quantitative analysis

Guidelines for Data Analysis Paper

This detailed outline should assist you in writing your data analysis paper. It is not necessary that you stick to this outline exactly but use it as a guide. Each of the areas should be addressed, but depending on the topic, some papers will necessitate spending more time in some areas rather than others.

You are graded on the following:

Grammar

Is the paper well written and free of errors?

Is the paper properly cited?

Completeness

Did you review 5 relevant articles?

Did you discuss all areas listed below?

Understanding Results

Do you understand the output from SPSS?

Did you use the most relevant statistical test for your data?

Did you explain your results?

1. Describe what the topic is and why it is interesting and worthy of research (approx. 1 page)

This is done in the introduction and the beginning paragraphs of your paper. Your hypothesis should concern an interesting and important question.

a. Explain why this is an important topic, one worth studying.

b. Do this in your introduction to catch your reader’s attention.

2. Review the relevant literature (approx 2-3 pages)

Once you have compiled 5 articles, create a summary of what others have found about your question. These sources should be scholarly in nature, from books and academic journals. “Scholarly” excludes newspaper articles, magazine articles, and websites. These can be used, but they are extra sources.

a. Demonstrate your familiarity and knowledge of other important studies that inform your research question.

b. Compare and contrast theoretical approaches for explaining your particular research question.

c. If relevant, discuss how others have defined variables of interest.

3. Research Methods (approx. 3-4 pages)

a. Identify and explain your research question and hypothesis

1. Spell out the particular research question that guides your study.

2. Identify the hypothesis that enables you to answer your research question,

and be sure to specify both your independent and dependent variables.

3. Explain how you will measure your variables: Provide operational definitions for your IV, DV and control variables.

4. Discuss the reliability and validity of your measures.

b. Data

Explain what specific data collection technique or techniques was used to carry out your research. Most of you will use one of the survey provided but you must also consider the following:

What other method could you use? Are there any better ones?

Discuss the sample in the survey (in the codebook)

Specify the questions used (in the codebook)

Identify your unit of analysis (i.e. who or what should be observed, surveyed, interviewed, etc)

If necessary, discuss any particular problems with the sample.

4. Results (approx 2 pages, tables do not count)

Run the appropriate statistics and present the results in a way that makes sense. You must include relevant tables from SPSS. You must explain the results. If they are not as you would expect, state why that might be and offer an alternative explanation/hypothesis.

5. List of Sources (last page)

Make sure you have a works cited list and properly cite these sources throughout the paper. If you do not properly cite you will end up with a failing grade.