The Mental Health effects on children of Parental Incarceration

CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER Please make regular use of this handout to make certain that each section of your paper has all of its necessary parts, and that each section is meeting its goals. This will help ensure that your argument is built thoroughly, methodically, and scientifically—and that your reader will be able to follow it. There is a basic outline included here, too, but it should be used only as a starting point for you to create your own; your paper’s outline may be rather different (and hopefully much more detailed with your specific research). Goals for Each Section TITLE PAGE Title of your paper, your name, class information, major program, UCO, month & year date ABSTRACT (at the bottom of the title page): Is there ONE sentence for each major paper section: Intro, Background, Methods, and Results, (Discussion & Conclusion sentence is optional) INTRODUCTION Does this section concentrate ONLY on your main concept/dependent variable? Has sociological research on your outcome been justified? (i.e., ‘who cares?’) Does it cover 3-5 main themes in the literature on your main topic/dependent variable? Do you USE the existing research to make your own argument (do NOT just summarize research)? Is there at least one hypothesis and/or research question clearly stated AT THE END OF THE SECTION? BACKGROUND Do you have subsections (with descriptive subheadings), for the following info? (In no particular order) • Your independent variable: do you cover the main 3-5 themes in the literature about this topic? • Your IV + DV: is there research that already connects your dependent and independent variables? What are the main themes in that literature (if it exists)? If it does not exist, justify why it should. • Theory: do you tie your research into a theoretical perspective or framework? Again, make sure you USE the research to make your own argument (NOT just summarizing research)? METHODS Do you have three subsections (with subheadings)? DATA: Is the method of data collection described? (Likely need to cite the GSS website) Is the sample size given? (Your final sample size from SPSS is best, but general GSS sample size is okay) Describe the population? (Need to cite the GSS website) MEASURES: Are the measures described in terms of operationalizing concepts? Are the actual questions from GSS quoted? Do you tell the reader how the variables were ultimately coded? (Responses and codes) ANAYTIC APPROACH: Is the method of data analysis described? (e.g., regression with SPSS) Optional but nice: Is your model clearly stated (which variable is your IV, which is your DV)? RESULTS Are DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS (e.g., frequencies and valid percentages) all reported first? Are INFERENTIAL STATISTICS (e.g., regression) all reported next? Is your hypothesis supported or not? Are all of your interpretations full and correct? (Significance, coefficients, plain English interpretations) Are your tables and graphs here? TABLES: Are there frequency tables for both of your variables? Is your regression table included? (i.e., regression coefficients and model summary at least) Are the tables each numbered and titled? (“Table 1. Frequencies”) FIGURES: Do you include at least one graph? You are encouraged to graph all of your frequencies, as well as anything else interesting Note that graphs can be done in SPSS or Excel Are the graphs each numbered and descriptively titled? (“Figure 1. Distribution of Age”) DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION Does the section start with a brief summary of the whole paper (kind of like the abstract but a bit more detailed)? Are limitations/strengths/future directions/surprising findings of the research covered? Does it end with a blatant, one-sentence conclusion that states the main findings (the take-away)? APPENDICES – be sure to number each appendix, put them in the following order, give them each their own title page, and refer to them by name in your writing if you are including them. You do not have to include them. Optional: You may include your conceptual model as a figure Optional: You may include your PHRP/CITI certificate REFERENCES – are references properly formatted per ASA guidelines? Are there references cited in the paper but not listed in this section? Are there references listed in this section but not cited in the paper? Are there enough references; are the literatures truly covered? Is there an excess of non-academic/non-sociological/old references? Should use hanging indention Can be single-spaced to save paper, but suggest at least 6pt gap after “paragraphs” General Issues Format: Is the paper double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 point font and 1-inch margins all around? Does it look professional (neat and clean design, the body is in black, etc.)? Is information properly cited per ASA throughout the paper? Do your headings all match each other’s formatting? Do your subheadings all match each other, but all have formatting different from the headings? Proofreading: Have you fixed all spelling, grammatical or capitalization errors? Is the language clear and academic? (e.g., not overly wordy, not vague) Is everything written in the present tense, even the Methods and Results sections? Did you make all of the corrections from previous draft(s)? Is the writing logically organized, and does it flow? Are paragraphs well organized so there is 1 topic per paragraph, and each starts with a topic sentence? Proper Source Use: Do you cite things that came from somewhere other than you? Did you use the “3-word rule” to avoid plagiary? Did you double-check your direct quotes to avoid misquoting someone? Did you double-check that you haven’t overused quotes (paraphrasing into your own words is preferred) Did you check that all of your research is sociological? If you must use non-sociological research, check that there isn’t any sociological research first, and make certain you clearly present what discipline it is from? Did you check that you aren’t presenting old research as being current? (Find newer if possible) Make certain that you don’t rely upon non-academic sources to build your argument? A Very Generic Outline Feel free to use this outline to help you write your own. Your actual outline may differ. 