VIII

Unit VIII Research Paper

Please answer the following question in a well-organized and researched five- to seven-page paper related to building construction topics discussed throughout this course. Your paper must contain at least five Internet sources in addition to professional journal articles or resources related to the profession.

Please provide an overview of building construction, including the various building types, designs of structures, and the application of building and fire codes. Describe the effect of building construction in relation to firefighting operations, the hazards associated with building types, and the effects of fire on each type. Finally, discuss building collapse and the awareness that firefighters should maintain on the fire ground.

Students are required to submit the Research Paper typed in MS Word using the APA style format

Final Paper Tips

Posted on: Sunday, October 25, 2015 7:00:57 PM CDT

Hello all,

Below are a few tips that will hopefully help you with your final paper.  Be sure to abide by CSU's academic integrity policy, which I posted in an earlier announcement.  All works of another must be cited and referenced properly.  Also, review the paper requirements that are listed on the syllabus.  I look forward to reading each of your papers.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Prof Has

 

Please make sure you cite at least five references in your paper follow the formatting in the APA manual.  Here are a few tips:

 

Capitalization

APA uses far fewer capital letters than you might be used to.  For example, only the first letter of a book or article title is capitalized in the reference list.  If the title is in two sections, the first letter of each title section is capitalized.  The following reference illustrates this point.

 

Jones, A. (1990). The fire service: A history. Columbia, MD: New Horizons.

 

Most people tend to overuse capitals.  See pages 94-100, APA Manual 6th Edition for guidance.  In general, only proper names of things are routinely capitalized in APA. For example:

 

The Alpha Fire Department has resisted creativity with shift scheduling.

vs.

In general, fire departments have resisted creativity in shift scheduling.

 

Captain Smith is six feet tall.

vs.

The average fire department captain is six feet tall.

 

Names vs. Initials

APA uses first initials instead of first and middle names.  See the reference above as an example.

 

Volume number

Every magazine or journal has a volume number.  It must be included in the reference list.  See page 241 APA Manual.

 

Quotations

If you use the exact words of another author, you MUST quote them directly with their name, year of publication and page number where you have exactly copied their text. The full information for the publication will also occur as a reference at the end of the paper.  Do not overuse quotes.  Only use direct quotes when it is impossible to paraphrase the material into your own words.  Quotes of 40 words or more are always presented in the text as a freestanding block.  (Note: these blocks are double spaced, as is everything else in the paper.)  Shorter quotes are included in the regular text.  See pages 117-119 for guidance.

 

Citations

If you use information, opinions, facts, or any material from another source other than your own experience or original research, you must cite the source of that material.  You do this through citations in the text that directly refer to materials listed on the reference pages at the end of the paper.  Every reference listed at the end of your paper MUST relate back to at least one citation within the text.

 

Journals vs. Magazines

Journals generally refer to publications by professional associations (e.g. Journal of the American Medical Association.)  They usually have the word "journal" in the title. Magazines are trade or popular periodicals. Fire Chief, Fire Engineering, etc. are magazines.  See pages 240-242 for directions on referencing journals and magazines.

 

Newspapers

Newspapers are referenced somewhat differently.  See pages 242-243.

 

Electronic references

There are many variations in types of material available online.  See pages 268-281 for guidance.  Please note that all electronic references should include the author's name if possible.

 

When Nothing Fits

The APA Manual includes nearly 100 specific models for listing references. However, sometimes you will want to use a source that is not specifically addressed. When this happens, get as close as you can using the categories and models provided.

 

Spacing

Double space entries on the reference list, and indent all lines after the first line.