Economics Research paper

General Guide for the ECON 4002A Research Project Due December 2, 2020

The research paper is, in large part, a practical exercise to demonstrate facility with the concepts and tools acquired in ECON 4002 A and your economic theory courses. Innovation is expected to be modest, although the analysis should reflect an advanced understanding of economic theory and quantitative methods and issues.

The role of the instructor is to guide, assist, discuss, suggest and mentor rather than only to transfer mere information. However, the onus is on the student to seek out the instructor for feedback, guidance, assistance, etc., as it relates particularly to their project or the material covered in this course.

Writing the Research Paper

The paper/report should include the following:

A brief introduction that defines the objectives of the research (thesis statement). You should clearly specify the questions being examined, why it is relevant to economics, and why the question is important.

A short review of the relevant previous literature (and results) and research.

A description of the data, data sources and any irregularities (e.g. outliers, missing values) with the data. This includes providing and interpreting numerical summary

statistics and providing and discussing graphs.

When you are exploring the relationship between variables, you must include your a

priori assumptions, the results of the least squares estimation and clearly interpret and

discuss the relevance of these results.

A careful articulation of the testable hypotheses, the method used to test each hypothesis,

all assumptions used to obtain the test statistic, an interpretation of the results, the

conclusion reached and a discussion of the relevance of the conclusion.

A short summary/conclusion that includes any policy recommendations or suggestions

for further research.

A bibliography which follows the author-date format outlined in the APA style guide.

An appendix that includes summary of all regressions runs, and all relevant STATA

output. Do this carefully; readers appreciate a well-organized and labeled appendix.

A data file of your final data set. This should include your do-file and log files.

A Few Basic Rules:

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Each paper must have a title page, footnotes, and a list of references. Please use the short form (author-date) for referencing, e.g., (Mulroney 1992 p. 12) and then give the full citation in the List of references.

The body must contain approximately 6 to 8 typed pages, not including tables and graphs.

The paper must be 1.5 line spacing with 1″ margins and 12-point Times New Roman font.

Clear organizational framework. The paper must be broken up into explicitly designated sections. This will aid both the reader and the writer (you). Dividing the paper into sections helps the author to form a sensible plan and to stick to the plan when writing the paper. You must use the 9 elements of a paper noted above to guide you.

Number your pages.

Make sure all pages are legible.

Serious points could be deducted for poor/negligent spelling and grammar (up to 30%).

Use a good spell check and grammar check.

Use the simple name and date method of referencing in the body of the paper, e.g.,

(Payne 2002). If you cite two papers by Payne in 2002 then use (Payne 2002a, Payne

2002b).

References are listed in alphabetical order by last name of first author.

A partial list of practices to avoid (marks will be deducted accordingly):

A large number of quotations and footnotes.

Long paragraphs. (Paragraphs are used to indicate a change in topic.)

Contractions (won’t, can’t, etc.)

Frequent use of the first person (I will discuss, I will show, etc.)

Informal or “chatty” style of writing.

Acknowledging Sources:

Please be VERY careful to acknowledge all sources which you consulted during the preparation of your paper. You should reference not just published work, but also unpublished papers, including those of other students, and previous papers of your own. Each source should be acknowledged by author and date in the text. Your paper will be carefully scrutinized and tested for plagiarism.

Consulting the Instructor:

Please be sure to consult me early on if you are having difficulty with getting going on your paper. It is my job to help you get started, not just to grade the paper.

Grading of the Project

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I subscribe to the notion of a minimum “standard” that should be met. Therefore, I do not “mark on a curve”; that is, I do not have a preconceived distribution of grades. Unless the class size is large enough, and the class enrollment procedure leads to a sample for which distribution curve types or shapes are known, I find no justification for any sort of mandatory curve in determining final grades. Neither of these conditions are met in this class.

In general, I assign a grade of C or C+ to work that demonstrates average competence and grasp of the material, and which is well presented and well written. I then assess whether the work demonstrates: (1) superior research or analysis; (2) superior writing, structure and presentation; or (3) superior conception or insight. The presence of any of these elements raises the mark by one letter grade, so that the presence of all three elements will earn an A.

An “A” paper would have all the following characteristics:

A good introduction to the topic to be examined.

A clear organizational framework.

Logical arguments supported by good references.

Properly cited references to the literature.

Clearly presented and articulated results.

A good summary with clear conclusions.

A proper list of references.

Clear writing style.

Correct grammar and spelling.

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