PAPER GUIDELINES –
The research paper assignment is intended to expose you to scientific writing and research in an area of
human development. The DUE DATE for the paper is at or before midnight on April 21, 2023. The paper
is worth a total of 50 points. The submitted paper must be the student’s own, original work.
For this assignment you will read, summarize, and comment on an approved research article. (I attached the article I chose) The
summary is worth 20 points. It must be a minimum of 100 words and include: 1) and introduction to the
topic a description of the primary purpose of the research (4 points), 2) a description of the research
methodology/design used in the study (8 points), and 3) a description of the main findings and why they
are important (8 points). The comments are worth 30 points. There should be 5 separate comments in
total and they should be numbered 1-5. Each comment is worth 6 points. Comments must be thoughtful
and “scientifically meaningful”, meaning they cannot simply be your opinion about the paper/topic or a
personal anecdote that is related to the topic. Instead, they should include things like: a) implications for
the findings, b) possible follow-up studies, c) suggestions for improving the design of the study, d)
connections between the study findings and other topics discussed in class, etc.
There are sample papers uploaded to Blackboard where you can see examples of comments. (also attached a good sample paper)
Additionally, there are several pre-approved research articles uploaded in Blackboard. Select one of
these as the feature articles for your end-of-the-semester paper.
As stated, the submitted paper must be the student’s own, original work. Papers will be submitted
through Blackboard and screened for plagiarism and AI. Suspected instances of plagiarism or AI will be
handled according to the University’s policies for academic misconduct.
NOTE: IF YOU EVER USE A DIRECT QUOTATION FROM ANY READING THAT WAS WRITTEN BY SOMEONE
ELSE, YOU MUST USE QUOTATION MARKS TO INDICATE THAT THOSE WORDS ARE NOT YOUR OWN.
FAILURE TO DO SO WILL BE CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM. HOWEVER, YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON QUOTES
TO SUMMARIZE ANOTHER’S WORK. Always use your own words whenever possible.