REWRITING CONVENTIONS	WRITING CONVENTIONS	TOPICS SPRING 2005	MARCH 1  UPDATE
	INITIAL INFORMATION	TIME GUIDELINES &  OTHER INFORMATION	PRIOR EXAMPLES

YES, TIME FLIES!   DUE APRIL 19: FINAL PAPER DUE MARCH 29: INITIAL DRAFT

REWRITING CONVENTIONS

What a VERY interesting group of papers. I learned a lot by reading them.

I have graded all papers that I received. If you elect to rewrite, I will only count the higher grade (I will not average the grades or anything like that). However, if you decide to stay with the original grade, just let me know.

ALL papers are due April 19 (Tuesday), whether you elect the rewrite option or you do not.
At that time, please give me a floppy disk or CD with your paper on it, too.
 
 

WHEN YOU RECEIVE BACK YOUR DRAFT:
Don't be disturbed by my pink or yellow marker. I do this the first time I read your paper to highlight what I think are your major points.

Do pay attention to my notations in regular ink. I usually jot these by the side of the paragraph. Please carefully consider these comments as you revise. Also if I have enclosed any typed comments, please look these over.

Work that is referenced in the text of your paper needs to be cited in your bibliography.

Be sure to check out the writing conventions, listed immediately below.
Did you see grammar corrections? Some of the common ones are interchanging "affect" (a verb, as in "the treatment affected the results") and "effect" (a noun, as in "the effect of the treatment was...") and the proper use of apostrophes. "it's" is a contraction of "it is". "its" is a possessive as in "its skin was pink".

Was your paper TOO LONG? That's the easiest to fix. When I write a first draft, I typically put in everything that might be relevant. I prune a lot of content out when I rewrite.

Was your paper consistent? Did you accomplish what you stated you would do in the introduction? Was the content of the paper on the same topics and issues as your introduction? If you got off the track, what is helpful is to print your introductory paragraph (what is the topic, why is it important, what will your paper add to our knowledge) and tape it above your computer monitor as you write.

SEE THE GENERIC PAPER WRITING TIPS HERE TOO.

In this section, I provide some writing tips. A few are "must do" (tell me your topic, its importance, and what you specifically will do in your paper--and please do so in the first 1.5 pages), most are optional. They should, however, help in writing a better paper.
 

GENERIC WRITING TIPS

These suggestions may also be useful for preparing manuscripts for conferences and publication.

• MUST DO: WHAT IS YOUR PAPER ABOUT?

I assure you that I am absolutely CRAZED on this issue. Your paper competes with a veritable sea of print including conference papers, book chapters, and journal articles. Almost no one is going to tread through 5 or 6 pages (sometimes more) to discover the topic of your paper. After your introductory paragraph that addresses these three issues, THEN it is perfectly OK to proceed with literature reviews, etc, but let your reader (that includes me) know what your paper is about and why that topic's important.

To say your topic is "important" can mean many things. It could address an intellectual issue (for example, a new definition of cohesion to make the construct less "messy"), an extension of prior research (e.g., applying shared mental maps to tennis teams), or a social or professional issue or problem (e.g., how can we reduce teacher turnover? how can we harness the the group dynamics in youth gangs for good causes?). So, there isn't just ONE definition of "important", and choose the dimension that works the best for your project.

As a side benefit, doing so will allow you to organize more succinctly. Obviously if parts of your paper do not relate to this first paragraph, then they don't belong in this paper. No matter how much you love those sections, write ANOTHER paper and stick them in there. That's one nice aspect of word processors.

• MAKE YOUR MANUSCRIPT APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE

For example, if I present religious congregation data in a Social Psychology paper session, I emphasize concepts such as cohesiveness and "Groupthink" rather than materials that focus most heavily on religion. If I present at a conference for the study of religion, I reverse my emphasis.

• BE SELECTIVE

• PRIORITIZE WHAT YOU PRESENT

• ORGANIZE

Working from outlines helps organize your ideas and the order in which you present them. It also helps you to remember to include everything that you wanted planned.

Remember that each paragraph should be about one main idea. Beginning and ending sentences make the transitions between paragraphs easier for your reader.

Have a comprehensive introduction. THIS MEANS AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PAPER! Your introduction, in a few paragraphs, should tell your reader what your paper will be about, why the topic is important to study, and the order of the subtropics that you will examine (see point one).

• BIGGER IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER

• THE SPELLING & GRAMMAR THING

• REFERENCES AND CITATIONS

Within the text, identify your reference: use the author(s)' last name(s) and the year of publication, enclosed in parentheses. If there are two different authors with the same last name, add a first initial. If an author has two cited works the same year, distinguish them by "a" and "b".

For the last 25 years or so, APA style does NOT distinguish by the gender of the author. BOTH male and female authors are designated by initials, not their first names (the old practice of only using first names for female authors functioned more like a red flag than a courtesy and the APA dropped this decades ago.)

For example, you have two authors with the surname of Jones, Arlene Jones and Jerry Jones. Arlene Jones published two articles in 1999 and you want to cite them both. Here's my brief example with citations:

As Arlene Jones reported in two separate studies (A. Jones, 1999a; 1999b), sociable dogs run in packs. However, Jerry Jones (J. Jones, 1985) has reported that this is not true for "Alpha dogs."

The basic idea is that if someone reads your paper and wants to read any of your references, the complete information should be given to enable your reader to easily do so.

We have a wide range of interesting topics this semester. I have indicated them below, combining your written precis and your descriptions of your project in class, discussion and through email. I recognize that some of these topics, if not due to change, will be "tweeked" considerably. As I receive new information, I will update the table.

If it looks like you have a "soul mate" with similar interests, don't be shy! Alert this person in class or through email (everyone's garnet or mailer email can be found in Blackboard under "Communication.") This doesn't necessary mean you will work together, but you may wish to share literature of interest or other findings that you have explored.

