This Research Tools page contains various short works designed to aid students in research and statistics courses, especially those using my text, Fundamentals of Social Research. Legal research aids are also included.
Doc’s Research Tools
- Mastering Academic Database Searches: A Guide for Students
- Worksheet: Peer-Reviewed Empirical Research Report Checklist
- Worksheet: Verifying an Experimental Hypothesis
- The Craft of Scientific Writing. This essay describes some important elements to consider when writing scientific literature reviews in the APA Style.
- Stand-alone Literature Review Example The PDF file provides a sample of a literature review as assigned in my undergraduate research methods course.
- APA Professional Paper (7th ed.) Template [MS Word File Link in Page]
- Literature Review Grading Rubric This is the rubric I use to grade stand-alone literature reviews. Students can use it as a guideline for writing, and my fellow professors are free to adopt it.
- Literature Review Outline [for an Experimental Study]
- Sample APA Literature Review Outline
- Research Methods Project Requirements Summary [Undergraduate]
- Worksheet: Peer-Reviewed Empirical Research Report Checklist
FAQ Articles
- What is the literature review component of a social science research report?
- How is a stand-alone scientific literature review different from a research proposal?
- Why is it important to cite only peer-reviewed empirical research reports in academic research?
- Why is currency important when citing journal articles?
- What do you mean by ‘true experiment’?!
- What do you mean by a ‘testable hypothesis’?
- How do I know if an article is ‘peer-reviewed’?
- How do I set up those hanging indents that APA requires for Reference pages in MS Word?
- How Do I Find ‘Peer-Reviewed Empirical Research Reports’ in Criminal Justice?
Legal Research Tools
- How to Write a Case Brief
- Legal Research Free Online
- My United States Law Guide provides links to cases and codes that are freely available online.
- There is also an Arkansas Law Guide.
Useful Tools on Other Sites
APA Style on Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL)
- General Format
- In-Text Citations: The Basics
- In-Text Citations: Author/Authors
- Reference List: Basic Rules
- Reference List: Author/Authors
- Reference List: Articles in Periodicals [My students: Note the “ARTICLE IN ELECTRONIC JOURNAL” heading! Everything on your reference page should look like that.]
- Reference List: Books
- Reference List: Other Print Sources
- Reference List: Electronic Sources
- Reference List: Audiovisual Media
- Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources
- Legal References
- Footnotes & Appendices
- Numbers & Statistics
- Additional Resources
- APA Headings and Seriation
- APA PowerPoint Slide Presentation
- APA Sample Paper
- Tables and Figures
- Abbreviations
- Changes in the 7th Edition
- General APA FAQs
Last Modifed: 12/15/2023