Portrayals of White Supremacy on Twitter and Fox News and how they affect black people

Title page: Title of paper
Introduction (1-2 pages)
Literature Review (3-4 pages)
Methods (2 pages)
Analysis/Findings (3-4 pages)
Conclusion (1-2 pages)
THE INTRODUCTION SECTION
A good introduction sets the stage for the rest of your paper. This section includes an introduction to your
research topic and a specific research question. It also includes information about why answering your
research question is sociologically important (answers the “So what?” question). It can also include a short
description of how you plan to answer your research question.
A GOOD INTRODUCTION INCLUDES:
An opening statement that “grabs” the reader. This generally includes either:
A broad opening statement about your research topic or
An excerpt from some of your media that illustrates a major point of your paper
Your research question (generally written in narrative, not question, form)
Some brief information about what we know about the issue now
Why answering your question is important (So what?)
A short statement of what you’re going to do later in your paper to answer your research question.
REMEMBER TO:
Keep it coherent—your introduction needs to fit with the rest of the paper—the research question you
introduced in the introduction is the research question you need to make sure you answer in the rest of your
paper
Keep it neutral—you can discuss the sociological significance of your research without getting into personal
opinions or issues of morality—stick to its social scientific merits
Keep it qualitative—do not try and “prove” something with your introduction (that your view is correct, that a
certain form of media “causes” some outcome on the audience or society
Keep it simple—when you answer the “So what?” question, don’t feel like you have to promise that your
research will revolutionize sociology as we know it. Instead, what can this study tell us about a topic, what new
things can it help add to our knowledge about a topic?
THE LITERATURE REVIEW SECTION
A literature review surveys peer-reviewed articles, books and other sources (see your handout) relevant to a
particular issue, area of research, or theory, and provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of
each work. The purpose of a literature review is to offer an overview of the significant literature published on a
topic. Literature reviews are not annotated bibliographies.
Think of a literature review as a cohesive, unified work that categorizes, summarizes, and synthesizes the body
of knowledge published in relation to your topic of research.
A GOOD LITERATURE REVIEW INCLUDES:
An introduction to the literature defining the general topic of your research, by providing an appropriate context
for reviewing the literature.
7/1/2020 Order 321921489
https://admin.writerbay.com/orders_available?subcom=detailed&id=321921489 3/6
A body for your literature review where you
Group research studies and other types of literature according to common denominators such as qualitative
versus quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, specific purpose or objective, chronology, etc.
Summarize individual articles with as much or as little detail as each merits according to its comparative
importance in the literature, remembering that space (length) is limited.
A conclusion for your literature review, summarizing major contributions of significant studies while keeping the
focus established in the introduction.
REMEMBER THAT:
Your literature review should categorize, summarize, and synthesize existing literature on your topic (I can’t
stress this enough).
Your research articles should be on your topic(i.e. they don’t have to be qualitative or content analysis)—okay
as long as they tell us something about the topic.
Every in-text citation should appear in your list of references, and visa versa.
THE METHODOLOGY SECTION
A research methodology describes how you carried out your research project. It reiterates your research
question, discusses why you chose a particular research method—why an ethnography, and how you carried
out your observations.
Basically, a methodology section is a step-by-step discussion of how you carried out your project.
It also includes a discussion of how you analyzed your data and the various indicators that you used.
Methodology sections are very “by-the-book” and someone reading your methodology should be able to
replicate your study.
A GOOD METHODOLOGY INCLUDES:
What is your research question?
Why did you select ethnography as your method of research?
How did you select the community you studied?
What aspects of the community/group/culture will you be observing?
REMEMBER THAT:
This is a qualitative research question—you need to get beneath the surface.
Methodology sections should be specific.
But this section should also be clear—do not use terms or concepts you do not understand
There is no one answer to “How much should I analyze?” It depends on how well you are able to analyze your
data…. Usually, the more data you have the better your analysis will turn out
DO NOT wait to gather your data. START EARLY AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN FIND AND GET YOUR
HANDS ON THE OBSERVATIONS THAT YOU NEED.
THE ANALYSIS SECTION
The analysis section of your paper is the most important part of your project!
7/1/2020 Order 321921489
https://admin.writerbay.com/orders_available?subcom=detailed&id=321921489 4/6
This is the section of your paper when you tell me about your findings!!
What did you find (discover) from your observations?!? What are some emerging patterns in your data?!? What
do these patterns say about the group, culture you studied?!
In this section, you also tie up your findings to the theoretical notions (and problems you described in the
literature review).
Up until now, you have mainly focused on explaining what your research question is and how it is important
(Introduction), what other researchers have found about your topic (Literature Review), and how you plan to
answer your research question (Methodology). The Findings section is where you answer that research
question using 1) evidence from your textual data and 2) a sociological interpretation of your findings using
sociological theory and/or previous research
A GOOD FINDINGS SECTION INCLUDES:
An organized presentation of your findings
Your major findings are broken down by themes
An introduction of each theme
Evidence from the field that illustrates the theme (that it is not an isolated event)
A sociological interpretation of what you have found (So what?)
Interpretation should be based on social theory, previous research and NOT on your opinion
This section needs a good balance of examples and interpretation
REMEMBER THAT:
This is a qualitative research class—you need to get beneath the surface.
You need to base your findings on sociology and not your opinion
You need to keep your tone neutral
You need to arrange your findings by themes and not by the data source (reads too unorganized and does not
show linkages)
Your reader was not in the field with you, so you need to be vivid in your description of your experiences as
“evidence”
You must go beyond just simple description—don’t just describe the patterns, answer the “So what?” question
—what is sociological about this pattern?
THE CONCLUSIONS SECTION
The conclusion section of your research paper is meant to serve as the “wrap up” section of your paper. It is a
short summary of what your research question was, what were your major findings, ways your project could
have been improved, and directions for future research.
A GOOD CONCLUSION INCLUDES:
A review of your research question
A review of your major findings (around a paragraph)
What the limitations of your study were (what could you have done differently to answer your question?)
Suggestions for future research (where could sociologists go from here?) What questions remain unanswered?