Methods and Results Paper (Final Paper)
SOC 325, Fall 2023
Due 12/12 by 1 PM on BB (yourlastname_final.docx) – No late papers will be accepted. No exceptions.
The document should contain an Abstract, a brief Introduction (1-3 paragraphs), the Methods section,
the Results section, and a brief conclusion section 2-3 paragraphs. This should be turned in on
Blackboard as one singular document in Word, totaling 8-10 pages, including tables and any graphs.
Any references you make to empirical findings from other studies must be cited in the text of the paper
(see McGene and King for examples) and must be fully cited in a reference section following the
conclusion section.
Papers must contain each component described below. However, your paper will be graded
overall/holistically. You should not approach the writing as a calculation of points to be accumulated via
completion of each section. The paper overall should be well-written and clearly organized. Papers that
complete all components, yet are not written clearly and are not well-edited for organization, clarity,
and grammar will not receive a grade higher than 70%. If you feel you need help with your writing,
please reach out to the writing center on campus (213-740-3691).
I.
Abstract: See any journal article for examples. Your abstract should state the research
question, name the data source and analytic sample size, and note the key findings.
II.
Introduction: (1-3 paragraphs). Include 1-3 sentences that give a backdrop to the
importance of your research question (see existing articles for examples); state your
research question and any other details that create a smooth transition to the next section.
III.
Methods Section: (3-4 pages) should have the following sections (with headings and
subheadings – see my coparenting paper on Blackboard and your other sources for possible
heading styles).
1. Data – write a description of the GSS data for the year 2018 (see the GSS website).
2. Sample – describe the sample characteristics (see GSS documentation/website), state
the number of total cases in the sample for 2018; then state the size (N) for your
analytic sample. This will be the valid number of cases found in your “Descriptives”
table. This should be the N you put in all of your tables where you give the sample size.
3. Measures – Describe the dependent variable, independent variable, any mediator(s),
and the controls (any moderators will already be described in your list of controls). In
your description of each measure, name the variable and describe the coding scheme
for each (see coparenting article and other journal articles you have found for
examples). Codes are usually noted parenthetically.
4. Analytic Strategy – You’ll state that your study conducted Ordinary Least Square (OLS)
Regression, regressing the dependent variable on the independent variables, the
controls and any mediators. You’ll also state that you tested for group differences by
testing for interactions between the independent variable and any moderators that
have been included (e.g., men compared to women, married respondents compared to
unmarried respondents, etc.)
IV.
Results Section (3-4 pages) (for language describing results in tables, see the Sample Output
document as well as looking over the results section of any sources you reviewed that uses
regression analysis and the McGene and King coparenting article). You can either embed the
tables into the text of the paper or you can create an appendix and refer to it in the text of
your paper. Make sure you create new tables in Word. Do not copy SPSS output into the
paper.
1. Univariate Descriptive Statistics (Table 1 and discussion of results in text of paper).
2. Bivariate Correlations (Table 2 and discussion of results in text of paper).
3. Regression Analysis (Table 3 and discussion of results in text of paper).
a. Be sure to describe the results of each model, one by one.
b. Your focus should be mostly on the change in the slope for the
independent variable from one model to the next (until the
moderating models, then only focus on the interaction term).
c. For any moderating models, don’t interpret any of the
coefficients other than the interaction term (independent
variable X moderator: e.g., parentXmarried).
V.
Conclusion Section: (2-4 paragraphs) Very briefly sum up the overall findings
1. State one or two limitations of the study (e.g., cross-sectional data, etc. think about the
methodological issues you’ve learned about and try to connect to one or two of them).
2. Any directions/suggestions for future research on this topic.