SPEECH COMMUNICATION 350

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

A. DO NOT ENCLOSE YOUR PAPER IN PLASTIC OR CARDBOARD FOLDERS; SUBMIT YOUR PAPER STAPLED IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER.

B. YOUR NAME SHOULD APPEAR ON THE COVER PAGE ONLY AND SHOULD NOT APPEAR ON ANY OTHER PAGE.

C. THE TITLE OF THE PAPER SHOULD APPEAR ON THE COVER PAGE AND ON THE TOP OF THE FIRST PAGE OF TEXT.

D. COMMUNICATION RESEARCH: STRATEGIES AND SOURCES BY RUBIN, RUBIN, AND PIELE, THE RECOMMENDED TEXT FOR THIS CLASS, WILL BE OF IMMEASURABLE HELP AND ASSISTANCE TO YOU IN THE WRITING OF YOUR PAPER (THAT IS WHY IT IS RECOMMENDED), ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF COMING UP WITH A TOPIC, RESEARCHING ACADEMIC JOURNALS, OUTLINING YOUR PAPER, USING CORRECT APA CITATION STYLE, etc. (i.e., THOSE CRITICAL STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING YOUR PAPER).

1. The paper can cover any aspect of nonverbal communication, but must include items listed under #2 below. You may write your paper on your own or in groups of to 2-4 people (given the observational and empirical nature of this paper, there may be advantages to doing so). Those choosing the group approach will turn in a single paper for the entire group.

2. ALL PAPERS WILL INCLUDE:

• a. Statement of purpose of the paper or problem considered (including theoretical derivation, if applicable).

• b. Review of relevant literature--placing problem in appropriate frame of reference with previous research and theoretical literature.

• c. Explicit delineation of the essential components of the study as it was carried out (including procedures, subjects, data-gathering techniques, etc.).

• d. Results.

• e. Discussion of findings.

• f. Limitations of the study; problems and weaknesses encountered when running the study.

3. RESEARCH ALTERNATIVES (i.e., you will choose any one of the following as your research alternative: a1 or a2 or a3 or b or c. If you wish to choose another legitimate research alternative for studying the aspect of nonverbal communication that you select, you must check with me first):

• a. Descriptive study, e.g.:
  • 1) In depth case study
  • 2) Surveys
  • 3) Systematic observation

• b. Correlational study

• c. Experimental study (this type of paper will also include the nature of the sampling, and detailed explanations of independent and dependent variable(s), hypotheses, and research design).

4. REGARDLESS OF WHICH RESEARCH ALTERNATIVE YOU CHOOSE, REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS PROJECT ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• a. Establish the central thesis and develop the organizational pattern of the paper clearly and precisely.

• b. Use APA (American Psychological Association) style correctly and consistently for documenting references. To avoid plagiarism study these style manuals (and journals that use these style manuals for scholarly articles they publish) carefully.

• c. The paper must exhibit extensive library research including current research (i.e., citations from the last couple of years) from scholarly and academic journals from relevant and appropriate fields of study (e.g. Human Communication Research, Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, American Sociological Review, etc.).

5. TERM PROJECTS WILL BE GRADED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

• a. organization and clarity

• b. content and appropriate use of research materials

• c. writing style, such as vocabulary and word usage, spelling, punctuation, paragraphing and sentence structure

• d. correct application of citation style

• e. originality and creativity

• f. depth of analysis

6.Term papers should be approximately ten typed pages, double-spaced, with appropriate margins on sides, top and bottom. Staple papers in the upper left-hand corner; no folders. Cover sheet should include name(s), which should appear on no other page.

• a. It is suggested that you make a Xerox copy of your paper before handing it in, just in case it is misplaced. It is acceptable to turn in a good quality Xerox copy.

• b.Dot matrix printing may be unacceptable if the quality is poor; if you will be using dot matrix printing, show me a sample first for vetting.

• c.Neatness counts. Corrections should be made properly. There should be no excessive crossing out or writing in by hand. If after final proof reading, you notice a few "typos" and spelling errors, they should be neatly corrected.

• d.Because this is a term paper, and not an article for publication, the following items should not be included (though they appear in the APA style manual).
  • 1) Running head

  • 2) An abstract

  • 3) Table of Contents

  • 4) Chapter headings

Plagiarism is a very serious offense and will be treated as such. The scholarly use of someone else's work is acceptable if, and only if, proper scholarly credit (through correct citation) is given to that person. Plagiarism occurs when you claim someone else's work as your own (either by commission or omission). If I suspect plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty (including cheating on examinations) that suggests anyone is claiming credit for someone else's work, I will investigate the suspected paper or incident thoroughly and if the suspicion has merit, I will then prosecute to the full limits within the University regulations. The most likely course of action will be one where the result is an F in the course, but could lead to dismissal from the university in extreme cases. Everyone's degree from the Speech Communication Department and from this University is degraded by such offenses. Also note that it is NOT appropriate to use the same paper for two different courses (whether during the same semester or in different semesters) without the prior approval of both instructors involved. Such use of the same paper for different courses without the prior approval of the instructors of each of the courses is also considered to be a case of academic dishonesty.

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