RESEARCH PAPERS

Standards for the preparation of research papers are established by graduate faculty at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and the administration of the Graduate School. All revisions are subject to the approval of the Graduate School.

A research paper may have chapters or may be a continuous document (without chapters). If you are unclear as to whether you are completing a thesis or a research paper, please consult with your advisor.

Each department has selected one or more preferred style manuals and all students within the department are to use one of those styles.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Filing of Research Papers with the Graduate School. The original does not have to be submitted to the Graduate School. Photographic copies are accepted. However, the copies must be blemish free on white 20 pound bond paper with 25% or more cotton fiber. Erasable paper is not accepted.

One copy of a research paper is submitted to the Graduate School. It must have an original research paper approval sheet and a vita sheet but does not require an abstract. The research paper is submitted in a sturdy folder such as "Acco- Grip" or a pressboard folder that has a metal clasp inside on the spine of the folder. (Not a binder that requires holes in the left margin).

All copies submitted to the Graduate School must have an original approval sheet signed by the student's committee and generally the department chair. Note: Some departments prefer to submit the forms directly to the Graduate School. If that is the case with your department, the Graduate School will hold your paper pending the submission of the approval sheets.

Human Subjects. All copies of research papers submitted to the Graduate School that need the human subjects approval as defined by the Human Subjects Committee must include a copy of the approval form. This page should have a page number.

Deadline Dates for Submission. The dates are posted at the Graduate School for both deadline to apply for graduation and the submission of papers. These deadlines are firm dates and no extensions will be given.

ORGANIZATION OF MATERIAL

Organizational format should be as follows:

1. Title page
2. Approval page (original forms required)
3. Abstract (optional)
4. Acknowledgments/Dedication (not required)
5. Table of Contents
6. List of tables with page references
7. List of figures with page references
8. Text
9. Exhibits (tables, figures, photographs, etc. when not distributed in the text)
10. Bibliography (or appropriate title prescribed by style manual chosen)
11. Appendices (not required)
12. Human subjects committee approval form when required (photocopy)
13. Vita sheet (should have a page number)

A blank sheet of white paper should be placed at the beginning and at the end of each copy submitted to the Graduate School.

If a Research Paper is to be copyrighted, an extra page must be inserted after the title page. The copyright statement is to be centered on the page as follows:

1. Charts, tables and figures which are larger than the standard 8 ½ x 11 page must be folded to fit within the 8 ½ x 11 format. The folded edge must be at least three-fourths of an inch less than the outer edge of the regular document page.

2. The consultants at the Graduate School will advise you about foldouts and handling of oversize materials.

3. Generally, students will use the computer to design figures and graphs. If not, lettering on graphs and charts, if handwritten, must be of professional quality using black drawing ink. Data must be typed.

4. Charts, tables and figures are generally computer generated. The print for these should be of high quality as is the text.

5. Photographic duplication is permissible. The copies should be clean and unblemished and be made on 20 pound paper with 25% or more cotton fiber.

6. Table heading and style of headings must follow the manual style chosen. Generally, table titles are above the table and figure titles are below the figure but the placement selected must be followed consistently.

7. Spacing within the table may be single or double spaced based on the readability of the data.

8. Font style and size should be consistent throughout the document, unless a table requires a smaller size. Eight (8) point font should be the smallest used. Titles should be consistent in size and style of font as used throughout the document.

9. Landscape tables, and figures may be used. The top for the title will be on the binding edge of the paper. However, page numbering should be placed on the page consistent with the rest of the document.

10. Page numbers in Table of Contents should be right aligned.

11. There should be a judicious use of spacing to "set off" tables, charts and figures; typically one or two double-spaces before and after the table. Again, once spacing is chosen, you must be consistent throughout.

    
    

APPENDICES. List of terms, definitions, questionnaires, and other supplemental information which is useful, but not essential to the body of the research paper, may be included in an appendix.

After the appendix is prepared, an unnumbered page (slip sheet) should be inserted with APPENDIX OR APPENDICES centered about one-third down the page. For example, if the last page of the bibliography is page 140, the first page of the appendix would be 141, with no allowance for a number of the slip sheet between.

Margins are flexible within the appendix but keep in mind that the left binding edge will cover approximately 1 ½ inches of data. Page numbers need to continue within the appendix with the same font and the same position on the page as in the text. The Graduate School consultants can advise you about this if needed.

COLOR. The Graduate Council voted that no color be used. Everything should be in black and white including photographs, graphs and charts. Labels, symbols and cross-hatching can be used instead of color. If color is integral to the research, a request for an exception to use color photographs may be made by your advisor to the research paper consultant.

