Doctoral Identity

Doctoral Identity

This is the introduction. It should capture the reader’s interest and introduce the topic about to be discussed. This is your opportunity to add creativity and your own unique style to the paper. The intro must also include the thesis statement, which explicitly states your goals for the paper. Although I am using “you” and “I” right now, NEVER USE THE WORD “YOU” IN AN ACADEMIC PAPER. “One” is not much better, either. Avoid using first person language. Some authors do it, so you will see it in academic journals, but at this stage of the game, practice writing in the third person. When you have mastered academic writing in the third person (after your dissertation), or if future professors tell you it’s acceptable, then you can use first person.

In this section you should also introduce the three articles with their titles, authors, and years of publication. For example: This paper will present a comparative analysis of the following three articles: “Gouda, Emmental, and Havarti: Overrated Cheeses?” by Jensen, Singer, and Wesson (2004) whose purpose was the examine the merits of Gouda, Emmental, and Havarti cheese and to determine if these cheese are overrated; “The History of European Cheese Making,” by Andersen, Holmes, and Picard (2008) whose purpose was to examine the history of European cheese making and why European cheese is superior to other cheese from around the world; and “Denmark’s Finest Cheese: An Analysis of Havarti,” by Kierkegaard and Brahe (2011) whose purpose was to analyze Havarti cheese and to discuss the merits of Denmark’s production of this type of cheese. Do not refer to the articles by title, instead refer to them by authors and year; e.g., Jensen, Singer, & Wesson (2004).

Note that each article’s title is included in Title Case, and that each author’s name is present, along with the year (do not include first names or first initials). When citing these papers later in the paper, if the article has three or more authors, you can cite Jensen et al. (2004). However, if the article only has two authors, you must include both authors every time you cite, e.g., Kierkegaard and Brahe (2011). In parenthetical citations, use an ampersand (Kierkegaard & Brahe, 2011). Do not add extra spaces between the sections or section headings.

Do not quote the comparison matrix. Do not mention the matrix. The comparison matrix is a tool meant to help you prepare for writing this paper. Do not mention the doctoral program, the class, or the assignment. Pretend that you are presenting your analysis of these three articles for a conference of academic peers, and write for that audience.

Comparison of Research Questions

The expanded comparison matrix paper should include the following body sections: Comparison of Research Questions, Comparison of Literature Reviews, Comparison of Sample Populations, Comparison of Results/Conclusions, and Comparison of Limitations. Please note that section headings are centered, in bold face, and are in Title Case. The body sections will be followed by your conclusion. Please remember that your conclusion should not discuss the conclusions of the studies.

In the comparison of research questions section, analyze the research questions of the articles. Explore the similarities and differences. Why might the articles have different questions? How do these questions serve the purpose of the study? How do the questions of the different studies relate to one another? How do they differ? Work towards achieving depth in this section, and support your assertions with evidence from the articles. Provide citations.

What commonalities or shared themes stand out among the research questions? Why might this be important? When considering all three articles’ research questions together, what conclusions can you draw about their line of inquiry? When appropriate, you should include the actual research questions from the articles.

Comparison of Literature Reviews

This section should compare and contrast the literature reviews of the three articles. What are the themes of each lit review? Themes, in this context, refer to the major research ideas or theories the authors review to provide a foundation for their work. Do they go beyond a basic definition of their topic to discuss effects of that topic? What foundational information do they provide? If you only have an article’s literature review in your hands, the themes of the literature review should tell you the direction the paper will go. If my research study is examining the effects of caffeine on anxiety, my literature review’s themes will likely be a basic overview of anxiety, the physiological systems involved in anxiety, the parts of the brain involved in anxiety, and an overview of what caffeine is and its effects on other mood disorders. After someone reads my literature review, they should see that I am building a case for the necessity of exploring the effect of caffeine on anxiety.

Other elements to include: Who are the main authors/researchers cited by your articles? Why is their work significant for this study? Now begins the comparative analysis portion of the section. Did the authors use the same foundational body of research? Did they use different foundations? Why is that significant? What differences did you notice in the lit review, and why might those differences exist? What is notable about the similarities or differences between the literature reviews? Always ask yourself