When you look at your précis, you might see just an "OK, go ahead." In a couple of cases, I have indicated that you need to contact the Human Subjects Committee immediately! This is especially the case if you plan to use data you collect for a comprehensive or qualifying exam, thesis or a dissertation. (A few students already have Human Subjects approval in this case.) In a few other cases, I have expressed some concern that your project reflect course material in some form. This could mean group interaction, but it could also mean social facilitation, cohort or aggregate effects, role conflict, or reference groups. If in doubt about these terms, review Guide 1 and we can discuss your project further.
 

March 2005

DUE MARCH 1: PROJECT UPDATE

Since each person has a unique topic and project, it can be difficult for me to give a set of generalized instructions for the project update that "fits" everyone. Just recall that the true purpose of this update is to keep all students on task! If you meet the milestones set at intervals throughout the semester, you are virtually certain to submit your first draft on time (March 29) and then you will be able to revise it, if you so choose, for the final deadline (April 19).

This is now the time to set down the exact journals, books, coding categories, any standardized tests or minute experimental manipulations that you plan to use or to read.

So, keeping these individualized caveats in mind, here's what you need to tell me by March 1:

(1) What is it that you are going to do? Literature review? Empirical study? WHAT KIND of empirical study? A brief--but cogent--review and a study design?

(2) What is your topic?  BE SPECIFIC!  At this point, you are involved in a subtopic (you need to include it again, and if you have changed it, now is the time to tell me!) For example, if you are studying group cohesion, that is a gigantic literature. What subfield are you examining (e.g., how sports teams coordinate their actions or how cohesion influences work performance.)

(3) Do you have team members? If you are working with someone else, now is the time to tell me if you haven't already. (I think everyone did--but things can change.)

(4A) IF YOU ARE DOING AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OR DESIGNING AN EMPIRICAL STUDY: This is the time for me to see your procedures, see your questionnaire (if appropriate), star the variables you plan to analyze, review your field observation codes, etc. (And the Human Subjects Committee can take several weeks so please keep that in mind if you plan Human Subjects approval. If you would like your measures put into action at a future date, now is probably the time to explore Human Subjects (IRB) approval.

(4B) IF YOU ARE DOING A LITERATURE REVIEW: Now is the time to describe know some of the journals, the books, the sites, the other people or literature that you are investigating. Give me a topical outline of the areas that you will review. If you must interpolate from a related literature (e.g., from individual emotional intelligence to emotional intelligence in groups), describe that parent area.

IT WILL BE HELPFUL TO YOU AND TO ME: Give me a total outline of your project as you envision it. Delineate the subareas clearly.
 

DUE FEBRUARY 8: PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

Here's what you need to tell me:

• (1) What is the general area of your project?

• (2) What is the particular topic within this area that you plan to study?

• (3) Tell me the names of all team members if you plan to work with someone else.

• (4) GIVE ME A GENERAL IDEA WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WILL DO:

• (5) PUT IT ALL TOGETHER IN A FEW SENTENCES:

EXAMPLE:I will conduct a literature review on the effects of group versus individual learning styles in algebra achievement. I am reading journals in both group dynamics and math education.

EXPECTED PROPECTUS LENGTH: 1-3 double-spaced typed pages or equivalent.

DON'T: be too specific. I don't need to know your exact journals, books, coding categories, any standardized tests or minute experimental manipulations. That information will be on the MARCH 1 update.
 

Here are some possibilities for your paper:

Research existing literature in an area of interest to you.

Analyze or reanalyze existing data.

Design a study to be carried out in the future.

Complete a small original study such as an experiment, survey, or observation.

TIME GUIDELINES

A short preliminary prospectus of your Course Paper is due FEBRUARY 8.

An updated prospectus of your course paper is due MARCH 1.

A initial draft of your Course Paper is due by MARCH 29 to allow you to rewrite it.

The final edition of your paper is due APRIL 19.

Teams find it easier than individuals to plan and execute a small experiment, survey, or observation. You may choose to work in teams for the Course Paper.  Please turn in the names of all team members on the Course Paper by February 8 with the preliminary prospectus. I also will alert you to possible teammates (but the choice is yours).

While there will be individual differences, the typical Course Paper is about 15 pages, including tables, figures, illustrations, and references. Team papers are typically 25-30 pages.

TOPICS FROM PRIOR YEARS:
 

Also, check out our Blackboard site for examples; explore the Presentations Folders under Course Documents.
 
 

If you plan to conduct a survey, an experiment, observations for your course paper and you also plan to use the data later (e.g., for a thesis, dissertation, conference paper, article), your project may need approval from FSU's Human Subjects Committee (also known as the Institutional Review Board or IRB). Plan early if so! A phone call or an email is often sufficient for the Committee Administrator to tell you if you need to make an application. More information and Human Subjects forms are online.

FOR HUMAN SUBJECTS COMMITTEE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

• It can take over a month, depending on the committee meeting cycle, to check your proposal. Studies that are exempt usually are reviewed more quickly because only a few members need to read your human subjects proposal. But THE COMMITTEE (not you) decides if your research is exempt (read more about that on their WEB site).

• If you will submit a study design involving human subjects for your project that you plan to conduct in the near future, say, this summer or fall, I recommend that you submit your proposal to the human subjects committee this semester. Then, if the committee wants more information, you can supply it long before you begin collecting data. Meeting dates are sometimes more erratic during the summer, too.

As a student, your major professor or advisor must sign in on the human subjects documents.

All students will do a class presentation based on their course paper.

We will also periodically discuss the topics chosen for the course paper.

OVERVIEW

READINGS

CLASS PRESENTATION

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Susan Carol Losh March 9 2005