FORMATTING GUIDELINES

Paper. The one copy of the research paper submitted to the Graduate School must be printed on one side only of white 20 pound bond paper with 25% or more cotton rag content. Reproductions may be submitted on this type of paper but must be blemish free. Erasable paper is not acceptable.

Printing should be dark, clear and readable. The type face should be letter quality. Dot matrix is not acceptable. Font style should be standard and not an unusual style such as cursive, script or Italic. Some standard fonts are listed below.

Ariel, Bookman, Courier New, Helvetica, Times New Roman

The body of the paper should use a 10 or 12 point font. Headings and subheadings may go up one size and up to 14 point but must be of the same font style as the body of the text.

Bold format may be used only as specified by the style manual chosen.

Italics may be used only as specified by the style manual chosen. In general, it may be used for Genera, species, letter, word or phrase cited as an linguistic example and foreign words.

Spacing.

1. The body of the document must be double spaced. The document is to be printed (typed) on one side only.

2. Extended direct quotations, should be presented consistently with the style manual selected.

   
   

1. Margins are one and one-half inches on the left (binding edge) and one inch on the other three sides. Opening pages (Table of Contents, Chapters, Bibliography, etc.) that are required by the manual style to have a set top margin may have a larger than one inch top margin on those pages. Charts, tables and figures may have greater margins than listed but may not go into the required margins.

2. Paragraph indentations should be uniform five spaces. There should be no extra spacing between paragraphs.

   
   

The following guidelines are for the pages preceding the text, i.e. Abstract, Acknowledgments, and Table of Contents. The pages preceding the text should be numbered in small Roman numbers. The numerals should be centered between the one and one-half inch margin on the left and the one inch margin on the right, .5 up from the bottom edge of the paper.

Text pages, bibliography and appendices should follow the style manual chosen. Numbers should consist of numerals only, without punctuation, embellishment, or running headers. Paging should be continuous including the bibliography, appendices and vita. Except for preceding pages, the style must be adhered to throughout the document. The first page of text starts with Arabic numeral 1.

This recent guideline revision supersedes all previous editions. Take this into consideration as you review previous research papers from the library or your department.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF RESEARCH PAPERS

The Graduate Student's Responsibility

1. Subject matter and content.

2. Organization and format.

3. Editorial, linguistic and bibliographic quality.

4. Quality of text, figures and photocopy.

5. Quality of data, evidence and logical reasoning presented.

6. Presentation of the manuscript based on current style manual of the field and Graduate School guidelines.

   
   

1. Approval of the subject matter and methodology of the research.

2. Approval of the organization, content and format.

3. Review of the quality of data and evidence, logical reasoning and the editorial, linguistic and bibliographic quality.

4. Evaluation of the research paper as a basis for certification that the student has fulfilled the requirements of the degree for which the student is a candidate.

   
   

1. Providing counsel and advice upon request by students and members of the student's committee about the format aspects of research paper preparation.

2. Checking the final draft of each research paper to insure that it has been prepared in conformity with the requirements of this guide.

   
   

1. APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION. A student must make formal application for graduation even though the student is not planning to attend the ceremony. Application forms are available at the Graduate School or from the Graduate School Web Page: http://www.siu.edu/gradschl/forms.htm. Deadline to apply is the end of the second week of the semester.

2. GRADUATION FEE. There is a $25.00 graduation fee for all students.

3. ATTENDANCE AT COMMENCEMENT. Attendance at commencement is not compulsory. Please notify the Graduate School if you wish to graduate in absentia and provide a diploma mailing address. Diplomas are mailed within a six to eight week period following the commencement exercises.

   PLEASE NOTE: GRADUATE STUDENTS MAY NOT ATTEND THE COMMENCEMENT PRIOR TO DEGREE COMPLETION.

4. ORDERING GRADUATION REGALIA. Please contact the Student Center Bookstore for deadlines for ordering caps, gown, hood and commencement invitations.

5. LETTERS OF COMPLETION. If requested, a letter will be prepared for students who have been cleared for graduation by the Graduate School and the department. The letter states that all requirements have been met and that the diploma will be awarded. Therefore, letters of completion can be issued only after completion of the clearance process. Letters may be requested at the Graduate School, Woody Hall B114. Please expect a minimum of two weeks for the process.

6. RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS. SIUC has a policy governing all faculty, staff and student research, which involves human subjects. A human subject is defined as any individual whom a researcher contacts in person, by mail or by phone and makes a request for information. The SIUC Institutional Review Board for any research involving human subjects is located in the Office of Research Development and Administration, Woody Hall C217. For further information, please call 618-453-4543 or 618-453-4533.

