Quantitative Analysis Paper
Project description
Here is the essay prompt (I will also attach a sample paper that you can follow the format of) (I will also attach the stata data set that i would like you to use in order to come up with a theory):
As a final demonstration of what you have learned in this course, you are tasked with writing a short research paper. You will need to start with a research question and theory from political science, economics, or sociology (SRPP). You will then operationalize this theory into hypotheses, measure your key concepts with variables, and test/evaluate your hypotheses using Stata. The requirements, expectations, and grading standards for this paper are outlined below.
Requirements and expectations
All papers must meet the following standards. Failure to meet these standards will result in automatic reductions in grade.
Word count: Between 2000 words (minimum) and 3000 words (maximum). You must list the word count on your title page. The word count does not include the title page, any tables/figure, and the references page.
Citations: You must use in text citations in the form of (author,year) and include a references page with full citations. All citations must follow either APA, APSA, or MLA guidelines. Only use academic journals and books as source materials.
Data analysis: You must analyze a data set using Stata. For your convenience, I have given you the 2010 CCES. You can go out and find dierent data on your own if you want to test a theory that this data cannot address, but your data set must have more than 500 observations. With any data set, you will need to be able to justify your use of a given variable as a measure of your desired concept. I cannot provide any warranty on the quality of data you find on your own.
Paper structure: You must have introduction, literature review/theory, hypothesis, methods/measures, results, and conclusion sections.
Science: You must start with a social science theory, refine it into a set of hypotheses, and test those hypotheses using data. You must be able to defend your theory, your move from theory to hypothesis, your data choices, your analysis strategy, and your interpretation of the results. You MAY use an existing theory and examine it with new data. It is perfectly fine if your results are not statistically significant. What matters is that you have run your analysis properly.
Writing: The paper must be written using formal English. Use of colloquialisms or text-speak is not permitted.
1
Originality: This is to be entirely your own work. You may not work in teams. It should go without saying, but you must cite any ideas that are not your own. Plagiarism will be dealt with in accordance to university rules.
File format: You must submit this paper as a PDF by the deadline specified in the syllabus.
Grading Rubric
You must comply with all of the standards listed above. Noncompliance will result in a grade reduction appropriate to the level of the violation. Beyond these general standards, I will be rating your paper based on the following standards:
1. Theory (20%): What is the research question? Do you have a clear cause and eect. Is there a clear and compelling story for the link between cause and eect. Is the theory well articulated? Are the assumptions of the theory clear? Does the theory explain the phenomenon of interest?
2. Literature Review (10%): Is literature cited that supports the theoretical argu- ment? Do the cited articles indeed make the point that you claim? Are citations used to support a coherent argument or are they thrown in haphazardly? Are important citations missing? Do the citations reflect that the researcher has done a thorough search?
3. Hypotheses (20%): Do the hypotheses allow the researcher to test her/his the- ory? Do they properly connect the cause and eect specified by the theory? Are the hypotheses well articulated? Do they state exactly what relationship the researcher expects to see between X and Y in the data set?
4. Empirical Model (20%): Does the data measure what the researcher intends to measure? Is the data valid and reliable? Has the researcher assessed any potential measurement problems. Has the researcher attempted to deal with threats to causality? Is the data analysis choice an appropriate one (regression, dierence in means, etc.)?
5. Interpretation of Results (20%): Are results presented clearly? Is the researchers interpretation of these results reasonable? Are measures of uncertainty presented? Are correct hypothesis tests run and presented? Are proper statistical controls presented? Does the analysis test the intended hypotheses? Does the researcher use this to then evaluate her/his theory?
6. Writing and style (10%): Is the writing clean, concise, and readable? Does the paper make a compelling argument? Does the paper flow smoothly from section to section? Are tables and figures neatly formatted and not copied/pasted from raw Stata code?