Hints for writing your NRES 598 Paper.
Fall Semester 2016

The acceptable paper.

The acceptable paper will take a theory we have looked at in class. Begin by explaining the theory and bring in the literature from the syllabus that talks about that theory. (This is where you show you did the readings and understood them.  So be sure you include all of the relevant readings; I'll probably notice if you do!)  You will also do some research to find out what other scholars have said about the topic.  Yes, this might require a trip or phone conult with the librarian.  (And don't be afraid of the librarians; they are usually happy to help and usually are really helpful once you explain what you are researching.  In case you did not know it, we are very lucky at the UI because our librarians not only have a degree in library science, but also have a degree (often an advanced degree) in the substantive field in which they work.

Next, you will talk about the theory realistically.  What things do you need to know to see if the theory is valid Talk about what real world observations you could use to test the theory.  Many of the articles and theories are presented in generalities and ideal terms, but how can somebody who lives in the real world know if their ideas work?  So, tell us what you would like to know in order to test the theory.

Then consider how that compares with what we have available?  Discuss how the measures we collected on our neighborhoods will work.  Sometimes, combining some of our measures will provide a better tool than using them separately. Which ones will you combine?  Etc.  In this section, talk about how  you will test the theory using the data we have available to us. In other words, you should consider the issues of operationalization and measurement in this section.

Then, do the tests and present the data and measures you discussed above.  Present the results you get for the neighborhoods we have.  In most cases you will use all of the neighborhoods; if you look only at one neighborhood, how can we know what happens if something varies on your "dependent variable?"

Next, assess your work.  Do the tests you have done seem to confirm or shed doubt upon the theory?  Do your findings imply that the theory need to be modified?  How?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of your investigation?

Last, make any policy, design, or other suggestions you may have.  Close by summarizing, and follow that with any tables, graphs, pictures, and your references.

The excellent paper.

The excellent paper requires more thought and more planning, and also requires you have done more reading.  The excellent paper will look at several of the theories we have examined in class and talk about how they relate to one another.  Many of our authors talk about related things.  Some give different causes for the same thing, in other cases we see one author saying A causes B and another one saying B causes C.  It is not a huge leap then to create a hybrid of the two theories that says that A and C ought to be related as well.  Again, be sure to include all of the relevant literature from class, and also some additional research.

Take these related theories and build a hybrid theory or meta theory.  Be sure to explain how your new theory works, what it implies, and how it can be measured.  Be sure also to do some research to see if other scholars have mentioned this idea.  What do they say about it?  Has this been noticed before?   Sometimes the answer is yes, but often it is no, especially in a topic area like this where the literature comes from so many unrelated disciplines.

Discuss what the ideal tests of the theory would look like, as noted above.  And then discuss (as above) how you can use the data we have available.

Do the tests using our neighborhoods and parks data.

Draw conclusions and summarize, as above.  How good is your new theory?

Follow, as always, with tables, charts, graphs, and your references page.

The essential difference.

Yes, the acceptable paper easily can earn an A. You need not feel compelled avoid direct tests of a theory from class in order to obtain a good grade. The difference is in what is expected in both the presentation and testing. The use of a hybridized theory may actually require more indirect measures or imperfect constructs than in the direct test of a simpler theory.  In addition, it is possible that the hybrid theory will have less (and possibly nothing) written about or testing it directly. Thus, more tentative tests and speculative measures are to be expected when treading where none have gone before. It is the nature of both art and science that such refinement comes with time.