Divorce and the effect on children

Bibliographic Essay!!!
Topic relating to sociology: Divorce and the effect on children
• There has to be at least five peer reviewed from an academic, sociological source (e.g., a scholarly article, a scholarly book, etc; related disciplines are acceptable –> but make sure it is CONNECTED to sociology and you explain that connection);
For each peer reviewed piece write about one page.
• Give us an overview of the article (what did they set out to do, what did they do in terms of theory, methods, findings, conclusions etc.)
INCLUDE HOW THIS PARTICULAR RESEARCH IS RELEVANT FOR YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION!

CAUTION: while psychology is an awesome discipline and has some amazing research this is a SOCIOLOGY course. As such focus on sociological research (either research published in sociology journals or sociologists publishing sociological research in other fields).
Good Journals to explore: Annual Review of Sociology; American Sociological Review, Journal of Marriage and Family (make sure it’s sociological); American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Social Problems, Social Science Research; etc….
• After reading and critiquing articles, book chapters, books and other readings and materials and after participating in class discussions it is now time to make the next step: writing papers! Typically students are scared of writing assignments but if you devote energy, passion and dedication to this process you will succeed! Below is a ten step process that if followed usually leads to a good paper. Make sure to check with the guidelines for each writing assignment as the specifics might be different.
• 1. The first step to follow in any writing assignment is to make sure you adhere to any requirements linked to formatting and layout. While you may write an otherwise excellent paper, not adhering to these requirements can cost you precious points. Did I follow all of the formatting guidelines?
• o If the paper is supposed to be 3-5 pages, did I write at least three full pages?
• I know all the tricks! Don’t try them!
• o Does the paper have the right margins (typically 1”)?
• o Do I use the right font and size (typically Times New Roman 12)?
• o Do I use the right spacing (typically double spaced)?
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• 2. The second step is to have a clear structure to your paper. Make sure that you organize your thoughts. While you can develop your own structure a traditional paper has the following three sections:
• o 1) introduction where you explain the topic, its relevance to sociology, focus related to the course, and organization of your paper: WHAT is it your paper is about?;
• o 2) the body of your paper where each paragraph elaborates on one of the points your introduction said you were going to explore; and
• o 3) conclusion: WHAT was your paper about and what did you find?
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• The next five steps revolve around properly citing and finding relevant peer reviewed academic and non-academic materials.
• 3. The third step is to make sure to reference and include the materials used in class. Is there anything mentioned in the textbook or class slides that refers to this particular topic?
• o If so, did I cite the book? (Ex. Meij 2011: x page number);
• o Slides? (Ex. Classnotes / Lecture Slides topic and slide number).
• o Do I refer to in-class discussion? This one is a bit harder to cite. But you could just write that “this topic was discussed in class”. Add the date of the class if possible.
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• 4. While using the class materials is important, it is usually wise to include some outside sources as well. The fourth step involves using any academic materials that are available in the library.
• o A research guide for Sociology: http://fgcu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=23656
• o Schedule a consultation: http://library.fgcu.edu/ADMIN/Forms/my_librarian.htm
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• Beyond using the assigned class materials as well as any materials you may locate in your library there is the possibility of using outside sources. Some of these outside sources are from other courses you have taken, websites from organizations, examples from news and popular culture. As you can see not all of these outside sources are automatically academically relevant and peer reviewed so make sure to recognize that.
• o Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com/schhp?hl=en&tab=is
• o If so, in what way do they add to our understanding of this problem? In what way is this information presented here different and/or similar to the information provided in the textbook/slides?
• o Did I accurately cite these outside sources?
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• 6. Remember: everything that is NOT your OWN ORIGINAL thought has to be cited.
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• 7. The seventh step is devoting separate attention to Wikipedia. While this has democratized access to information it is still a controversial source to include in your papers. Check with your professor if they approve of the use of Wikipedia. For my courses I encourage you using Wikipedia as a starting point of your research. For example, you write about the effects of family violence on kids. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_violence. Scroll all the way down to “effects on children”. The very last sentence of the first paragraph explains that “children who witness mother-assault are more likely to exhibit symptoms of PTSD”. If you click on that number it will take you down to the original source. In this case it may be hard to find the original source (a M.A. thesis) so you could write that this M.A. thesis was cited on Wikipedia. That in my eyes is a correct use of Wikipedia. In other situations you will attempt to access the original source.
• The final three steps all revolve around making sure you finish strong!
• 8. Do I make any claims? If so, did I cite evidence that supports this claim? In other words make your opinions factual! Some absolute truths such as “the sky is blue” of course do not need to be cited but as a general rule back up any statement that someone else may have a different viewpoint on. It is not that you cannot have your own viewpoints but rather that you want to enhance your claim with evidence! Related to the importance of backing up your claims is the notion of: which pieces of information do I need in order to make my argument? This also reinforces the importance of this ten step process being circular as the moment you are listing the required pieces of information it becomes important to make sure you also cite factual and reliable sources.
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• 9. Did I proofread my paper at least once after I was done writing it? (remember you cannot blindly trust on office spellcheck. Weather, too, your, you’re, are all correct but they may be wrong in the context.
• o Do I have an awesome roommate/friend/family member that would proofread my paper? If they understand it you probably wrote a very good paper. This is even more the case if they have never taken a sociology course themselves.

Do I have any remaining questions? Am I still unclear about something? If so, don’t ask your classmates ask your instructor! This is such an important yet often overlooked aspect.
• The specific weights given to each criterion might be different depending on the course you are taking but including each of these criteria usually ensures writing at a higher level. These criteria relate to 1) a clearly articulated thesis; 2) a well-organized structure of your paper; 3) the use of evidence; 4) the analysis you conduct of the topic; 5) the logic of your arguments; and finally 6) the mechanics of your paper.