1. How to write a research paper Hibo Abdi Program Coordinator Project Success 2015

2. Sections of a research paper Experimental ProcessSection of Paper What did I do in a nutshell?Abstract What is the problem?Introduction How did I solve the problem?Methods What did I find out?Results What does it mean?Discussion Who helped me out?Acknowledgements Who’s work did I refer to?Literature Cited (References) http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWsections.html

3. Abstract The abstract summarizes in one paragraph, all the key points of your paper. You break it down as follows… – Introduction (one or two sentences) – Methods (one or two sentences) – Results (key results, one or two sentences) – Discussion (one or two sentences) Should not be more than a half page.

4. Introduction The introduction functions to establish a context for what you’ll be discussing. You discuss the primary research literature you might’ve looked at. You state the purpose of your work and explain your approach and possible outcomes. Should be around a page.

5. Methods The methods section describes how you carried out the study. You’ll describe what organisms you were studying, or what concepts you were studying. You’ll describe the experimental or sampling design of your study (ex: controls, treatments, variables). You’ll describe protocols. You’ll also describe how you analyzed the data. Should be around a page.

6. Results In this section, you’re to objectively present your key results (no interpretations). You’ll present your data, tables and figures in this section. Present your findings and provide text to support it after the tables and figures. Do not leave out negative results! Should be at least a page or two.

7. Discussion The discussion portion of the paper is to interpret your results based on what’s already known about the subject. Discuss (scientific) opinions and limitations. – Did the results answer your hypotheses? If it did, how’d you interpret the findings. – Do your findings support proven data? – What conclusions did you draw from this. – What is a next logical step in your study? Should be at least one page. Maybe two depending on study.

8. Acknowledgements If you’ve received any significant help designing or carrying out your project, (PIs and mentors) this is where you’d acknowledge that.

9. Literature cited (references) This is an alphabetical listing (by author’s last name) of the literature you referenced when creating your study and paper. Literature cited must be in APA Format. Purdue’s OWL has excellent APA formatting help. – https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Length varies on literature you used.

10. Example of APA formatting 1.Brown, J., & Witherspoon, E. (2002). The mass media and American adolescents' health*1. Journal of Adolescent Health, 153-170. 2.Brown, J. (1990). Television and adolescent sexuality. Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 62-70. 3.Brown, L. K., Tolou-Shams, M., Lescano, C., Houck, C., Zeidman, J., Pugatch, D., et al. (2006). Depressive symptoms as a predictor of sexual risk among African American adolescents and young adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39(3), 444.e1-444.e8. 4.Davila, J., Stroud, C. B., Starr, L. R., Miller, M. R., Yoneda, A., & Hershenberg, R. (2009). Romantic and sexual activities, parental adolescent stress, and depressive symptoms among early adolescent girls. Journal of Adolescence, 32(4), 909-924. 5.Levine, M. (2004). The role of body image in the prevention of eating disorders. body image 1(1), 57-70. Retrieved on December 5, 2014 6.Mazzaferro, K., Murray, P., Ness, R., Bass, D., Tyus, N., & Cook, R. (2006). Depression, stress, and social support as predictors of high-risk sexual behaviors and STIs in young women. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39(4), 601-603. Retrieved September 27, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.02.004 7.Rink, E., Tricker, R., & Harvey, S. M. (2007). Onset of sexual intercourse among female adolescents: the influence of perceptions, depression, and ecological factors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(4), 398-406. Retrieved September 27, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.04.017 8.Rubin, A., Gold, M., & Primack, B. (2009). Associations between depressive symptoms and sexual risk behavior in a diverse sample of female adolescents. journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology, 22(5), 306-312. 9.Shrier, L. (2001). Associations of depression, self-esteem, and substance use with sexual risk among adolescents. preventive medicine, 33(3), 179-189. 10.Vasilenko., & PhD., S. L. (2013). Predictors of multiple sexual partners from adolescence through young adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55, 491e497. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.mcphs.edu/science/article/pii/S1054139X13008537 http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.mcphs.edu/science/article/pii/S1054139X13008537 Abdi, H. (2014, December). Depression and linking risk factors to risky sexual behavior in adolescents: A literature review.