1. Title page a. Title of your paper b. Your name c. Your program (e.g., General Sociology, Sociology—Human Services) d. Sociological Research Methods (SOC 4773), semester & year e. Department of Sociology, Gerontology, & Substance Abuse Studies f. University of Central Oklahoma g. ABSTRACT at bottom of title page (NOTE: This is generally written last, after you’ve finished the paper) i. 1 sentence describing Introduction ii. 1 sentence describing Background iii. 1 sentence describing Methods iv. 1 sentence describing Results v. Optional: 1 sentence describing Discussion & Conclusion 2. INTRODUCTION a. First paragraph: Justification of sociologists researching your main topic/dependent variable, why is it important to understand sociologically, how is it (or the lack of it) a social problem? i. Prevalence rates and social costs would be very helpful (e.g., check .GOV websites) ii. Define your topic, if necessary iii. Don’t forget you are building the argument throughout this paragraph that it is important to do sociological research on your topic iv. Optional: “signpost” sentence letting the reader know what the introduction is going to do b. The next 3 paragraphs: Cover the 3 main themes in the literature on your main topic/dependent variable. Main themes would be the findings that pop up over and over again in the literature to the point that we almost take them for granted. i. Make your themes obvious to the reader. It is completely fair to start each paragraph with something like “A main theme in the mental health literature is that women report…” ii. Examples of some main themes: in the binge drinking literature  college students are more prone to binge drink; in the depression literature  women report more depression than men; in the poverty literature  poverty is passed down through the family; in the education literature  higher education tends to lead to better socioeconomic status later in life; in the divorce literature  most children stay with their mother after a divorce iii. Focus JUST ON YOUR MAIN CONCEPT/DV here, not on your independent variable. (Your IV and the relationship between your IV and DV will come later in the paper.) iv. Remember to USE the literature to make YOUR argument – don’t just summarize random research. 1. This is especially true if there isn’t much (or any) sociological literature on your concept because you need to build a foundation for why there should be sociological research on it by using the sociological literature on similar topics (for example: if your topic is energy drink consumption, and there’s no sociological research on it, you build your foundation for why we need to study it by tying it in to the existing literature on stimulant use, being very clear in your argument as to how/why you think energy drink consumption is the same/different from stimulant use) v. Think of this part of your paper as explaining what is already known/not known about this concept. vi. Start each paragraph with a strong thesis sentence; each paragraph’s thesis sentence should basically describe that <> is a main theme of your outcome’s literature. The rest of the paragraph is supporting information for that thesis statement. c. Last paragraph: Blatantly state your hypothesis or research question. Literally, something like “This research hypothesizes that <> is associated with <>” as a hypothesis, or “This research questions how <> differs by <>.” 3. BACKGROUND Note: these subsections can be put in whatever order makes sense to you. a. SUBSECTION: YOUR INDEPENDENT VARIABLE (actually subtitle it your IV’s name) i. First paragraph: Introductory paragraph, including (in no particular order—put them in whatever order that makes the best flow with your writing): 1. Your definition of the IV (if needed) 2. Optional: “Signpost” sentence letting your reader know what you are going to do in this section. Generally that you will cover the main themes in the literature on this concept before turning to whatever is next in your writing 3. Brief justification for understanding this concept (a sentence or two is sufficient—no need for a full paragraph like you did for your main topic in your introduction) ii. Next 3 paragraphs: Cover the 3 main themes for your IV concept alone. Remember, main themes would be those major findings that surface again and again in the literature. 1. Focus just on your IV here, not on your main topic/DV. 2. Remember again to USE the literature to make YOUR argument, don’t just summarize random research. a. Just like in the intro, if there isn’t much sociological literature on this concept, you must build a foundation for why there should be sociological research on it by tying the concept to existing sociological literature on a similar topic(s) 3. Think of this part of your paper as explaining what is already known and not known about your independent variable by itself. 4. Start each paragraph with a strong thesis sentence; each paragraph’s thesis sentence should basically describe that <> is a main theme in your correlate’s literature. b. SUBSECTION: YOUR DV + IV (remember a descriptive subtitle) i. Probably 1 paragraph: Cover the main theme(s) in the literature on how your dependent variable relates to your independent variable. 1. If there isn’t sociological research relating the two concepts, that fact IS your main theme in the literature. 2. USE the literature to make YOUR argument, don’t just randomly summarize. 