Research Paper Guidelines for Applied Aromatic Institute
Assignment:
Write an 8-10 page research paper on an aromatherapy subject of your choice, on a subject about which you’re passionate.
Guidelines
Research topics must be approved and are first come, first approved basis. Topic submission for the inaugural (2015-2016) class will begin February 1, 2016 (as in, please don’t submit your topic before then). The reason: we want you to get a few months of school under your belt before you lock in on a research topic. You may also find this time helpful in not only deciding on your topic, but doing some research to make sure you can find enough sources to be able to write up to 10 pages on it.
When was the last time you wrote a research paper? For some of us, it was before our grown children were born! As I’ve said before – no sweat, student! It will be easier than you thought because I’m not grading your grammar, spelling or usage (although it’s always good to strive for your best work). Here’s your guide for research paper success!
1. Choose your topic: I’m sure that as you’ve studied your Applied Aromatic Institute modules so far, you’ve found something that intrigues you, or maybe something that presents a challenge for you. Make sure it’s much more general than “I like Lavender” but much more specific than “All the essential oils in the world” and not so esoteric as “Why is lavender purplish in color?” …
- a favorite essential oil
- a body system that you have had success with due to essential oils
- a way of presenting them to others that works (something on the sales side)
Just in case you choose the same topic as someone else (and theirs is approved first), decide on a second or third choice.
2. Submit your topics for approval in order of preference by emailing appliedaromatic@gmail.com
3. Once your topic is approved, get started! Your research paper is due before your 13 th and final module ends (September 2016 for those of you in the inaugural class).
4. Read your textbooks and other books. Search the Internet. Take notes as you research. Record each source so you may accurately cite them for the bibliography using these guidelines: author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page numbers, URLs, creation or modification dates on Web pages, and your date of access.
5. When searching the Internet, be advised that many sites are sales sites and have biases, which may be more marketing hype than accurate information. Wikipedia is not always an accurate or helpful source. It’s a good start but dig deeper to confirm the accuracy of the information.
6. State your thesis. A thesis is a statement that sums up your entire research paper. Try to make it a single sentence. Include this with your introductory paragraph, which states your purpose for writing the paper.
7. The rest of your paper is information to support and prove the accuracy of your thesis. Write a tentative outline and organize your notes to support your thesis. This is known as the body of your paper. Write three points (arguments) to support your thesis and detail them.
8. In your conclusion, return to your thesis by stating it as in the introduction or by using different words. Write a summary of the body of your paper. State why you have arrived at your conclusion.
9. You’re almost done. Cite your references at the end, in your bibliography. 10.
How to submit your research paper. Email to appliedaromatic@gmail.com
- as a Word doc attachment OR
- as an upload to Google docs OR
- by mail to Leiann King, P.O. Box 147, Elsinore, Utah 84724
I found the above helpful hints at http://www.aresearchguide.com/1steps.html on September 21, 2015. If you need more guidance, this is a good site to read.