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Effects of Communication Research on Self-Esteem and Enjoyment of Life

Jane Doe, Shippensburg University

COM 111: Name of Class Goes Here

May 5, 2017

Abstract

This is the abstract. Make sure it is 100 to 150 words, mentions the overall aim of the study, the research method used (survey), the size of the sample (N = XX) and the key results of the research. The abstract goes on a page all by itself.

Effects of Communication Research on Self-Esteem and Enjoyment of Life

Make sure paragraphs are indented. The introduction should be about 1 to 1½ pages. Note that it does not need an “Introduction” heading. It should introduce the issue/problem that your research will address and explain the significance of the research, helping the reader understand why the research is needed. Write in third person.

The introduction should conclude with a clear purpose statement, stating the purpose of your research (e.g., “The purpose of this study is …”).

Literature Review

Subheading (If You Choose to Divide Your Literature Review into Subsections)

Make sure paragraphs are indented. The literature review should be about 3 pages long (about 4-5 pages if you are working as a pair). Write in third person. The literature review should summarize and analyze existing research that relates to your topic. It should introduce and define the key concepts, theories or subtopics that your research will address.

Subheading (If You Choose to Divide Your Literature Review into Subsections)

You must cite at least 5 scholarly sources. Make sure to use in-text citations for each source you cite (Smith, 2015). Do not simply list study after study after study. Make the literature review a “narrative.” Make it interesting. It might help to divide it into subsections, each with a subheading.

Conclude the literature review with your research questions and/or hypotheses. Label each one (H1, H2, RQ1, RQ2, etc.) and state each one clearly in a single sentence.

Method

The method section should be about 2 to 3 pages long and should be as thorough and specific as possible. Begin by stating the research method that you used and how you carried out your study (e.g., “An online survey was created on the website and posted online. Participants were emailed a URL link to the survey.”)

Describe the sample and the strategies used to recruit or select your sample. Who was sampled? Be specific. How were they recruited or selected? What was the type of sampling used (convenience, purposive, etc.)? What was the sample size (e.g., N = 70)? In other words, how many people took your survey or did your experiment?

Describe the kinds of questions that were asked on the survey without actually listing each individual question.

State how key variables were measured and discuss the measurement scales that were used. If you used factor analysis to combine several individual items into a single variable, be sure to mention that, stating which items were combined and giving the value of Cronbach’s alpha, which indicates the reliability of the scale.

Results

The Results section should be about 2 to 4 pages. Begin by giving some descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations or percentages) about the demographics of your sample (such as age, gender, academic standing, etc.).

Then go through your research questions and/or hypotheses (RQ1, RQ2, H1, H2, etc.) one by one, in order. Restate the research question or hypothesis (e.g., “RQ1 asked whether there is a relationship between gender and …). State which statistical test (chi-square, independent-samples t-test, paired-samples t-test, ANOVA, or correlation) was used to test the hypothesis or answer the research question. Report the results of the statistical test, which must include three things: the value of the test statistic (X2, t, F, or r), the degrees of freedom (df), and the significance (p) value. You should be able to find these three things in the SPSS output tables. NOTE: For ANOVA tests, there are two numbers for the degrees of freedom: between groups and within groups. List both values, with a comma separating them. NOTE: SPSS doesn’t give the degrees of freedom for correlation tests. For correlation tests, the degrees of freedom can be calculated by taking the value of N (sample size) and subtracting 2. The three things can be placed in parentheses, like this for an ANOVA: (F = 53.04, df = 2, 88, p < .05) or like this for correlation (r = .34, df = 78, p < .01) or like this for chi-square (X2 = 2.33, df = 2, p = ns) or like this for a t-test (t = -2.34, df = 78, p = ns). Note that instead of giving the precise value of p (significance), you can simply indicate whether it was less than .01, less than .05, or not significant (ns). However, if the p value was not significant but came close to being significant (p was between .05 and .10), mention that and say that the test “approached significance.” Then answer the research question or tell whether the hypothesis was supported or rejected, based on the significance (p) value. In addition to reporting the results of the statistical test, you should also report the relevant means and standard deviations (for interval or ratio data) or the relevant percentages (for nominal data).

Create tables (included at the end of the research report) if it will help illustrate the statistics. Number the tables Table 1, Table 2, etc. Refer to the tables in the body of the Results section.

You can also use open-ended responses to help answer research questions or test hypotheses. Look for patterns or themes in the open-ended responses. Quote any interesting, relevant responses that will help you answer your research questions or test your hypotheses.

