Research Paper Guidlines

This class is exclusively for those students who already have at least a Bachelor's degree and are working toward a Master or Doctorate degree.

You need prior approval to take the course and prior approval for the subject of your paper. Use the "Thesis Approval Form." (link is active) to apply for approval. After you have submitted that form, then close that window to return to this page.

Content and Formatting
(for papers submitted in hard copy or as a file attached to an email)

1. For instructions concerning how to write a Research Paper, paste the following into your browser.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/research_papers/index.html

Exception 1:
       Please do include a title page with the title in 18 point type centered on the page and your name in 14 point type underneath it.

Exception 2:
      At the bottom of the title page include the following paragraph in 14 point bold type:

By submitting this paper, the author gives permission for SLBC to use it in any way they see fit. The author and SLBC each hold a non-exclusive copyright on the material presented herein. The author will be given credit as the author on any copies produced by SLBC but will receive no material compensation from SLBC for any use of the material by SLBC. Likewise SLBC will not receive any material compensation from the author for any use the author may make of the the material included in this composition.

Exception 3:
Do not print out the paper as instructed on the OWL website unless you want a copy for your own purposes. You will not be required to submit a hard-copy to us. Submission will be by electronic means as instructed below.

2. Research paper must contain and support a connection or connections between the social issue and the Scriptures.
Connection(s) may be positive or negative but a connection must be established for the paper to be accepted.

3. Paper needs to be a minimum of 5,000 words utilizing a minimum of 10 reference sources.
"Reference source" is defined as any book, newspaper, magazine, online source, personal interview (must be completely documented) or any other source of information that can be documented. Each source, even though you may reference it multiple times, needs to be listed separately as one source. For example, you may use the New York Times newspaper as one source but refer to 10 different articles in 10 different issues; but, it would still be listed as only one reference source. However, should you be using material off of the internet, the Internet would not be listed as one source. Instead, each individual website accessed and used for reference material would be listed as one source.

Attendance: Project must entail a minimum of 32 hours of research over a minimum period of 26 weeks and a maximum period of 30 weeks. If student finds they are going to go beyond the maximum of 30 weeks then they must notify us and request an extension of 5 additional weeks for a total of 35 weeks for research and composition. Only one such extension is allowed.
On your Begin and Finish Sign In forms your submission for the minimum attendance for the course is to be 26 weeks and your submission for minimum attendance per lesson is to be 0 weeks because there are no lesson divisions in this course.
Begin Sign In form is to be submitted after you have submitted your Thesis Approval Form and have received your acceptance notification and before beginning your outline.
Finish Sign In form is not to be submitted until after your paper has been given final acceptance by SLBC, including all rewrites if they are required.

Research: Must entail a minimum of 32 hours of research which does not include time spent on your outline or final composition of the paper. It can include time spent on preliminary notes taken during research because that, of necessity, is part of your research time. You may spend as much time as you want on research but the minimum is 32 hours.

Log of hours: You must keep a log of hours and dates of research and submit that log as a separate file by email along with the Research Paper file. Click this link to download and print a Research Paper - Course Record Form which must be submitted at the end of the course. Without this form you cannot receive credit for the course.
Click this link to view a sample of the form to see how it must be filled out: Course Record Form Sample.

PLAGIARISM WARNING: Read this warning before proceeding. To access warning page, click HERE

Student will be awarded 4 credits if they earn a passing grade. The grade earned is dependent upon the quality of the work including: treatment of the subject; originality; clarity of presentation (both neatness and flow of presentation) and conclusion; clarity of presentation of the connection between the Social Issue and the Scriptures; proper formatting, including physical formatting, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Word-processor file:
Write the research paper in a word processor, using all proper formatting as instructed, and then attach the file to an email and send it to this email address (the link is active).
Do not change the header from "Social Awareness Research Paper Submission" because our automated system keys on that title. Include your full name and complete email address in the body of the email and don't forget to attach the word-processor file of the thesis to the email before you send it.

If the email link doesn't work, then use this link docvbk@saltlakebiblecollege.org and use Social Awareness Research Paper Submission for the Subject line. Do not add or subtract anything from that Subject line. Attach the word-processor file of your completed paper to the email.

Log of hours: You must keep a log of hours and dates of research and submit that log by email along with the Research Paper. Click this link to download and print a Research Paper - Course Record Form which must be submitted at the end of the course. Without this form you cannot receive credit for the course.

Click this link to view a sample of the form to see how it must be filled out: Course Record Form Sample.

If you run out of room on the form to record your hours of research, then fill out a second form with the all of the preliminary information, that is all of the information above the black horizontal line, from the first form and use the Research log on that new page to continue recording your dates and times for research. Use as many of these forms as necessary but you must include all of the same preliminary information on each sheet.