3. Think of this part of your paper as explaining what is already known and not known about the relationship between your two concepts together (their relationship to one another) 4. Start each paragraph with a strong thesis sentence. c. SUBSECTION: THEORY (again, give a descriptive title, don’t just call it “theory”) i. Probably 1 paragraph: Connect one or both of your concepts to a sociological theory. There are always the big ones like Conflict, Functionalism, and Symbolic Interactionism, but there are minor ones to consider too (you’ll probably run into them in your reading—things like Life Course Perspective, Stress Theory, Feminist Theories, Queer Theory, Rational Choice Theory, etc) 4. METHODS a. SUBSECTION: DATA (and you actually do title it “data”) i. Typically this is only one paragraph long 1. How did you get the data? (secondary data from GSS, IRB approval) 2. How did the GSS collect the data? Who, what, where, when, why & how 3. Report your sample size (if you can put your sample size from your analyses here, that’s great. If you just put in the general number of respondents in each wave of the GSS, that’s okay too) 4. Who is the population? (Cite the GSS website’s information) b. SUBSECTION: MEASURES (and you actually do title it “measures”) i. Paragraph #1: how do you operationalize your dependent variable? 1. Quote the actual question from GSS 2. Tell reader the responses and how they are coded in your analysis a. If you needed to do something to transform it, tell them ii. Paragraph #2: how do you operationalize your independent variable? 1. Quote the actual question from GSS 2. Tell reader the responses and how they are coded in your analysis a. If you needed to do something to transform it, tell them c. SUBSECTION: ANALYTIC APPROACH (and you actually to title it that) i. One short paragraph: 1. Descriptive and inferential statistics are calculated using SPSS version _____ 2. Optional but nice: remind reader of your model—which is your DV, which is your IV 5. RESULTS a. Descriptive statistics: i. Report frequencies and valid percentages for each variable 1. Refer to tables (from SPSS output) by name 2. Refer to figures (i.e., your graphs) by name ii. Optional: Report mean, median, mode, standard deviation if appropriate iii. Optional: Report crosstabs iv. Optional: Any other descriptive statistics that are appropriate b. Inferential statistics i. Report your regression results 1. Interpret the R-squared from MODEL SUMMARY a. Refer to tables (from SPSS output) by name b. Remember, R-squared turned into a percentage is how much of your dependent variable is explained by the model (i.e., your IV) 2. Interpret the Sig. and B from COEFFICIENTS a. Refer to tables (from SPSS output) by name b. Remember, it is a significant relationship if Sig is < .05 (LESS THAN .05) 3. Optional: If making a scatterplot of your regression data, make sure it is a figure and refer your reader to it by name 4. Optional: Note that SPSS runs an ANOVA every time you run a regression to be “helpful.” You are free to ignore this unless you have advanced statistical training (or come to me and I’ll help you interpret it.) 5. BLATANTLY TELL YOUR READER IF YOUR HYPOTHESIS WAS SUPPORTED a. Yes? Partially? Not at all? b. Depending upon your writing style and whether you do more than just a regression for inferential statistics, this generally works well as either the topic sentence for your regression paragraph, a summary sentence at the end of your regression paragraph, or a separate little paragraph after all of your inferential results ii. Optional: Report any other inferential results in new paragraphs; ONE inferential technique/model per paragraph please so you don’t confuse your reader 6. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION a. First paragraph: Summarize the whole paper, similar to your abstract: i. About 1 sentence summary of your Introduction section ii. About 1 sentence summary of your Background section iii. About 1 sentence summary of your Methods section iv. About 1 sentence summary of your Results section v. Optional: About 1 sentence summary of your Discussion & Conclusion section b. Next paragraph(s): Discuss the research in light of the results (depending on how loquacious you are and how your results turned out, this could be anything from one paragraph on up) i. Strengths of research 1. This is sometimes hard for students… you’re so used to being critical. However, do try to give roughly as much space to strengths as limitations ii. Limitations of research iii. Future directions (these could be to correct any limitations) iv. Surprising findings 1. Keep in mind you may not have been wrong in principle, but it could be a limitation of the data collection; you could point this out if your hypothesis was not supported 2. Remember that even if your results were not statistically significant, that is still a meaningful finding – maybe there is something else going on? c. Final short paragraph: Take-away conclusion i. One or two sentences summarizing your main findings, which are generally: 1. Whether your independent variable predicts your dependent variable or not, and 2. Maybe if you have something really important or surprising in your descriptive statistics (e.g., ‘a full two-thirds of people report addiction’) ii. Sometimes it is helpful to think about writing this as though you were trying to explain what you found to someone who isn’t a sociologist (e.g., a friend or family member) 7. APPENDICES [Optional] a. START A NEW PAGE– the appendices each get their own little title page, then the actual appendix starts on the next page (“APPENDICES” on one page, then “Appendix 1. Conceptual Model” on the next page) b. Optional Appendices: i. CONCEPTUAL MODEL ii. INSTRUMENT (the GSS codebook pages from their survey) iii. IRB APPROVAL (ask me if you want to include this) iv. YOUR PHRP/CITI CERTIFICATE 8. REFERENCES – ASA style, hanging indent, can be single spaced if preferred