Model Student Research Papers

Linked below are some model research papers by high school and college students. Not all of them are as long as yours will be, nor do they all touch on the range of topics that you are writing about. Most of these emerged from pure research interests and do not have a project component, as most of yours do. Nevertheless, it will be helpful to look at these papers as the outcomes of the same kinds of research processes you are engaged in.

Effects of Food Deprivation on Concentration and Perseverance (APA; 12 pages)
The Origins of 20th Century Islamic Fundamentalism (Chicago; 30 pages)
Toward a Recovery of Nineteenth Century Farming Handbooks (MLA; 11 pages)
Adaptive Manipulation of Offspring Sex Ratio as a Means of Ameliorating Sexual Conflict in Drosophila Melanogaster (APA; 28 pages)
Developmental Psychology Paper (APA; 19 pages)
Lollard Bible Translation (Chicago; 17 pages)
Promoting Renewable Energy Generation in the United States (23 pages)
Music Education: Its Importance and Place in Today's Education System (APA; 24 pages)
Governance, Club Structure, and Spending Power in the German Bundesliga (Chicago; 24 pages)

For those of you who are going to El Salvador, you might also be interested in the work of these students. You won't be able to see all of these papers, but some are available, and you can see the titles and abstracts.

For more student research papers, visit these sites at Yale, University of Puget Sound, University of Michigan, Virginia Commonwealth University, Columbia (science or sustainable development), The Concord Review, W. W. Norton (publisher), and The Council on Undergraduate Research.

Assignment for Monday, Sept. 29 and Friday, Oct, 3

Finish the Research Prospectus (which is posted to the right), and email it to me at mrmontasmph@gmail.com. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

For Friday, Oct. 3, read and annotate pp. 3-46 in  Eyal Press's Beautiful Souls (handed out during Wednesday's class). You don't have a writing assignment with this reading, but read it carefully nonetheless.

Assignment for Wednesday, Sept. 24

Complete the Action Plan you started in class on Monday. (If you weren't in class, the directions are posted to the right.) You should email this to me at mrmontasmph@gmail.com with the subject line "Action Plan," but print out a copy for Mrs. Neuner. (Bring the printed copy to class; I'll give it to Mrs. Neuner.) If you have finished it, you might want to look at the guidelines for the Research Prospectus that is due Monday, Sept. 29. It is also posted to the right.

The Mentor Commitment Letter, which is also due on Wednesday, Sept. 24, is posted to the right, and it is available here.

Assignment for Monday, Sept. 22

Finish writing your senior blurb (or senior reflection). Bring to class or have access to an electronic copy that you can work on (your laptop, a flashdrive, Google Docs, and the like). Also, have your mentor sign the Mentor Commitment Letter. It is due on Wednesday, September 24. Lastly, begin working on the Action Plan for the STP. The directions are posted to the right, and it is also due on Wednesday, September 24.

Assignment for Thursday, Sept. 18

Come to class on Thursday with at least twenty sources available only at Bird Library (http://library.syr.edu). Maintain a list of the sources that you can refer to easily when you arrive at the library. With books, the call number should be sufficient, but make sure you write it accurately. With journal articles, write the title of the article, the publication, and the date of publication. You should have a healthy mix of books and journals (one kind of source shouldn't make up more than two-thirds of your list). Mix in other materials (recordings, original documents, government reports, and so on) as needed. 

Assignment for Tuesday, Sept. 16

Because of the late posting of this assignment (apologies), just do the reading that is not crossed out below. We will look for sources for your paper in class. Notice, too, that the permission form for the library field trip is posted to the right. Please print it out, have a parent sign it, and give it to me by Thursday.

1. Find five more sources from SU's Bird Library for your research paper.
2. Read Ch. XVII of Hobbes's Leviathan (available here--scroll down), and Chs. II, V, and VII of John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (available here, here, and here).

Assignment for Friday, Sept. 12

Read Chs. XIII and XIV of Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan (available here and here). This is a very challenging reading. Don't wait until Thursday night to read it. You will have to write a response to Hobbes in class. Also, bring your Pocket Style Manual and The Craft of Research to class.

Assignment for Wednesday, Sept. 10

Read and annotate pp. 16-27 in The Craft of Research ("Connecting with Your Reader"). Do not stop at the black box on p. 25; continue reading through the next two pages, to p. 27. In class, you will answer the questions on pp. 26-27, but you will find them helpful for thinking about the following writing assignment: In one page or so, describe the ideal reader for your research paper, describe your role as a researcher (based on pp. 18-20), and describe the reader's role in developing your research (based on pp. 20-24). Even if you send the homework as an attachment, please email it to mrmontasmph@gmail.com. Do not send homework to my MPH email address or my other Gmail address. Do not print the homework, either. Email it to mrmontasmph@gmail.com.

Also, look for your Pocket Style Manual. You do not have an additional. The other reading I mentioned on social obligation will be given to you in class on Wednesday, and you'll read it during class.

Assignments for Thursday, Sept. 4, and Monday, Sept. 8

For Thursday, Sept. 4: Part 1 of the Summer Assignment is due.

For Monday, Sept. 8: Read and annotate the handout distributed in class from The Craft of Research. Write at least one well-developed paragraph that describes or explains any concerns you have about conducting research for your senior thesis.Your paragraph may be improved if you reflect on how The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking might help you write the senior thesis. Email this assignment to me as a Word document or share it with me via Google Docs (mrmontasmph@gmail.com).