Sociology research is ever changing field due to the dynamic and evolutionary nature of the area of study. Society will never be stagnant and the study of social systems, cultures and their role in today’s world and the past presents challenges for research to stay relevant and up to date. When doing research for sociology, the best place to look for the most current thought on a sociology research paper topic is in a journal repository. Journal repositories such as EBSCOHost, ProQuest and the like are invaluable for the researcher to access past and recent articles from peer reviewed research. Paper Masters names the top 10 sociology journals for research papers in order to help direct students to the best that academia has to offer in sociological research. Here is our top 10 list.

1. AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW
2. ANNUAL REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY
3. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
4. GENDER & SOCIETY
5. INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY
6. SOCIOLOGICAL METHODS & RESEARCH
7. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
8.  SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
9. HUMAN ECOLOGY
10. LANGUAGE IN SOCIETY

These journals represent the best in sociological research today. They are all well-respected and easily accessible for any college student. Here are a few things to remember about sociology journals and journals in general:

The Number 1 Sociology Journal for Research

Journals are compilations of scholarly works usually published under the auspices of a professional organization. Do not confuse other periodicals and/or magazines (regardless of their title) with journals.  On line journals are generally not acceptable unless they are retrieved from a college or university on line service. Remember that when doing your works cited page, in addition to the normal bibliographic information, each entry must include the library where you obtained the journal.

Using journal references and research in your sociology research paper illustrates that you have looked to the professionals for answers or support of your thesis. It also gives you the confidence to know that your research is valid, up to date and reliable.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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Use the cute kitten method of catching a reader's attention in research papers.

At the onset of YouTube, one of the most frequently downloaded videos was the “Mean Kitty” video by Cory Williams. Cory set off a wave of kitty videos that could make even the most ardent cat fan want to cough up a hairball. YouTube then got its share of “dead puppies” or at least dogs playing dead. When you think about it, neither of these phenomena in nature really warrant the plethora of video channels that exist for the tenderly touched voyeur but never the less, the general population loves them. The lesson to be learned for you and your research paper? Professors can also be lured into the cute kitty or dead puppy syndrome. With a few simple tricks of rhetoric, you to can produce the academic equivalent of cute kitties in any research paper you write.

To understand how to apply the equivalent of the “cute kitty” or “dog playing dead” for your research paper, you must first understand the psychology behind the “cute kitty”. The cute kitty has been used by nearly every blogger, YouTube video aficionado and marketing guru in the Western World because of the simple fact that it appeals to all of human kind. No one short of the pathological can deny that a kitten is just about the cutest thing on the planet. It’s a universal truth. Something that can’t be denied. Same with the puppy playing dead. The trick is to weave this psychological element into your research paper. It’s possible, in every paper, and every research paper topic.

Poverty in America

To use the cute kitten approach, first determine your universal truth. For example, say your topic is “poverty in America”. The universal truth in this topic is that no one wants to be poor. Now you have to take your universal truth and twist it like dirty rag and squeeze out some heart-wrenching take on your universal truth that will tug on your professor’s heart strings. Inciting emotion in your paper conveys to a professor that you have thought about the topic and applied it to what you know personally. Continuing with our example of “poverty in America”, you may want to begin your paper by painting a scenario in which the reader of the paper imagines himself or herself out of work, downtrodden and living in the fringes of society. Or perhaps you can use a well-known example of poverty in America, for instance the fact that 21 percent of all children in America live in poverty. That is 1 in 5 children at the playground. 1 in 5 children at McDonalds. 1 in 5 children disappointed at Christmas. Go ahead, pull out the punches and make the analogies pathetic and paint the scenarios filled with tears.

Now you may be thinking, “well anyone can turn a topic in sociology into a heart-wrenching, dead puppy fest”, but I assure you, it can be done with any topic. Take a look:

• Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War — Universal Truth: Abraham Lincoln Freed the Slaves  — Heart-wrenching fact: Abraham Lincoln thought blacks were inferior to whites and should be colonized in a different land. My research paper would include a cute illustration of former slaves weeping on a boat to a remote island off the coast of the US.
• Cognitive Development — Universal Truth: There are distinct stages in cognitive development. Heart-wrenching factor: Focus on infancy…everyone loves babies. Make sure your paper is narrow enough to explore only the early stages of development. Include pictures of babies, cute, fat, smiling babies.
• Business Ethics – Universal Truth: Enron sucks —  Heart-wrenching fact: Greed destroyed lives and pensions, retirement savings and 401k’s disappeared leaving average middle-class workers penniless. Enough said, no pictures needed.

You can see the trend and note the point. Every topic can be turned universally emotional. It takes a good understanding of a topic to attach yourself emotionally to it, therefore, while you may just be using the “cute kitten approach” as a formula, the professor is convinced you’ve really thought this one out and it has touched you deeply. The cute kitties on YouTube prove that that is what is truly affective in society today. It worked for Cory Williams and it can work for you in every research paper you write.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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Over and over, the college students we help with research papers at Paper Masters tell us how they don’t get how to cite MLA, APA or various other types of citation standards. Not surprising, since there are over 3000 different ways to cite research, with most of these being variations on the main three (MLA, APA and Turbian). Microsoft Word and various other word programs offer basic citation help within the program but it is often incorrect and not updated with newer standards. What is really needed is a way to organize research and in a push of the button, have it cited within the text of your research paper and then saved to be put in the bibliography. Finally, several great programs have been released that do just this – Papers 2 for the Mac OS and Mendeley for both Windows and Mac users.

