. The images of people presented are often cherry picked, retouched and otherwise enhanced. They represent an unrealistic and unattainable body image, particularly to young females. The resultant rise in cases of depression and body dysmorphia has led to a significant increase in eating disorders. The representation of unhealthy choices and lifestyles to impressionable young people is another issue. Cyberbully poses an inescapable form of harassment for the victims. Finally, there are concerns about the effects on creativity, independent thought and critical thinking. The prevalence of anxiety, depression and suicide among young people are all at record highs. How has social media contributed to this?
For the assignment, pick one of these areas and examine what the danger might really be. Are the claims we hear from the government or mainstream media exaggerated? Is there scientific research to support that a danger exists? What is the degree of danger, the potential threat? Do the research findings match your personal experiences with social media? Yes, your own experiences are relevant to this debate.
General Topic Area 2
The Covid-19 lockdowns and the disruptions in people’s lives a few years ago had devastating effects on mental health and well-being. There were problems concerning stress, anxiety, depression, social isolation, addiction, drug abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse and education. Certain groups, generally those already disadvantaged, were disproportionately affected because they lacked the resources required to effectively manage all of it. For the assignment select one specific facet of all this that really interests you. Then extensively research the latest findings. Using those resources, write a research paper on what we have learned over the course of this experience. That means current stuff. What are the experts saying right now about what happened, how it was handled and the lingering issues still affecting people? I would suggest examining one factor and how it affected a particular age group. For example, what was the effect of social isolation on the normal course of social development among teens during the Covid lock downs? Or, what was the effect on academic achievement for grade school children as a result of distance learning during Covid?
Final Comments
I think there are ample opportunities here to find something of interest from within the two general topic areas. However, if there is some topic that you have a keen interest in and would like to research to learn more that would also be acceptable. After all, the best papers are always based on topics that students have a genuine interest in pursuing. Just message me by way of Canvas Inbox to get your topic approved.
