COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION               
SPRING 1995
DR. PAUL KRIVONOS


NOTE: 

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.   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 organizational communication, but must include
items listed under #2 below.  You may write your paper on your own or in groups of up
to 3-4 people.  Those choosing the group approach will turn in a single paper for the
entire group.  Everyone in the group will receive the same grade.

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.
     
3.   RESEARCH ALTERNATIVES (i.e., you will choose a1 or a2 or a3 or a4 or b1a or b1b
or b1c or 2 or 3 or any other legitimate research alternative for studying the aspect
of organizational communication that you select):

a.    Library research

1)   Extensive review of literature

2)   Problem analysis

3)   Problem-solution

4)   Etc.
 
b.    Empirical research     

1)   Descriptive study, e.g.:

          a) In depth case study

          b) Surveys

          c) Systematic observation 
                                                                         
2)   Correlational study
                                                                       
3)   Experimental study (this type of paper will also include the nature of the
sampling, and detailed explanations of  both the independent and dependent
variable(s), any hypotheses, and the research design).
        
NB:  ALL EMPIRICALLY FOCUSED PAPERS WILL ALSO INCLUDE:

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

       *Results.

       *Discussion of findings.

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

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 consistently and correctly
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 appropriate fields of study (e.g.  Journal of Communication, Human
Communication Research, Journal of Applied Communication,Organizational Behavior
and Human Performance, Journal of Applied 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 


A NOTE ABOUT APPROPRIATE ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP:

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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