comm10/14

Citation Requirements for Papers

  • Students will need to include a total of six citations in their papers.

  • Citations can be shared across group members—variety in citation lists is acceptable.

  • Key Points:

    • Ensure citations are research articles, not dissertations or government reports.

    • Google Scholar is permissible, but filter results carefully.

    • Library databases are often more reliable for filtering out unwanted documents.

    • Students are expected to bring relevant articles for their literature reviews to class.

Class Preparation and Article Review

  • Students should have completed the assigned reading and mentioned articles prior to class.

  • Important Articles:

    • A specific article example was referenced concerning social media and self-esteem.

  • Students are reminded to read the assigned articles thoroughly before attending class sessions.

Citation Formats

  • During the preparation of citations, students are advised to use APA format.

  • When using Google Scholar for citation generation:

    • Copy the citation and ensure it is properly formatted.

    • An example from a previous session illustrated how to cite correctly.

  • APA formatting reference assistance can be found via:

    • ChatGPT

    • Purdue OWL website

Accessing Library Resources

  • Students may have questions about locating articles in the library database.

  • If assistance is needed, students are encouraged to attend office hours.

  • The library homepage at UCSD can assist with searches for articles.

Overview of Class Topics

  • Review of fundamental concepts began in Week Zero and continued through subsequent weeks:

    • Knowledge: Definition and evaluation of scientific validity

    • Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

    • Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

    • Association vs. Causation

Example Content and Discussion on Research

  • A humorous video was introduced, illustrating correlation versus causation:

    • Example Study 1: Relation between personal initials and lifespan.

    • Example Study 2: Attitudes towards new drivers based on the type of car they drive.

  • Understanding the dynamics of how different factors affect people's perceptions and attitudes.

Hypothesis Explanation

  • A hypothesis is defined as a specific prediction about the relationship between phenomena.

    • Phenomena: Observable facts or situations, often needing explanation.

  • Research hypotheses are fundamentally about testing predictions regarding the relationship between variables:

    • Concepts (broad areas of study) must be narrowed down into measurable variables.

    • Discuss how different concepts interact within a research framework.

Importance of Operationalization

  • Operationalization refers to defining and measuring concepts to establish clarity in research:

    • Moving from broad concepts to specific measurable variables is vital.

    • The operationalization process includes defining the concept and determining how to measure it.

Breakout Activity Summary

  • Students engaged in a breakout activity to discuss and conceptualize their research projects:

    • Identify independent and dependent variables.

    • Share operationalization strategies with partners.

Examples of Research Topics

  • Topics discussed included perceptions of political similarity in relationships and the impact of influencer marketing on consumer perceptions.

Crafting Strong Hypotheses

  • Students learned several key attributes of effective hypotheses:

    • Clearly indicate the independent and dependent variables.

    • Specify the directionality of the relationship (positive or negative).

    • Define the statistical tests to be used in evaluating hypotheses.

    • A good hypothesis extends previous research and explores new directions.

Recommendations for Hypothesis Writing

  • Ensure that hypotheses are specific enough to allow for measurable tests.

  • Examples examined included differentiating between association and causal relations.

  • Understanding the distinction between correlations and differences in hypotheses will help guide experimental designs.

Student Projects and Variable Combinations

  • Every project must contain at least two hypotheses but include three to four variables.

  • Students were cautioned against using the same variable or simply reiterating another hypothesis in different wording.

Final Tips and Assistance

  • Final tips were shared regarding project development, emphasizing student interest as a driving factor for research efficacy.

  • Students asked to form hypotheses actionable in experiments with appropriate levels of variation and control.

  • Further explanations and examples will continue in upcoming lectures.