A sloppily written, uncorrected paper sends a message that the writer does not care about his or her work. Such rules may seem demanding and constricting, but they provide the liberation of self discipline. By choosing a topic, doing the research, and writing the paper you take control over a vital part of your own education. What you learn in the process, if you do it conscientiously, is far greater that what shows up in the paper or what is reflected in the grade. Some papers have an empirical content that needs to be handled differently than a library research paper.
Empirical papers report some original research.
It may be based on participant observation, on secondary analysis of social surveys, or some other source. The outline below presents a general form that most articles published in sociology journals follow. You should get specific instructions from professors who assign empirical research papers. Introduction and statement of the research question. Review of previous research and theory.