Research Paper Guidelines
The research paper is utilized by the administrative committee to qualify students for the oral presentation of the paper competition. It then serves as a supporting document for the oral presentation during the judging process.
The following guidelines are found on the National JSHS website at www.jshs.org. They also represent guidelines for the Ohio JSHS.; although the paper presenter is encouraged to decide on the most appropriate form for the research paper with his or her mentor.
GUIDELINES
The paper should be a minimum of 5-6 pages and a maximum of 20 pages, including appendices.
A maximum size limit for the electronic research paper is 1.8 Mb. Utilize size 10 or 12 Times New Roman font. Double space the body of the paper; single space the abstract.
Photography may not be used in the electronic research paper although photography may be used in the oral presentation.
Graphs, tables, diagrams, charts, or other graphic representation should be simple to allow the judges on-line access to the research paper.
A recommended outline for the research paper includes:
- a title page, or cover page stating the student's name, school address, and title of the research;
- acknowledgement of major assistance received;
- table of contents;
- if applicable, a statement that "research involving non-human vertebrates or human subjects was conducted under the supervision of an experienced teacher or researcher and followed state and federal regulatory guidance applicable to the human and ethical conduct of such research";
- introduction;
- materials and methods;
- results (data or findings);
- discussion and conclusions;
- references, or literature cited;
- appendices (if necessary)
PAPER GUIDELINES FOR THE BEGINNING STUDENT
Students who need more direction in writing their research papers may find the following information helpful.
Title page
Make your title investigative in nature. Consider the following:
- The Effects of ...
- A Comparison of ...
- A Study of ...
- Design and Testing of ...
Title
Name
School
School’s Address
Do not include personal information in the rest of the paper in order to maintain fairness during the initial screening process.
Acknowledgements
(See above)
Table of Contents
Abstract
This section is a summary of your research. Begin with one introductory sentence to capture the attention of the reader. Next, state the purpose of your study. Briefly describe how you studied the problem (your procedure), then describe what you found (your results). This section should be no more than 200 words and is generally written last.
In the following sections, utilize essay form. Using APA style or the style recommended by your mentor, you should reference both your introduction and discussion sections.
Introduction (includes purpose; 1-2 pages)
Introduce your research question and provide a referenced discussion. Incorporate information you have found in journals or on the Internet. In your final paragraph of this section, you may present the purpose of your study.
Hypothesis (Short Paragraph)
Based on what you have read and/or on your experience, what is the probable answer to your research question? If you are utilizing a T-test, develop your null hypothesis and alternate hypothesis in this section.
Materials and Methods (approx. 1 page)
Utilizing chronological order, describe your experimental procedure in a clear and precise manner. (Reminder: Use essay format.) How did you study the problem? Who were your subjects? What materials did you utilize? Other researchers should be able to repeat this research based on your description. This section should be referenced if you utilize another researcher’s design.
Results (length varies)
What did you find? This is your section. Include only your data, not another researcher’s data or observations. Do not reference. Include data tables, analysis tables, and/or graphs in this section within the body of the text when appropriate to explain or support your text.
Discussion and Conclusion (1-2 pages)
Discuss your results. What do these findings mean? How do your results compare with what other researchers have found? What is your conclusion? How is this research useful? What are the practical applications of this research? Do you have any future plans for expanding this research? This section should be referenced to support what others have found.
Works Cited
Utilizing APA Style or the style recommended by your mentor, you should include only those references that were actually cited in the text of your paper.