University Writing Center
Fall 2011
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Identify topic
 Find something interesting
 Find something know and/or care about
Consider what information is needed
• Background information
• Prior research
• Related theory
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Analytical and theoretical analysis of project
at internship or work site
Study of organizational environment using
theory to analyze situation
Traditional qualitative or quantitative study
 What
is your reason for doing
the study and from what
perspectives do you want us to
look at it?
 Specifically
what are you
going to investigate?
Theoretical
Practical
 Why
is this study important within
the academic realm?
 Terms
that will be essential to
understanding the perspective
from which you want us to
read and evaluate your
material
 Foundation
for study
◦ Organizational theory
 What
does each of the sections
contribute to the study?
 Review
 Situates
of related literature
current research in the
existing field(s) to show its
contribution, significance, etc.
◦ Blends the information from the
sources
◦ Does not rely on quotations,
especially block quotations
◦ Uses Chicago Documentation Style –
footnotes or endnotes
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Academic conversations and writing
are based on research and on what
people believed before
Challenge - must maintain your
voice
Bibliographic Citation
Funding for student needs
Funding for staff needs
Funding for facility needs
Kathleen Johnson, Educational
Funding (Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publication 2008).
Funding recommendations for
high school programs
Funding sources for faculty
development
Funding sources for adding
school space
Ryan Newman, Uses of Funding.
Journal of Education, 14 no.
2, (2007), 18-22.
Funding recommendations
for high school honors
programs
Joshua Martin Smith, Dollars and
education (Boston: JosseyBass, 2005).
Funding for new buildings
faculty development to
expand critical
thinking
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What are you going to do?
◦ Type of study
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How are you going to do it?
◦ Participants
◦ Data collection
◦ Data analysis
THINK RECIPE!
 Identify
structure of study
◦ Use sources to justify why you have
selected a particular methodology
◦ Be specific about what you are going
to do and how long it will take
 Semi-structured interviews lasting 4560 minutes
 30 item survey that will take
approximately 30 minutes to complete
 Present
logically
your data – organized
◦ Themes
◦ Research questions
◦ Statistical significance
◦ Visual representations
JUST THE FACTS – NO ANALYSIS AT
THIS POINT
 Identify
organizational pattern
◦ Use headings to separate the
information
◦ Present only one point at a time
(although you may need to
reference previous points)
◦ Briefly set up and wrap up each
discussion section
 Why
are these conclusions
important?
 Based
on what you found, what
should be done to remedy the
problem, etc.?
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Follow Chicago Documentation Style
◦ Alphabetical, organizing all sources into one
list
◦ Hanging indent (set through
format/paragraph)
◦ Do not split reference from one page to the
next
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In order first presented in document
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Lettered not numbered
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Anything that is too large or complex or
supplemental
Must be referenced and discussed within the
document to justify being in the appendix
APPENDIX A
A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO
ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY IN XYZ
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1” margins on all sides
Times New Roman or Palatino
12 pt for text and 10 for footnotes
Footnote/endnote numbers are superscripted
Double space except block quotations, table
titles, and individual bibliography entries
Page numbers at bottom in center of page
beginning on 1st page (title page)
Writing Reality (L1)
Basic Rules (L2)
Run-on Sentences(L3)
Comma and conjunction(L4)
Coordinating conjunction: FANBOYS is the
acronym for the coordinating conjunctions. (L5)
◦ Use plain language
◦ Write in sections
◦ Separate information
◦ Use visuals to support and clarify
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Clarify and connect ideas
Organize ideas in logical pattern
Incorporate visuals
Include all required components
Meet usability
Cite all sources
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Examine the overall aspects of the
document at sentence/word level
◦ Fragments, run-on sentences, comma
splices
◦ Incorrect word use (frequently happens
when using electronic thesaurus)
◦ Subject/pronoun agreement
Children – drive slowly.
Children drive slowly.
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Review and approval of proposed research
activities that involve the use of human
subjects is required prior to the start of data
collection.
Projects which are not reviewed and approved
prior to the start of data collection cannot
receive "retroactive" approval.
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http://www.orc.niu.edu/orc/human_research
/applications/index.shtml
Be brief
Use lay terms
Focus on primary concern for human subjects
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authorized departmental review is required
signature of the student's faculty advisor
submit to the Office of Research Compliance
(301 Lowden Hall)
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Just Screening Form submission (rest of
documents kept in department)
Administrative Review or Subcommittee
Review do not need to wait for a convened
IRB meeting (week to 10 days)
Full board Review (submit at least 10 days
before committee – 2nd and 4th Wednesdays
during semesters)