NOTE: Don’t try to explain the results in the Results section. Don’t include your opinions or interpretations. Just report the results. Keep it basic and straightforward. Save your interpretations for the next section of the paper, which is the discussion section.

Discussion

The Discussion section should be about 2 pages (about 3-4 pages if working as a pair). In this section, you should begin by briefly summarizing the key findings of the study (in a sentence or two). Then, explain the findings and discuss their implications (What does it all mean? What can we learn from the results?).

Discuss the study’s limitations, such as limitations based on the sample and its demographics, the types of questions asked, time constraints, etc.

Also, give a suggestion or two for future research. If you were to build upon this study or do a follow-up study, what would you do?

Finally, end with a nice, strong concluding sentence or two.

References

NOTE: Start the reference list on a new page. You need at least 5 scholarly references.

Author, A. B. & Author, A. B. (Year). Book title: This is the book title. Location: Publisher.

Author, Y. Z. (Year). The title of the journal article. Name of the Academic Journal, X(X), XX-XX.

Table 1

Descriptive Statistics for XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

| |M |SD |n |% |

|Sex | | | | |

| Male | | |XX |XX.X% |

| Female | | |XX |XX.X% |

|Academic Standing | | | | |

| Freshman | | |XX |XX.X% |

| Sophomore | | |XX |XX.X% |

| Junior | | |XX |XX.X% |

| Senior | | |XX |XX.X% |

| Graduate student | | |XX |XX.X% |

|Age |XX.XX |X.XX | | |

|Daily hours spent using social media |XX.XX |X.XX | | |

Table 2

Means and Standard Deviations for XXXXXXXXX

| |M |SD |N |

|I am a very smart and wonderful person. a |X.XX |X.XX |XX |

|I am a very smart and wonderful person. a |X.XX |X.XX |XX |

|I am a very smart and wonderful person. a |X.XX |X.XX |XX |

|I am a very smart and wonderful person. a |X.XX |X.XX |XX |

a Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

Table 3

Chi-Square Test for Relationship Between XXX and XXX

| |Category 1 |Category 2 |Category 3 |Category 4 |

|Category 1 |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |

|Category 2 |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.XX%) |XX (XX.X%) |

|Category 3 |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |

|Category 4 |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |XX (XX.X%) |

χ2 = XX.XX, df = X, p = .XX

Table 4

Independent-Samples t-test for Effects of Political Party on XXXXX

| |Republican |Democratic |t |

|Name of Dependent Variable a |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |XX.XX** |

| |(X.XX) |(X.XX) | |

|Name of Dependent Variable b |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |XX.XX* |

| |(X.XX) |(X.XX) | |

|Name of Dependent Variable c |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |XX.XX |

| |(X.XX) |(X.XX) | |

Note. Numbers in parentheses indicate standard deviations.

a Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

b Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

c Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

*p < .05, **p < .01

Table 5

Paired-Samples t-test for Differences Between XXXXX and XXXX

| |M |SD |t |

|Name of Variable 1 a |XX.XX |XX.XX | |

|Name of Variable 2 a |XX.XX |XX.XX |.XX* |

a Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

*p < .05, **p < .01

Table 6

One-Way ANOVA for Effects of Political Party on XXXXX

| |Republican |Democratic |Independent |F |

|Name of Dependent Variable a |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |XX.XX* |

| |(X.XX) |(X.XX) |(X.XX) | |

|Name of Dependent Variable b |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |XX.XX* |

| |(X.XX) |(X.XX) |(X.XX) | |

|Name of Dependent Variable c |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |M = XX.XX |XX.XX |

| |(X.XX) |(X.XX) |(X.XX) | |

Note. Numbers in parentheses indicate standard deviations.

a Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

b Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

c Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

*p < .05, **p < .01

Table 7

Correlations Between XXXXXXXXXXX

| |Variable 1 |Variable 2 |Variable 3 |Variable 4 |Variable 5 |

|Variable 1 a |— |.XX** |.XX* |.XX |.XX |

|Variable 2 b | |— |.XX |.XX |.XX |

|Variable 3 c | | |— |.XX |.XX |

|Variable 4 d | | | |— |.XX |

|Variable 5 e | | | | |— |

a Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

b Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

c Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

d Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

e Measured on a scale from X (XXXXX) to X (XXXXX). Include if needed. Otherwise, delete.

*p < .05, **p < .01

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