Paper Outline: Based on the feedback you received on prior assignments and during your research debrief, compile a complete 13-15 page research paper that includes the following components:
1. Project title and abstract (1 page New section).
On the first page of your paper, include a descriptive title and a 100-200 word abstract summarizing your topic, methods, findings, and theoretical contributions.
2. Introduction (1 page New section).
In this introductory section, clearly explain why this topic is sociologically relevant and state and explain your research question.
Your introduction may incorporate a narrative style to inform the reader about why your topic matters and to humanize your topic and its significance (as you would find in a magazine or newspaper article)
3. Literature review (3 pages Rewrite of your Preliminary Literature Review).
Using at least 10 relevant academic sources, summarize and synthesize the prior research on your topic, and describe why your research is a necessary addition to the literature on your topic.
Be clear about what the key areas of research are, what the major findings are, the sociological importance of these findings, and what omissions in the existing literature your project will address
4. Methods (2-3 pages Rewrite of your Preliminary Methods Section).
Describe what qualitative method you used and the research questions that guided your analysis; why it was the method best-suited for your research question; who or what you studied (your sample); how you gained access to your research site, recruited your research participants, or selected your texts; where you conducted your research; the ethical issues shaping your methodology (e.g., informed consent, maintaining confidentiality, weighing the risks and benefits of the research), the themes you explored in your research, and how you coded your data.
5. Findings (4 pages New section).
Describe the major themes that emerged in your observations, interviews, or textual analysis and how your research answered your research question. Include illustrative quotes from your fieldwork, interviews, or texts to support your claims about the major patterns that emerged.
6. Conclusion (1 page New section).
Describe how your research contributes to the literature on your topic, the implications of your research for sociological knowledge, and anything you would have changed about the research process.
7. Bibliography (1-2 pages Rewrite from your Preliminary Literature Review).
Include a full list (minimum of 10) of all sources cited in your paper in ASA style.
