Research Paper

The following are some guidelines and suggestions for your research paper.1  If you have never written a research paper before—and even if you have, and believe you know what you’re doing—I strongly recommend that you invest in (and then read) a copy of A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, not just for this class, but for your entire college career and beyond. (Seriously, the $10 you spend on a used copy of the 7th Edition will be the best $10 you ever spend on your education). This is a great reference book to have on your shelf, and it will help to answer most questions that arise during the process of writing.

Overall Goal or Purpose

Your paper should use the scientific method and/or critical thinking to evaluate, describe, or otherwise assess a pseudoscientific, pseudohistorical, or pseudoarchaeological claim in a manner that is applicable to this course. These papers are to be exercises in learning how to critically assess and evaluate pseudoscientific claims and the like.

Deciding on a Claim or Topic

An “A” paper should teach me something about the specific topic or claim. Writing about things that have been discussed ad nauseam and that have been thoroughly debunked in the readings and lectures  used in this class (such as the Cardiff Giant, Piltdown Man, Ancient Aliens) are unlikely to earn an A.  Instead, find a topic that few have explored, or come up with a new angle on an old topic.

If you need some suggestions or ideas, I recommend the following Web pages:

I strongly encourage you to meet with me or our T.A. as early as possible to discuss your thoughts on a topic.  That is why you have various mile-markers throughout the semester, and it is why I hold office hours.  Ultimately, your paper is your responsibility.  Your adherence to these guidelines is your responsibility.

I encourage you to clearly and narrowly define the claim(s) being evaluated.  If you choose a very broad claim (i.e., Astrology) you run the risk of trying to cover too many things at one time and your paper will likely be unfocused and vague. Instead, narrow this broad claim down to a specific claim or series of claims (i.e., “Are descriptions of peoples’ personalities and behaviors based on astrological observations accurate and correct?”).  A good rule of thumb here is that you should aim for depth, not breadth.

  • Your paper should relate to a specific testable claim. On the very first page, in the introductory paragraph(s) you should clearly state:
    • What the claim is. Note: A claim is not a question. “I can receive thoughts directly from an associate” is a claim; “Does ESP exist?” is a question, not a claim.
    • Who made, or is making, the claim?
    • What is the source of the claim: where is it made? (A magazine, TV show, web site, advertisement, etc.) Cite that source. You cannot make up the claim yourself, or simply say something such as “Many people believe…”.
    • A summary of the amount of actual scientific tests of the claim that appear to be available. If very little is available this might not be a good topic.
    • If the claim is “widely believed,” you need to find and cite some evidence of this. Something that is common knowledge to you, may not be common knowledge to someone else.

Topics or claims that are not testable, based on pseudoscience, or a demonstration of the misuse of the scientific method/critical thinking are not acceptable, and will likely result in a poor grade.  Some examples of these are:

  • Debates on policy and/or opinion, where the science is settled and the debate relates to value and opinion (Budweiser is better than Coors, We shouldn’t accept manmade climate change because addressing it is bad for our economy);
  • A purely scientific issue—If the answer to your question can be found through scientific inquiry (experiment, observation, etc), then it is not a pseudoscientific claim. Consider questions like “Are GMO foods/powerlines/asbestos dangerous?” Answers can be found by doing real science;
  • A purely theological/religious topic—If the answer to your question cannot possibly be found through any test, then it is not a potentially pseudoscientific claim; rather, it is a theological claim (e.g., “Does God exist?”);
  • A purely technical question (e.g. “Zero-emission vehicles are better for the environment than gasoline-powered vehicles.”);
  • A claim of an event in the future that cannot be tested before it happens (e.g., “The world will end in the year 3000.”);
  • A topic where few resources are available either to support or to study the claim (e.g., “Drinking apple cider vinegar regularly provides numerous health benefits.”).

Things to Avoid

  • Do not recite a lot of history about some topic—unless the history of the claim is significantly important to your overall position.
  • Do not recite a lot of doctrine about how something is supposed to work. What really counts is “Does it work?”.
  • Do not write a broad essay. This does not amount to assessing a claim.
  • Do not present “pros and cons” or “both sides of the story” as a means of “fairness.” Science is fair only in how well it gets at the facts about reality. Science develops knowledge; people have to figure out how to deal with it.
  • Do not try to prove a negative, such as “ESP does not exist.” A good default position for the skeptic is the maxim “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” A good research paper seeks to evaluate the evidence for a particular claim that something does exist.

Format

Paper Template File

  • I have prepared a template for you to use for your research paper: [MS Word] [Apple Pages].  Use this template to write your paper. I have modified various styles within the paper so that they are consistent. You can download this template and replace the highlighted material with your own.
  • If you prefer to not use this template, or you use a different word processor, make sure that you use a Serif typeface set in 12-point, that your text is double spaced, that your margins are set at 1″ all around, that you have a title page clearly listing pertinent information (title, your full name, your student number, the class name and code, my name, the semester and year of this course, and the date that you are turning in the paper). If you are using various levels of headings in your paper, make sure that they are consistently formatted.
  • Give your file a name in the format “Yourlastname_ResearchPaper_ANTH3334.doc” (you better be smart enough to put in your own name).

Works Cited/Bibliography

  • I do not care what format you use for citations and references as long as you use one correctly and consistently.
    • If you don’t know how to do this, consider looking at Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab and choosing APA, MLA, or Chicago Manual of Style formats (it would be a good idea to choose whatever format is most-commonly used in the field of your major, and to use this experience to learn how to do it)
  • In your bibliography, clearly separate the references for the claim that you are investigating from those scientific sources that you are using to evaluate the claim.
  • Cite evidence, not opinion. Personal experiences may be useful for presenting a topic/claim, but they are not otherwise useful.  They are anecdotes, not evidence.
  • I have compiled a list of references relevant to some topics common to this course. You are encouraged to consult this list as a starting point for your work, but you should not use only this list for your work.
  • When you use the words of another author you must reference the work in your bibliography. Not doing so is plagiarism.  If you are unclear on just what plagiarism is, then see this handy guide.
  • Your paper should have a minimum of five scholarly references. The entire point of researching a topic is to become informed and educated on it, and this requires seeking out and evaluating as much evidence as possible. You simply cannot do that when you only look at a handful of sources or Just Google It.
    • Refereed journal articles are typically among the best scholarly sources, then books, then the internet.  Your bibliography may not contain more than 25% internet sites. Exceptions: 1) Internet sites of type .gov, .mil or .edu will not count as Web sources. 2) Internet sites which are used as the source for the pseudoscientific claim are exempt; just be sure to clearly indicate this.
  • Be sure to check out any internet sites used for references. Here are some good references on how to do this.
  • Please proofread your papers carefully before you turn them in. Excessive spelling, grammatical, or structural errors will result in a lower grade.

Course Resources

Bibliography of professional sources addressing pseudoarchaeological claims

1 This page has been expanded and modified from a similar page prepared by the SMU Department of Physics for students enrolled in their class on pseudoscience.