Essay Instructions: I'm hoping to have a paper that briefly covers the basics of neurotransmission (the chemicals between the synapses) and the psychopharmacological treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The 10 pages should make this basic premise fairly easy and not terribly in-depth.
Research paper. One research paper is required. The topic selected is to be based on an investigation into the biological basis of a DSM-IV-TR disorder. The nature of the paper is primarily a literature review of the topic. You must identify the disorder you have selected for your investigation in the second class. The final paper is due 7/20/09. The paper is worth a possible 20% of your final grade. Specific requirements, as well as the grading criteria for the evaluation of the paper are outlined at the end of this course schedule.
Assignment Table:
RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES
INTRODUCTION
This introduction provides a general overview of the guidelines for the required research paper. The paper is to be based on an investigation into the biological basis of a DSM-IV-TR disorder. The biological basis of a psychological disorder is to those topic areas covered in this course. The nature of the paper is primarily a literature review of research articles on the selected topic. The disorder must be identified and submitted in typewritten form at the time of the second class meeting. The body of the research paper is to consist of a review of reference articles on the topic. The primary articles must come from peer reviewed resources such as journals or edited texts. The review is to be more than just a sequential summary of the reference articles. That is, the review is expected to provide a significant degree of organization and integration of the articles. Then, in the discussion section, the reviewed literature is to be evaluated. The format of the paper must be organized and presented in accordance with the APA publication manual including APA editorial style. The paper will be graded on the basis of content, including the analysis and synthesis of the articles, as well as on the basis of APA style.
TOPIC
Any DSM disorder may be selected for a research topic as long as it is investigated as to the nature of its biological basis. It is expected that the paper will focus on a specific discussion of a limited biological explanation of the disorder. Biological explanations are those that fall within the range of those topics covered by the course. The paper is not intended to provide a comprehensive overview of all the possible biological explanations for the disorder. Accordingly, a single explanation may be discussed or two possible explanations may be compared. A random review of several possible explanations is not acceptable.
APA STYLE
The guidelines provided here are intended to provide a general reference only as to APA style. Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fourth Edition for guidelines. Specific chapters to be consulted include Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4. Note that figures, tables, graphs, photographs, and all other similarly constructed visual graphics are NOT to be included in this paper. The content and organization of the paper must be in the format described in the following section. The expression of ideas including writing style and grammar, as well as editorial style must follow APA guidelines. The paper must also follow APA instructions for preparing and typing the manuscript including typeface, spacing, margins, pagination, quotations, and, where appropriate, headings.
FORMAT
Title Page. The title page must include a running head, title, and bylines. The title page for this research paper should be modeled on the style of the page required for a master's thesis or a doctoral dissertation.
Abstract. The abstract must follow all of the specific guidelines found in the publication manual.
Literature Review. As stated, the research paper in general is not to be simple sequential report on the research articles. The articles are to be organized and integrated in the review section. Please consult the discussion of review articles found on page five of the APA manual for guidance. Please refer to Figure 3 in chapter four for an outline of a sample review paper. The length of the literature review is to range from 7 to 10 pages.
Discussion. This section is for the interpretation and discussion of the information as previously presented in the review. The discussion provides a forum in which to synthesize the information from the review by the identification of relations, contradictions, gaps, or inconsistencies in the literature. In addition, the discussion may suggest further avenues for investigation. Please be cautious that such avenues must be related to the topic as it was discussed in the paper. That is, references should not be made to unrelated avenues of research such as the alternative cognitive, affective, or social basis for the disorder. The discussion section is NOT a summary; the actual summary is contained in the abstract. The length of this section is to range from 3 to 4 pages.
References. A reference list is required as it is outlined in the APA manual. In addition, references cited in the text of the paper must also follow APA guidelines. Six (6) primary references from peer reviewed sources are required, as a minimum. Other additional, secondary references may be cited if necessary, however, the length of the paper may NOT be expanded to accommodate more references. Secondary resources including those from the Internet must follow current APA guidelines for such references. References must have been published since 1995. No more than a maximum total of ten (10) references may be used. Copies of references are to be retained and subject to audit.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The paper is will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
LITERATURE REVIEW
SYNOPSIS
EXPLANATION
ORGANIZATION
DISCUSSION
INTERPRETATION
ANALYSIS
SYNTHESIS
EVALUATION
GUIDELINES
APA STYLE AND FORMAT
SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
ABSTRACT
REFERENCES
