Organization and Coherence in the Social Science Paper

Last Update: January 22, 1998 (under construction)

Organization (IMRAD)

1. Abstract
1. Parts
1. State the problem
2. Give the findings
3. State conclusions and implications
2. Introduction
1. Parts
1. Background / review of field
2. Articulation of focus / purpose
3. Consise statement of results
2. Comments
• In a social science paper, the introduction tends to be longer than in the natural science since the author needs to convice the reader of the value of the material covered and give some background of previous research.
3. Methods
1. Parts
1. Experimental Design
2. Subjects
3. Materials
4. Procedures
5. Methods of interpreting data
2. Comments
• The methods section gives the reader information on how the research was carried out. It should also give the reader enough information to repeat the experiment.
4. Results
1. Parts
1. Tables
2. Charts
3. Graphs
4. Digrams
5. Narrative
2. Comments
• The result section should provide the reader with the data that you are going to use in your discussion. It may also include more data so that the reader can draw additional conclusions or put the data in some framework.
5. Discussion
1. Parts
1. Interpret the findings
2. Explain how the findings relate to previous work
3. Explain possible reasons for other suprises
4. State the conclusions
5. Suggest the implications for futher study
2. Comments
• The discussion should be related to the topic.

Coherence

1. Organizational Methods
1. Sections
2. Numbered Sections
3. Transitional Sentences.