Minorities term paper

Term Paper Assignment: Literature Review

For your paper, you may choose any topic in minority studies. You may pick a
topic covered in the course that interests you or a topic that relates to minority studies but
is not covered in the course. Perhaps, there is a topic we covered in class that you would
like to explore from a different theoretical perspective, or a differential theory you would
like to apply to a minority issue. Please note, you are expected to go beyond the level of
detail provided in class if you choose to write about a topic that has already been covered.
Also, please be aware that a text book is not an “empirical source” and should not be used
as the basis for documenting factual information. It is a secondary source, as it is
describing other people’s research findings and other people’s theories. You can use it to
look up concepts that are new to you, or to get a general overview of your topic in order
to help you formulate your ideas.

You are encouraged to use UCO’s library databases or Google Scholar to find

information. If you do not know how to use the university databases like PsycInfo and
EBSCOhost, you can go to the library and ask one of the reference librarians to help you.
If you do not live near UCO, you can contact the library for virtual assistance. If you
elect to rely on Google Scholar, it works just like Google. It is recommended that you at
least try both approaches, as the search results are sorted differently. Google Scholar, like
Google, returns results based on “popularity” and how precisely what you type in matches
the term in the article. EBSCOhost uses “key words” that authors attach to their articles to
help searchers find material that is related to a specific topic or topics.

The first step, after selecting your topic, is to get a list of articles you would like to

read. Ideally, you will find a comprehensive review article or a book chapter, which gives
you an overview to start with. The advantage of finding a review is it gives you an
example of the type of writing you are hoping to produce. Once you have one or two key
references in your field, you will examine their bibliographies, and use it to supplement
the list you got from your own database/Google Scholar search.

Some of the things you will be addressing in the term paper is what did the

authors investigate? Were the methods appropriate to answer the question? What were
the results? How do the authors explain the results (e.g., what do they say in the
discussion section)? And, finally, do you agree with their conclusions? What are the
limitations of the study? If you were the author, what would you do next?

For the term paper, you will address your topic more completely. You are to read

the relevant literature and provide an overview of your topic, including empirical data on
your topic. Include limits to existing knowledge and suggestions for future directions for
researchers studying your topic. The term paper is to be 10-12 pages written in APA
style.

To complete this assignment successfully, you will need to go to a library.

Limiting yourself to only those articles available on line is very risky. Also, note the

difference between a peer reviewed journal article and non-peer reviewed sources.
Information on the internet may provide some necessary background, but this paper is
meant to emphasize the scientific findings on your topic. Repeat, be VERY CAREFUL of
material you find on web sites that is not a download of an actual, academic article.

Empirical articles include at least some background prior to discussing

methodology and results. However, these summaries are not exhaustive or critical
reviews…they are written with the explicit purpose of supporting the authors’ hypothesis,
and they may present the data from a particular viewpoint or perspective. For your paper,
you are expected to know the literature well enough to present a balanced view of current
knowledge about your topic.

Remember, you are writing a paper about a topic, not about the articles you read.

This means you need to introduce your topic at the beginning of the paper and you need
to come up with some sort of conclusion at the end. This introductory material may come
from empirical articles or other academic sources. The focus of the paper is intended to
be current research on your topic (e.g., what is known about how prejudice is developed,
not why being prejudiced is bad). You should provide a brief summary of what the
article says: what did the authors investigate? Were the methods appropriate to answer
the question? What were the results? How do the authors explain the results (e.g., what
do they say in the discussion section)? And, finally, do you agree with their conclusions?
What are the limitations of the study? If you were the author, what would you do next?

Include limits to existing knowledge and suggestions for future directions for

researchers studying your topic. The paper is to be the length assigned. I reserve the right
to stop reading if your paper is far outside the pages limit guidelines, and grade only what
I have read – please stay within the parameters provided.

Students often ask how many articles they “have to” read. There is no magic

formula. You need to read enough to know your topic. You need to read enough to know
the difference between good work in the area and garbage. You need to read enough to
write the length of paper that is required. Also, please note, you may not wind up using
every article that you read in your paper. You may read a background source that is less
scientific, which may help you hone your topic or select what articles to read, that does
not belong in the final paper. But, everyone wants numbers so I will throw some out, you
likely need to read between 12 and 20 articles, of which you will wind up including
anywhere from 8 up.

Other guidelines:

• 1 inch margins all around
• 11 point font (Times New Roman or Calibri, only)
• Double-spaced
• Use headings to break paper into segments

• APA style, including cover sheet and references (these pages do not count towards
your minimum page count)

• Prior approval of topic is not required but highly recommended.
• You are allowed to submit your paper early–up to two-weeks before due date–for

a no-harm quick review. I will provide feedback and allow you to resubmit on
actual due date.

• See “Term Paper Rubric” for grading criteria.