The goal of both of these programs is to help you organize your research and then cite it properly within your document. The programs work with both Microsoft Word and Pages for Mac. They supply direct connections to various databases and document repositories and then store your research with an account created just for you. Hundreds of types of documents are supported along with various media types. Find a great video on the topic you are researching for a paper? Load the video’s location into the program and watch it later. This also addresses one of the problems with using various media types in a paper – how the heck do you cite a video from YouTube or off of the PBS website. Not a problem when you use these programs. With a push of the button both programs cite the video properly in the text of your paper and produce the properly formatted citation in the bibliography of your paper.

There is no longer any excuse for disorganization or fear of citation in today’s technologically savvy world. Have a program organize your research and citation for you, saving time and the trouble of dealing with complex citation formats.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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Writing a research paper outline is a fundamental part of composing a coherent and well thought out research paper. The outline guides the writer through the process of presenting each important point in a logical manner. Without a research paper outline, it is easy for a busy college student, whose mind is swamped with facts and information, to stray off the research paper topic and blur the direction or thesis of the paper. Therefore, I can show you how to write a research paper outline in just a matter of minutes.

Standard MLA Outline Format

To begin with, if the outline is just for your personal use, you do not have to worry about what type of numbering or format you use, just as long as it is consistent you understand it. However, if it is for submission to a professor, I recommend the format you see depicted on the left, which is standard MLA outline format. By using this format at all times, points and subpoints are clear and easily identifiable.

To begin laying out your outline, list the most important points you wish to make in your research paper. Be extremely general and number them with Roman numerals (I., II., etc…). Note how the example outline is arranged according to the general various civilizations of the Ancient World.

Next, look at each point and think about what you want to include in regards to that topic. This requires a bit more research than the general points did. You will need to begin organizing your thoughts, notes and source material into a logical progression of ideas. The example shows each civilization organized chronologically. This is an excellent way to organize a world history research paper topic.

Finally, you can use sub-points to expand on the information in the general headings. I do this after I have written the paper. I use the basic outline to guide me in my research and writing. Then, after I have written the paper and expanded on the main points thoroughly, I note the finer points of the paper by using the detailed sub-point headings. This is not standard, simply what I have found easier. I find it is difficult detailing what I’m going to discover before I have the project begun.

Writing a research paper outline isn’t difficult, it merely takes time, effort and organization in order to set in motion the thought process involved with your topic.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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Requirements for undergraduate papers once consisted of maybe 3 or 4 term papers a year with one big research paper. However, undergraduate requirements have changed and the bar has been raised for term papers over the past decade. Qualitative and Quantitative studies are being required at the undergraduate level and serious research results are expected many colleges and universities in the United States. For example, James Bracho received a grant from the National Institute of Health to further his undergraduate research on treatments for drug addiction through medication regimes. Hardly a term paper on the affects of crack. In order to meet requirements for undergraduate research studies, students are having to produce work that was once only required by graduate level programs, a welcome change for pushing American students towards improving educational standards.

At the graduate level, research studies that prove original hypotheses are expected. A study with survey’s or quantitative results must be accomplished in order to complete a Master’s Degree Program. However, students are taking it upon themselves to elevate their educational experience and raise the bar for their peers at the undergraduate level. The benefit of this early research intensive path is to accomplish in-depth results by the time a Master’s Program is completed. Being published in an academic journal before completing a Master’s Program guarantees a student a ticket to any job or any career that he or she wishes.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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Use a Research Wiki

The word Wiki comes from the Hawaiian word for “quick”. A Wiki is created with software that can be quickly edited, changed and adapted to a conversational style of information management. Since information found on the internet can change frequently, the ability to update and change the information in the Wiki is important for the college student tracking a story, news item or adding to and subtracting sources.

Wiki’s can also be used for collaborative projects. Say several students are working on one research paper or term paper project. The Wiki can be used as a central storage for information. It also can contain written research that may be added to or changed by anyone that has permission to access the Wiki. It is a terrific idea for Professor’s to encourage the use of Wikis in their classes for collaborative projects.

One Wiki I found that illustrates the terrific use of this medium for college students comes from a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon, Sean McLaughlin. Check it out and notice how Sean has his research papers stored on the Wiki along with working drafts of the ones he is gathering information for and still writing.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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Ok, so I admit this is really lame but I would love to have about 20 posts for you about grammar and common writing mistakes and reminders on punctuation, but…Can’t do it. The stuff bores me. However, a blog I’ve been following lately does an excellent job at what I can only dream of. If you want a brush up on Grammar and the technical aspect of writing. I highly recommend WriteRight.