7. COPYRIGHT. It is the student's responsibility to obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted material such as adapting all or part of a table or figure from a copyrighted source for inclusion in their research paper. When permission is granted, the reproduced table or figure must be noted with the original author and copyright holder.

8. COPIES OF RESEARCH PAPERS. The copies of research papers accepted by the Graduate School are submitted to the SIUC Library. The Library catalogs and shelves them.

   
   

DEPARTMENT	STYLE
Administration of Justice	APA
Agribusiness Economics	Chicago
Agricultural Educuation and Mechanization	APA with Journal Style for References
Animal Science	Journal of Animal Science
Anthropology	Chicago/Journal Bibliography
Behavioral Analysis and Therapy	APA
Biological Sciences	Council of Biology Editors Style Manual: A Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers in the Biological Sciences
Business & Administration	APA or Chicago with Journal References
Chemistry	American Chemical Society Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors
Civil and Environmental Engineering	APA with American Society of Civil Engineers Technical Journal References
Communication Disorders and Sciences	APA
Computer Science	Departmental Guidelines
Curriculum & Instruction	APA
Economics	American Economic Review
Educational Administration	APA or Turabian
Ed. Psychology and Special Ed.	APA
Electrical and Computer Engineering	Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
English	MLA
Environmental Resources and Policy
Food and Nutrition	Journal of American Dietetics Association
Foreign Languages and Literature	MLA
Forestry	APA with Journal of Forestry
Geography and Environmental Resources	Chicago
Geology	Geological Society of America
Health Education	AMA or APA
Higher Education	APA or Turabian
History	Chicago or Turabian
Journalism	APA or Chicago
Linguistics	APA/Linguistic Society of America (ex.)
Manufacturing Systems	APA or IJPR
Mass Communication and Media Arts	APA or Chicago
Mathematics	Departmental Guidelines
Mechanical Engineering	ASME Journal
Mining Engineering	APA with Journal References
Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry	Journal of Bacteriology Journal of Experimental Medicine Journal of Molecular Biology
Molecular, Cellular & Systemic Physiology	Journal of Endocrinology
Music	Chicago/Turabian or APA
Pharmacology	Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics
Philosophy	Chicago
Physical Education	APA
Physics	American Physical Society The Journal of Physics
Plant and Soil Science	Agronomy Journal Journal for the American Society of Horticultural Science Weed Science Journal
Plant Biology	Departmental Guidelines
Political Science	American Political Science Review/ Chicago Style Manual plus Departmental Guidelines
Psychology	APA
Public Administration	APA or MLA
Recreation	APA
Rehabilitation Administration	APA
Rehabilitation Counseling	APA
Sociology	American Sociological Association Style Guide
Speech Communication	APA or MLA
Theater	MLA
Workforce Ed. and Development	Departmental Guidelines
Zoology	Departmental Guidelines

*APA: American Psychological Association Publication Manual
*MLA: Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Research Papers:

Nancy Vorhees

618-453-4529

Woody Hall B116

For general questions concerning graduation, please call:

Pamela Durso

618-453-4523

Woody Hall B114

KEYWORD: Be Consistent

1. Write your paper following the Graduate School Guideline and the Departmental Style Manual.
2. Apply for graduation by the second week of the term you plan to graduate.
3. Defend your paper.
4. Review the format:
   1. Margin: Left margin = 1.5" and top, bottom and right margin = 1"
   2. Spacing: Double Spacing throughout =with no right justification
   3. Headings: Be consistent with top margin, font style and size.
      Primary/Chapter heading should be in All caps.
   4. Pagination: Front matter should have Roman numeral page numbers bottom centered.
5. Make an appointment with the research paper consultant at the Graduate School for a format check. Make changes as indicated by the consultant.
6. Only one copy of a research paper on 25%cotton fiber, in an ACCO-GRIP binder needs to be turned in to the Graduate School.
7. Submit one approval form and one oral defense form.

TITLE:

MAJOR PROFESSOR:

          (Begin the abstract here, typewritten and double-spaced. The abstract should consist of 350 words or less including the heading. A page and one-half is approximately 350 words.)

2244 West College Street, Carbondale, Illinois 62901

1001 South Walnut Street, Chicago, Illinois 60411

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Bachelor of Science, Forestry, May 1987

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Master of Science in Education, Curriculum and Instruction May 1993

Special Honors and Awards:
    (OMIT IF NONE)

Research Paper Title:
    Using Computers to Teach Typing at the High School Level

Major Professor: Jonathan Q. Smith

Publications:
    (OMIT IF NONE)

ONLY MENTION DEGREES EARNED, NOT DEGREES IN PROGRESS

Questions regarding the Graduate Assistantship\Fellowship Office: Contact gaoffice@siu.edu