This is the first part of your paper, up to the methods section. Introduce the topic (dependent variable) and state why it is important to study. Introduce your independent variable and state why you think it may affect the dependent variable (topic).
Review literature about your three subtopics. Use level 2 headings to introduce each subtopic. Use at least one literature source in each section.

Research Questions (Level 2 heading)
At the end of the review, state your three research questions in declarative sentence form.

METHODS (Level 1 heading)

Sample (Level 2 heading) €“ 6 points
This section will describe the participants who are involved in the study. State how you located the sample. Use the sociodemographic questions to describe them as a sample. Do not describe each one separately; you are giving characteristics of the sample as a whole.

Procedures (Level 2 heading) €“ 4 points
State that you administered a 10-item (or the number of questions in the study) questionnaire to participants. State when and where the questionnaires were administered (month and year only).

RESULTS (Level 1 heading) €“ 8 points
In this section, state whether each research question was answered. Results are presented in the order of the research questions/hypotheses.

Use a level 2 heading for each subsection. Under each subheading, discuss whether scores appear to be different in the two categories of your independent variable. For example, if sex is the IV, do men and women have different scores for the questions in this particular subsection. If there is a 2-point difference in the average score for that section, there may be an influence from the IV. If there is a 3-point difference in the average score, there probably is a difference on the IV. Do this for each subsection.

Write a concluding paragraph that states whether the IV influenced the DV. You can state that it did, or you can state that it did in one or two of the three areas you explored.

DISCUSSION (Level 1 heading) €“ 10 points (4,3,3)

Here, the researchers discuss why they had the results they found. (4)

If the IV seemed to have an effect, be modest. Discuss why you think you had the findings that showed up. Draw from the studies you read to explain your findings.

If the IV did not appear to have an effect, look at the variables you controlled for (i.e., age, sex, ethnicity). After collecting your data, would one of these variables be a better explanation for your DV (Y) (i.e., a better IV [X]). Why is this the case? You can also draw from the other studies you read to account for your findings. You can say that your sample or methods were different from these other studies. Also note the small sample and use of one method. You can also state that with a larger sample and more than one method, you may have had different findings.

Were your findings similar or different from other studies of this topic? Compare your findings with two other studies on the same or a similar topic.

Limitations of the Study (3)

Note that your sample was small and you only used one research method on one occasion. State that with a larger sample and more than one method, you may have had different findings.

Recommendations for Future Studies (3)

Give your recommendations for a future study on this same topic. Be specific about who should be sampled. Be specific about the method or methods that should be used.