Course Outline (Draft)
Economics 606 (Research Methods)
January – April, 2014
Instructor: Dr. Lori Curtis, Department of Economics
Office: HH 240, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1
Phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 33162
Email: ljcurtis@uwaterloo.ca
Website: http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/~ljcurtis/ to post all class information – please check often.
Class time: Wednesdays 1600h - 1850h
Class location: HH 2104
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1400h – 1500h. Please, use my office hours or make an appointment
at a more convenient time for any concerns.
General Description:
Through attending seminars, reading the literature and writing assignments, students will gain
exposure to different research methodologies used in economics. Students will learn how to
synthesize and critique research on a particular topic by reading academic papers and/or research
reports from government and non-governmental agencies. Students will learn to write in a
variety of formats (e.g., literature review, one- or two-pager, briefing note etc.) on a chosen
topic. Students will enhance their writing skills and will gain practice in presenting research to
different audiences.
Objectives
In this course the students should be able to:
1) Define a research question,
2) Write a research proposal,
3) Perform literature search,
4) Review, summarize and synthesize papers found in search,
5) Present the information in a variety of formats to a variety of audiences
Format:
Combination of lectures, guest speakers, discussions, group and individual work. Review
material will be assigned prior to each class. It is expected that the preparation work is done in
advance of the class. Class attendance is compulsory and class participation is heavily weighted
in evaluation (expect a loss of 1 to 1.5 percentage points per class missed). A more complete
schedule of classes will be handed out after preliminary evaluation of students’ skills.
Required Texts:
1) Strunk, William, and E.B. White (2000) The Elements of Style. Fourth Edition, Longman,
NY
2) McCloskey, Deirdre N (2000) Economical Writing, Second Edition, Waveland Press Inc,
Ill
Students will be evaluated as follows:
Class Attendance and participation 15%*
Assignments
20%*
TBA
Draft of Term Paper
15%*
March 12, 2014
Final Term Paper
40%*
April 20, 2014
Presentation
10%*
TBA
*You must receive a minimum of 50% on the Final Term paper or the Final Term paper
grade will account for 100% of your final grade. For example, if you receive 45% on your
Final Term Paper your final mark will be 45%.
Assignments are to be prepared as instructed and handed in at the beginning of the class in which
they are due. Late assignments will be penalized a third of a grade/day per day including the
first day (e.g., if the assignment received a B+ but was handed in after the beginning of class it
will receive a B, if handed the next day it will receive a B- etc.). Final papers should be emailed
in Word and PDF format by 2400h on Sunday April 20, 2014. Papers received in my inbox after
2400h on April 20, 2014 will receive a zero. Students will be working on the paper all term and
class assignments should assist in the preparation of the paper thus, no extensions will be given.
If you believe you have a legitimate reason for submitting an incomplete paper (e.g., documented
illness), submit the work by the deadline and the paper will be marked giving consideration to
any legitimate documentation.
Paper presentations will take place at a ‘mini conference’ near the end of term. This will be
scheduled in coordination with instructors from Econ 622 and Econ 623. Attendance is
mandatory.
Questions concerning marks on assignments/papers must be submitted in writing with the
original assignment/paper within 2 business days of return date. The assignment/paper will be
remarked in entirety and returned with a written response to the question(s).
University Policies
Important Dates: http://gradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/GSO-Academic-Deadlines-and-Events
Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the
University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and
responsibility.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid
committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is
unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid
offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek
guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Office of Academic Integrity.
Other resources regarding the discipline policy are the graduate advisor and the Associate Dean
of Graduate Affairs. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties
will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses
and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university
life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70
- Student
Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm
Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student
Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm
Academic Integrity website (Arts): http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/gradait/
Academic Integrity Office (UW): http://uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/
Graduate Calendar: http://gradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/group/Gen-Info-Regs
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: Note for students with disabilities: The
AccessAbility Services office, located in Needles Hall Room 1132, collaborates with all
academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities
without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic
accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the
beginning of each academic term.
Note: papers and tests will be kept only as long as the minimum policy allows – at this point 1
year.
Readings on Writing
Davis, Don (2001) “Ph.D. Thesis Research: Where do I Start?” Columbia University
http://www.columbia.edu/~drd28/Thesis%20Research.pdf
Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein (2009) “They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in
Academic Writing” 2nd (second) edition W.W. Nortan and Co., NY (available on several online
sites)
Henning, T.B. (2011) “Literature Review: Synthesizing Multiple Sources”
http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/uwc/uploads/docs/Lit+Review+weaver-1.pdf
Mankiw, Greg (2006) ‘How to Write Well’ Greg Mankiw’s Blog at
http://gregmankiw.blogspot.ca/2006/10/how-to-write-well.html
Nikolov, Plamen (2013) ‘Writing Tips For Economics Research Papers’ Harvard University
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~pnikolov/resources/writingtips.pdf
The Writing Center (n.d.) “How to Write a Literature Review” University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature-reviews/
Truss, Lynne (2004) “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” Gotham Books, New York
Some Useful Websites
Basic Searching 1: Brainstorming Your Research Topic
(http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/user_ed/basicsearching1.html)
Basic Searching 2: Searching in a Database
(http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/user_ed/basicsearching2.html)
Basic Searching 3: Refining Your Results
(http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/user_ed/basicsearching3.html)
Tips on Writing Economic Papers http://www.bus.lsu.edu/hill/writing_economics_papers.htm
Library of Parliament: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/sites/pbo-dpb/
CPAC:
http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&template_id=186&lang=e
Compendium: House of Commons: http://www.parl.gc.ca/compendium/webcontent/c_o_sitemap-e.htm
Hints on Executive Writing: http://www.grad.ubc.ca/current-students/gps-graduate-pathwayssuccess/executive-writing
How to write a briefing note: http://web.uvic.ca/~sdoyle/E302/Notes/WritingBriefingNotes.html
Guidelines for briefing notes: http://www.rand.org/pubs/corporate_pubs/CP269/CP269.pdf
Writing for Results: http://writingforresults.net/
Public Sector Writing: http://www.publicsectorwriting.com/
CHSRF Myth Busters (2 pagers) http://www.cfhifcass.ca/publicationsandresources/mythbusters.aspx
Knowledge to Policy: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-135779-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
Toolkit for Researchers: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-131735-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html and
http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/12266886561Research_Matters__Knowledge_Translation_Toolkit_.pdf