General Guidelines For Writing Research Papers printable pdf download

Professor Don Fullerton

General Guidelines

Department of Finance

for Writing Research Papers

University of Illinois, Champaign IL

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1. Choose the question you are trying to answer. Don't just provide information for its own

sake; it should be in response to some real concern. Use this device to limit your topic: find a

more specific question.

2. Tell why you think it is an interesting question. For whom is it important? Why do they

care? What are the possible ramifications of different answers?

3. Explain the general approach you will take to find the answer. What kind of model

(theoretical/econometric/simulation/other)? What simplifying assumptions? Why are those

assumptions appropriate? Why is that approach appropriate? What data are needed?

4. Carry out that plan: build the model, collect the data, answer the question.

5. Indicate why and how the final approach differs from the original one envisaged. What

data were unavailable? Why was the model too difficult, too complicated, or too expensive?

Why were your fallback positions appropriate?

6. Report the results.

7. Discuss their implications.

These seven basic steps apply both to the thought processes and actions in your research, and to

the logic of the presentation in the paper. In other words: 1.) Tell 'em what you're gonna tell

em (Introduction), 2.) Tell em, and then 3.) Tell 'em what you told em (Conclusion).

Acceptable Kinds of Paper Topics

1. Theory. State assumptions, equations, mathematics, and results in the form of propositions

that follow logically from the assumptions.

2. Theory testing. Design a statistical experiment that might allow you to reject one theory in

favor of another.

3. Hypothesis testing. State a (set of) simple logical statement(s) that might be accepted or

rejected by the use of appropriate data.

4. Measurement. Even if a confirmed theory predicts a particular effect, nobody knows the size

and importance of this effect until it is measured.

Starter ideas for paper topics

Read the newspaper; see what's hot.

When you read a theory paper, think about what assumptions are driving the results, and how to

make alternative assumptions that might generate different results.

When you read a theory paper, think about how to test it.

General Guidelines For Writing Research Papers