WriteRight outlines the basics of your English Comp class back in high school and even though I write every day of my life, I appreciate a brush up every now and then.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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We discussed in last week’s post some easy ways to come up with a topic for a term paper. This week, we can take that topic and turn it into something that will blow your professor away with its insight and originality. Let me give you an example – You find Shakespeare dull and boring and you have a term paper on Romeo and Juliet. How can you relate Romeo and Juliet to what you love and write about something that will wow the professor? How about writing an English term paper that compares the All-American Rejects song “Dirty Little Secret” to Romeo and Juliet? That is what I mean by making the paper relevant and contemporary, no matter what the topic is.

The key to a great a term paper topic is that it is relevant (which we already showed you how here) and contemporary. The key to making a term paper great is is to work writing that is creative into the paper. More precisely you will want to consider developing you skills in observation and imagination as well as becoming ardent readers and conversationalists. It is the skills in observation and imagination that establishes the experience knoweldge base that writers may draw upon when you are writing your term paper.

There are many other ways to create interesting topics. Initially, one can generate ideas by freewriting that is a technique for idea development, brainstorming, reading other sources, utilizing questions used by journalists, and reviewing memories. Once an idea is selected, the authors recommend that the writer “establish a chronology” and “show what happened”. These techniques assist in creating the first draft or outline, but it is not finalized until the work is sufficiently revised and edited, ensuring that the author has stated clearly and precisely what he or she has intended to write. Each step in this process is crucial to producing a term paper that is effective relevant and contemporary.

Another way to pick a topic is by what is called the resource of observation. This method has an advantage over memories in that the author has the capability to fully use his or her senses in obtaining this information. Thus, in observing some event, it is possible to capture the full array of sensation, such as the smells and tastes that are part of the overall observation. In developing ideas through observations, there are three suggestions. Brainstorming is recommended in order to generate numerous ideas that provides a pool from which to select one’s topic. Perhaps the most important advice here is to get out and look, record your observations and include images. This advice enhances one’s ability to make observations that can be utilized within the context of writing in the present or in the future. Additionally, one might find it useful to write down reactions to works or phrases that are encountered in works that are especially noteworthy. This necessitates and facilitates maintaining a reading journal. Such a book becomes a handy reference source for current and future projects.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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Trouble with Term Paper Topics?

Have you ever stared at a blank computer screen, heard the clock ticking in the background, the research paper due the next morning and you don’t even have a topic picked out yet? Picking out a term paper topic is one of the hardest parts of writing a research paper. If you pick a topic too narrow, you won’t be able to find enough information to write on. If your research paper topic is too broad, the whole paper will sound like fluff and there will be no focus to the writing. You must pick a topic that is narrow enough to be relevant to what you discuss each day in class, yet broad enough to be able to find interesting and informative resources. So how do you pick the perfect topic for a research paper? It is really quite simple to pick a research topic and you can do it five minutes or less!

The first step to picking a research paper topic is to ask yourself a few questions such as, What do I like about what we are studying now in class? What do I find interesting? What caught my attention when I was either in class or studying for the class? The goal with this question is to find a topic that is interesting to you and that will keep your attention. It is much easier to write on something that you find interesting and you will also remember what you research if you can relate to it.

You should now have an idea of what you find interesting in the class. Now take this broad area that you find interesting and open your textbook to the chapter that has information about the topic. Scan through it and make a list of headings that catch your eye. After you have 5 or 6 written down, pick one that you feel would be a good topic. Google the topic and see what kind of information you can find. Are there enough resources available? If yes, you have a topic! If no….pick another topic on your list and Google again. Do this until you have a topic you are happy with.

Picking the perfect research paper topic is more about you than you think. While keeping in mind what the professor expects is important, you cannot write a good research paper without some personal connection to the topic. If your professor is kind enough to allow you to pick the topic, make sure you connect with the topic of your research paper!

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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Plagiarism in academia is a misrepresentation of the authorship of someone else’s work. As for written work, Copyright law allows that once original text is written, copyright protects it. This allows an author to sell, lease or use her original material in any way she deems appropriate. Any writer, who willingly copies or uses another’s written work in any way without proper acknowledgement, puts himself at risk of dire consequences. He may also jeopardize the original author’s credibility and/or financial opportunities. Another cultural phenomenon that has rivaled the increase of student body populations in terms of the significance of the challenge to academic integrity has been the widespread advent of the Internet. Never before has such a wealth of data been available to be accessed by the general public. Although the implications of the Internet as an academic research tool are extremely beneficial, the inevitable downside of the Internet resources being exploited in various ways that defy the spirit of university academic misconduct policies.

The penalties for infractions against academic integrity can vary depending on the severity of the offense, ranging from a written warning placed in the student’s permanent school file to expulsion from the University. Plagiarism rides a razor’s edge that doesn’t always make a clean distinction between what plagiarism is and what it isn’t. Therefore it is up to individuals to discover the parameters of plagiarism in their institution or profession. The Internet offers over 500,000 sites on plagiarism and over 100,000 on plagiarism and the law, so ignorance of plagiarism’s consequences in inexcusable.

Karen Sonnenberg

Writer, editor and term paper guru. Also a really wonderful person that is available at any time to assist with research paper questions. Connect with me on Google+

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