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Research Paper Guidelines
1. Choose a topic, and have it approved by the instructor if it does not appear on the list of suggested topics.
2. Do extensive research on the topic to find authoritative (reputable) sources of information and viewpoints to use in the paper.
3. Authoritative sources are those written by experts on the topic, or by journalists.
4. Look for written sources: academic and industry papers and perhaps books, and news articles.
5. Do not use Wikipedia articles as sources, but you can use them to help you find authoritative
sources by looking at the references.
6. Virtually everything you write in the paper should be based on information or views expressed
in sources, and you must provide appropriate citations to sources for anything you use from sources in the paper. Refer to the class discussion on appropriate use of sources for guidance here.
7. The paper is not an opinion paper, and should give a fair and balanced presentation of two opposing sides on the topic.
8. To limit the scope of the paper, you need to choose two contemporary ethical issues related to the topic from among the following areas: economic, political, cultural, environmental, medical and legal. Choose issues which you think are the most significant ones, or among the most significant ones, related to your topic, and explain very briefly why you believe they are some of the most significant ethical issues related to your topic (see the paper outline below).
9. The length of the paper is 1100 – 1350 words (4.5 – 5.6 pages for 12 point Times new Roman). You can use any reasonable font you wish, but use 12 point, double space the text of the paper, and number the pages.
10. Do a word count to make sure your paper meets the length requirement, and include the word count at the top of the paper (see below).
11. Give the following at the top of the paper:
12. Do not use a separate title page, and do not print your name on any page after the first page.
13. You are required to use a minimum of five (5) authoritative sources, but more than five is fine.
Dictionaries and the course textbook, however, are not counted as contributing to the minimum
number of sources, but if you use such sources, you should cite them just as any other source.
14. Research Paper Outline:
(1) Brief introduction and background. This should not be a major portion of the paper [No more than about a page]. At the end of the introduction, explain briefly why you think the issue you have chosen to analyze is among the most significant with respect to your topic, and also give an overview of the remainder of the paper.
(2) Analysis of two contemporary ethical issues (economic, political, cultural, environmental, medical, legal).
(3) Analysis of unique challenges to resolving controversy when viewed on a global scale as opposed to a societal level.
(4) Bibliography- A bibliography or reference list is required. The paper will not be accepted without a bibliography.
15. For your bibliography or reference list, you can use any recognized style of citation (For example, APA, Research essay writing service – MLA, numbered reference list, etc.). If there is a style you are comfortable with and have used before, that would probably be a good choice.
