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soc_111_abstract_assignment_overview.docxIntro to Sociology
Article Abstracts
Assignment: First, choose a research topic that can be studied from a social science perspective and a topic which has some personal interest to you. Second, locate and write an abstract for two professional journal articles, which are related to your research topic of interest . Using the format and model provided below, for each article discuss the a) problem statement, b) sample, c) research methods, d) findings, and e) application.
Procedure: Use the information provided by the resource librarian who came to class, as well as the written materials provided. Materials from the text book, bibliographies, etc. may also be of use. Find professional journals used in the social sciences, especially sociology journals, and locate three articles related to your research topic. Do not use popular periodicals like Newsweek, Time, The Wichita Eagle, Jet, or Cosmopolitan.
Format: Use a separate page for each abstract. At the top of the page, give a full citation of the article using this form:
Author's last name, author's first name. Year. "Title of the article in
quotation marks." Title of the Journal underlined Volume Number (date); pages.
In addition, use the following headings as an outline for the required information from each article you abstract. The writing task under each heading is noted.
A. Problem Statement: State clearly and concisely the research problem of the study...that is, what is the purpose of the research?
B. Sample: State clearly who is studied, where, and when. Briefly discuss the size and nature of the sample.
C. Methods: Tell briefly and clearly how the information for the study was collected. Interview, observation, survey, experiment, etc.
D. Findings: Without using statistics, summarize the important findings in the study.
E. Application: What is the significance or value of the findings? How does the author suggest they be used? To whom might these findings be useful?
F. Abstractor’s name
and date.
Each Abstract is worth 50 points each.
SAMPLE ABSTRACT
Downey, Douglas B. and Brian Powell. 1993. "Do Children in Single-Parent Households Fare Better Living With Same-Sex Parents?" Journal of Marriage and the Family 55:55-71.
Problem Statement: The purpose of the study is to answer the question whether living with a single parent of the same sex provides any advantage over living with a parent of the other sex.
Sample: A nationally representative sample of 3,892 eighth graders living with a single parent; 3,483 of whom live with their mothers, and 409 of whom live with their fathers. This subset is part of a much larger data set, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), where 24,599 subjects were selected through a stratified random sampling design with clustering of sampling units within schools.
Methods: Survey methods were used to collect data from students, teachers, parents, and school records. These studies have been carried on for more than 20 years.
Findings: There were three important findings in the research: a) there is no support for the same-sex hypothesis and boy and girls do at least as well in homes with cross-sex parents, b) ironically, for some of the outcome measures, there is evidence that children are advantaged in cross-sex households...just "a slight bit," however, and c) the apparent reason that single-parent father households offer an advantage is due to greater income than in the typical mother's household. The fact that these findings disagree with many other pieces of work in the social sciences may be influenced by the older age of this sample, 13 to 14 years, compared to many studies done with younger children.
Application: This line of research may eventually affect custody decisions in the court such that the same-sex parent advantage assumed by most courts will be called into question. However, the researchers caution that it is still too early to draw such a conclusion from these and other social science findings. This research would be most useful to family members, professionals, and the legal profession dealing with or affected by such matters.
Ron Matson, January 14, 1995
SOC 111: Introduction to Sociology
SOC 111: Introduction to Sociology
3
ABSTRACT Grading Criteria
|
Assignment: _____________/50 points |
_____ ONE PAGE typed, single spaced [3 pts]
_____ Use of appropriate format for each of the criteria [5 pts}
_____ Proper Citation [5 pts]
_____ Name & Date at the Bottom of the Abstract [2 pts]
_____ Problem Statement
____Stated clearly and concisely the research problem (2 pts) ___ Recognized the Purpose of the study (2 pts)
___ Declarative sentence, not worded as a question. (1 pt)
_____ Sample
____ Stated clearly the sample - Who, Where, When (3 pts)
___ Identified the size & nature of the sample (1 pt)
___ Discussed & Summarized in their own words (1 pt)
____ Identified the method used (3 pts)
___ Summarized the collection method (2 pts)
_____ Findings
____ Summarized the Important Findings [5 pts]
· Without Using Numbers
· Without Directly Quoting from the Study
_____ Application
____ Stated the significance or value of the findings (5 points)
___ Identified how the author suggested they be used (2 pts)
___ Identified who might use this study and for what possible purpose (3 pts)
_____ Spelling/grammar [5 pts]
NOTES/COMMENTS:
