RESEARCH PROJECT

The links below provide information for the research project you will be completing for this course.

Research Project Guidelines

A central part of earning a master's degree is demonstrating the ability to conduct research and to analyze real-world phenomena. The value of doing research and analysis is not limited to academia; these are skills that have immense practical value in both personal and professional spheres, especially within the fields of intelligence and human security, where analysis is the heart of the work. It takes training and practice to learn and refine research and analysis skills. This is why the successful completion of a well-written and well-documented research project is one of the requirements to pass GEOG 571. This research project is worth 230 points total.

What Is a Research Project?

We want to make an important distinction between research projects and reports.

A report is a project where a student chooses a topic, consults relevant sources from which they collect and collate facts about that topic, composes a carefully organized summary or discussion of those facts, and delivers all of this as a paper or presentation.

By contrast, a research project is a project in which a student formulates a central question, consults relevant sources from which they collect and collate information (which can include basic facts, quantitative data, and qualitative data) relating to that question, analyzes and interprets the information they have found, and develops a defensible argument that supports their interpretation. The argument is usually presented in its most basic form as a thesis statement, which appears in the introduction to the completed project, and the completed project is often delivered as a paper or presentation.

Reports and research projects have some things in common: they require a student to identify a question or topic worthy of study; identify, vet, and consult a number and variety of relevant sources; synthesize information from those sources; and compose some kind of deliverable that presents their work. Yet there are a couple of crucial differences that we want to highlight here.

First, while a report centers on a topic, a research project centers on a question. Second, while a report presents a synthesis of information on its topic, a research project makes an argument based on the researcher’s analysis of the information. Both a report and a research project can be a lot of work — but the difference in approach up front (i.e., choosing a question rather than a topic) means that a research project entails a level of critical thinking and analytical skills that a report does not.

Ultimately, where a report simply presents existing knowledge, the goal of a research project is to present new knowledge (or a new interpretation) about something. This is what makes research projects common requirements of graduate-level courses — including this one.

Project Medium:

Research projects are traditionally delivered as research papers. Yet we now have technology that enables us to present research effectively across a variety of media. For this course, you may choose one of the following options for presenting your research:

a traditional research paper
ArcGIS Online StoryMap
podcast

You may also suggest another medium. If you choose to present your project in a medium other than a research paper, please make sure to discuss your vision with your instructor.

Make sure that you choose a medium that is appropriate to your project. Certain kinds of projects lend themselves better to some formats than others. If your evidence is best presented in a set of interactive maps, or if your project includes lots of visuals (still or video), StoryMaps is a good option. If your project revolves around interviews that you are conducting, or if there is a significant audio component, a podcast might be appropriate. If your project is purely or primarily text-driven (possibly with a map or table or two), you should present it as a traditional research paper.

Regardless of the medium, the research project must result in the equivalent of 12 to 15 pages of text (not including title, reference, graphics, or figures). Note that for podcasts, this translates to 20 to 30 minutes of airtime. The project must also be documented with the APA citation guidelines [1]. Please visit the Penn State University Libraries APA Quick Citation Guide to make sure you are using the proper citations.

Note for students submitting podcasts: your podcast must be accompanied by two things:

either a script or transcript (some students have had good luck with Welder’s free audio-to-text transcriptions [2], though you will have to edit the output for spelling and format)
a separate document containing your works cited, properly formatted in APA style.

Reminder: you are expected to incorporate citations in the podcast itself (e.g., by conversationally stating the author and year of a study). If you are not sure how best to do this, contact your instructor.

If you choose to present your project as a paper, it must use these formatting guidelines:

12 point font
double-spaced
1” margins on all sides

Research Project Deliverables:

Week 2 - Project Proposal [3] (20 points)
Students will submit via Canvas a primary research question that will be the focal point of their project. In addition to this, students will provide a statement justifying the merits of completing this research, identify at least two concepts from the course that you think will apply to your research, a list of three potential sources from the scholarly literature, a set of keywords or search terms they will use to search for additional sources, and the medium they intend to use to convey their research. Note that the medium is not set in stone and can be changed later.
Week 4 - Project Outline, Draft Thesis Statement, and Annotated Bibliography [4] (50 points)
Students will submit an outline that includes the main topic areas of their research project, a draft thesis statement, and an annotated bibliography.
Week 7 - Rough Draft [5] (30 points)
Students will submit a draft of the project.
Week 9 - Final Draft [6] (130 points)
Students will submit the final project (130 points.)
Note: In addition to the final draft, a one-page Executive Summary [7] of the project (worth 75 points) is due as part of Lesson 9.

Choosing a Research Question:

The key to completing a successful research project is identifying and constructing a good research question. For a research question to be good, it needs to fulfill some basic criteria (the following bullet points come from the George Mason University Writing Center website):

clear: it provides enough specifics that one’s audience can easily understand its purpose without needing additional explanation.
focused: it is narrow enough that it can be answered thoroughly in the space the writing task allows.
concise: it is expressed in the fewest possible words.
complex: it is not answerable with a simple “yes” or “no,” but rather requires synthesis and analysis of ideas and sources prior to composition of an answer.
arguable: its potential answers are open to debate rather than accepted facts.

All of these points are important for generating a good research question. Given that this is a graduate level course, we want to emphasize the last two points here. The topics and concepts that we use in this course are complex, and your research is meant to generate new knowledge or a new interpretation of existing knowledge. Be mindful of this as you generate your research question. If you can answer your research question with an unqualified “yes” or “no” after a few minutes’ research, or if your sources provide you with a clear-cut answer to your question, it means that your question is not deep enough to merit a research project.

Your research project should sit at the nexus of cultural/political geography and intelligence or human security. That is, your project should consider an issue related to intelligence or human security from a geographical perspective. We encourage you to develop your primary research question around your professional interests; we expect you to take a geographical approach to answering that question.

Your research project should be focused on one or more specific places or regions within the world, and on a specific issue with respect to intelligence or human security. Below are some examples of general research questions that you can use as a starting point to build a more specific question tailored to your interests:

How does the creation of border walls impact conflict?
What role do GIS and cartography play in the geographic separation of people?
What role(s) does ethnicity play in the development of separatist movements?
How well do disaster relief policies accommodate people’s attachments to their homes?
How well do refugee resettlement programs handle cultural differences between local and refugee populations?
What practices or policies can be established to mitigate ethical differences between the disciplines of human geography and intelligence?
How are geography, immigration, and marginalization related with regard to radicalization?
How does the distribution of natural resources impact conflict?
How does the distribution of natural resources impact migration?
How are territorial control and the geographic distribution of terrorist attacks related in conflict zones?

Remember: the questions above are meant to get you thinking. Many of the questions posed above are far too broad for you to conduct a research project within the scope of this assignment. You will likely need to hone one of these questions to focus on a more specific question. Note that many of these could be designed to focus on a single place, or to present two or more case studies in comparison. Bear in mind that any research question that you propose should be as specific as possible with regard to place or region, actors, conflict, and other relevant factors.

To help you understand what we mean by “specific,” here are some examples of research questions around which students in other terms have based their research projects:

What role has ethnic identity played in the ongoing conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine?
How have place identity and human geography shaped support for paramilitary organizations in Northern Ireland?
Do incidents of domestic terrorism and international terrorism display different geographic patterns? [This project presented and compared several case studies.]
What was the relationship between nationalism and religion in the Northern Ireland Conflict?
How have the PLO and Hamas differed in their approach to Palestinian identity, and what are the geopolitical impacts of these differences?
What is the significance of natural resources in the conflict over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam?
How do geography and identity influence radicalization among ethnic minorities? [This project presented and compared several case studies.]

A Note on Sources:

A good project will incorporate at least 16-20 vetted sources. These should be primarily scholarly sources, though some projects will also rely on gray literature. Projects that use GIS data should list all data sources in their works cited, but only two of these will count toward the source minimum. Students should not use Britannica, Wikipedia, or other general tertiary sources (though it is okay to use specialized encyclopedias such as the Dictionary of Human Geography). See below for more information.

Grading:

Projects will be graded on strength and sophistication of analysis, clarity of presentation, logic, reliance on accurate information and facts, integration of reading materials (including online lectures), and attention to detail. The grading rubric is provided in the assignment dropbox.

The grade will not be based upon the position taken relative to the issue, but instead will rest upon the accuracy and effectiveness of applying geographic thought. Simply arguing that you "feel" a certain way about something is not a reasonable defense of your position. Instead, you will need to cite relevant sources to support your assertions, with the majority of these sources being scholarly sources. The following video from the University of South Australia describes which sources are considered scholarly.

Intelligence Writing

Rules for Intelligence Writing

Used with permission from "Intelligence and Crime Analysis: Critical Thinking through Writing," (2012) p. 18.

Writing is thinking on paper. When you write you give the reader a glimpse of your thinking abilities-you are saying something about yourself. Like it or not, people form images about you based on how you write. If there are a number of spelling or grammar mistakes what are you saying about yourself-that you are careless, not well educated, lack pride? Writing can be easy if you will remember a few simple rules:

Rule One:
Think before you write. Know what you want to say before you put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

Rule Two:
Organize your thoughts. If you are writing a longer paper or memorandum, take time to organize your thought so you can present a logical argument.

Rule Three:
Use simple sentences wherever possible-in the active voice.

Rule Four:
Pick your words carefully. Use shorter English words based on the Anglo-Saxon roots of the language. Usually these words are clear and void of nuance and innuendo.

Rule Five:
Pursue economy of language. Make each word count and use familiar terms.

Rule Six:
Make the majority of your sentences short and to the point.

Rule Seven:
Self-edit and proofread.

The Intelligence Style is expository writing. It is plain talk, straightforward and matter-of-fact communication. Expository writing efficiently conveys ideas, requires precision, and stresses clarity. A major goal of expository writing is to never make the reader wonder what the main point is in the paper or paragraph. Expository writing emphasizes the use of the active voice, although the passive voice is not wrong and should be used at times in your writing.

Basic Principles of Analytic Writing

Used with permission from "Intelligence and Crime Analysis: Critical Thinking through Writing," (2012) pp. 87-88.

Put your conclusion(s) first. If the reader reads nothing else, he or she will know from the topic sentence of the first paragraph the main intelligence point or conclusion you want to make.
Organize your analysis by your topic sentences. Make sure the topic sentences of each succeeding paragraph ties to, explains, or advances your analysis.
Know the formats your intelligence organization uses and know when to use them.
Be precise: pick your words carefully so that you are sure you are conveying the right message.
Be economical in your use of words-avoid adjectives and adverbs.
Clarity trumps all else in intelligence writing. Your intelligence analysis must not leave the reader wondering what you mean or why you decided to write.
Know when to use the active voice and when to use the passive voice.
Self-edit and then welcome the editorial review of others.
Know the reader’s needs-know why the reader needs to take the time to read what you have written.

Common Mistakes in Intelligence Writing

Used with permission from "Intelligence and Crime Analysis: Critical Thinking through Writing," (2012) p. 41.

Six mistakes are common to all new intelligence analysts, mistakes that must be corrected to have a career in intelligence analysis:

Breaking away from the more verbose academic writing style. The simple truth is, if you cannot write in the tighter intelligence style, you do not have a career.
Being content with throwing down numbers and facts and not making judgments. These analysts do not identify gaps in knowledge, nor do they identify opportunities. In the case of new law enforcement analysts, they do not make recommendations.
When new analysts do make judgments, they do not give their strongest evidence to support their analysis.
When they write, they often write something that is very interesting, but their draft is not intelligence-it does not address an intelligence problem or question.
They do not conceptualize their main point at the outset, and their drafts do not have an angle. If the intelligence is not clear, if there is no indication as to why a policy-maker should take his or her time to read their product, they have lost the reader.
They overuse adjectives and colorful language; their goal seems to be to elicit an emotional response. The net result is sensationalism. This emotionalism undercuts the objectivity and credibility of the intelligence.

Research Preparation and Format

Recommended Steps in Preparing Your Research Project.

Step 1: Select a topic from the list and get approval
Step 2: Narrow the topic
Step 3: State your thesis (your thesis can and should evolve)
Step 4: Conduct initial research and develop a preliminary bibliography
Step 5: Prepare a working outline
Step 6: Research and take notes
Step 7: Refine your outline
Step 8: Write a rough draft
Step 9: Edit your project
Step 10: Prepare your final draft

Developing and Organizing Your Research Project.

This is general guidance to help you develop and organize your research project. Please note that this is not intended to be an inflexible template. Use your judgment about how to best state, defend, and communicate your position.

The project is to be a coherent written (or alternative) argument. I have found key elements of successful projects to be:

Thesis. The project’s thesis is a brief statement of your argument. The thesis includes both your research question and your answer to it. Specific questions are essential in this course for a good research project. A question such as “Does globalization hurt us?” is far too broad. “Where has globalization had the greatest impact on the US economy?” is a better and more specific geographic question. Your thesis might look like:

Economic globalization is doing more harm than good, and it should be discontinued; the practice has caused the industrial heartland of the United States to become vulnerable to unemployment, poverty, economic decline, and out-migration.

Evidence. Evidence is a piece of information that supports a conclusion. Evidence can be developed from primary data, research, case studies, or field study. You can also use existing information (e.g., publications) that is combined in an original fashion. Seek evidence that leads to a defensible and concrete conclusion. An important approach is to look for biases and faulty underlying assumptions.
Analysis. Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic into smaller sub-units to get a precise understanding of the whole by reducing the complexity. When you analyze, break apart the different ideas and examine the foundation of other ideas or positions for biases and assumptions.
Synthesis. Synthesis is a process that creates something new. Here you explore each idea or assumption as it connects to the bigger picture. You are trying to put together the parts that have already been analyzed with other ideas or concepts to form something new or original. You are looking for insights and new ideas to form a conclusion.

General Approaches (Methods).

Your research project should generally take one the following approaches.

Hypothesis Testing. Hypothesis testing is used when you test a set of hypotheses against specific evidence. Hypothesis testing is generally used to demonstrate cause and effect relationships. This approach is most commonly used in quantitative studies (i.e., studies that use statistical methods as their primary mode of analysis).
Analytic Narrative. An Analytic Narrative develops an interpretation, qualitative evaluation, or historical analysis of human geographic phenomena. Most appropriately, analytic narrative projects can be used to discuss geographic developments in an historical context.

Report Format.

1. Introduction. Give a brief overview of the project that tells the reader what to expect from your work. State your thesis, and your expected results and/or hypotheses.

2. Literature Review. A literature review summarizes and discusses the relevant scholarly research (e.g., academic articles and books) and gray literature (e.g., official reports by government agencies or analyses by think tanks) with regard to your thesis. This serves two functions: first, if you know what people have studied, you can determine the ‘gaps’ in the research that serve as a starting point for your work (i.e., it identifies what’s missing from our understanding). Second, it helps justify and situate your work within a broader context. That is, it identifies what your work adds to our understanding and why that’s important.

3. Theoretical framework. Summarize and discuss any relevant concepts introduced in the course reading materials (including online lectures). Draw on additional theoretical materials (go to our sources!) and explain how you are using these concepts in your research project. This section might not be necessary for some projects but will be important for others. If you aren’t sure whether your project should include a theoretical framework, contact your instructor.

4. Methodology and Evidence. Describe the methods, techniques and/or research design that you used. Explain how you collected your evidence. Give enough detail so that someone could duplicate your research.

5. Analysis and Discussion. Offer interpretations of the set of evidence based on theories. What is your evidence? “Digest” the evidence. What does it mean? What are the important patterns? What new concepts can you form? Discuss the significance of your results for your question. Are these results expected or unexpected? What new or alternative theory might explain your results? This is the most important part of a research project, as it is where you demonstrate the strength and importance of your argument.

6. Conclusion. Briefly return to the “big picture.” Restate your thesis and state your results. Include a brief discussion of the shortcomings and possible future research.

Research Project Grading Rubric

Note: This rubric is also available in Canvas in the Lesson 9 module where you will submit your final draft.

GEOG 571 - Research Project Grading Rubric for Final Submission
Criteria	Ratings					Points
Geospatial insight Geographic thought is included leading to significant and unique insights with respect to the evidence, analysis, and synthesis.	Exemplary (20 pts) The project addresses a phenomenon that is clearly geographic and presents a strong geospatial analysis of a human security issue. The project expertly applies theoretical concepts from the course in its analysis. The reader gains new insights through clearly defined analysis.	Proficient (15 pts) The project addresses a phenomenon that is nominally geographic and presents an adequate geospatial analysis of a human security issue. The project adequately applies theoretical concepts from the course in its analysis.	Marginal (10 pts) The project addresses a phenomenon that is not clearly geographic and/or presents a basic geospatial analysis of a human security issue. The project applies theoretical concepts from the course in its analysis, but those concepts may be incorrectly used.	Unacceptable (5 pts) The project addresses a phenomenon that is not geographic and/or presents an analysis of a human security issue that does not use a geospatial perspective. The project does not apply theoretical concepts from the course in its analysis.	Missing (0 pts) Not submitted.	20 pts
Citations Reliance on accurate information and facts: Reliable sources cited in addition to course material. Properly gives credit to other researchers and acknowledges their ideas.	Exemplary (20 pts) Research depth exceeds expectations. Correctly acknowledges and documents sources in APA style in text citations and works cited pages.	Proficient (15 pts) Sufficient information provided to support topics. Correctly acknowledges and documents sources in APA style in-text citations and works cited pages.	Marginal (10 pts) Incorrectly or partially acknowledges and documents sources in APA style in-text citations and works cited pages. Although occasional references are provided, the writer relies on unsubstantiated statements.	Unacceptable (5 pts) Fails to acknowledges and document sources in APA style in-text citations and works cited pages. Writer relies on unsubstantiated statements. The reader is confused about the source of ideas.	Missing (0 pts) Not submitted.	20 pts
Style Clarity of thought and presentation: Structure of paragraphs clear and easy to follow. Flow of ideas fluid and logical. Organization transparent, logical, and helpful. A pleasure to read.	Exemplary (20 pts) The project is well organized and unified with ideas and sentences that relate to the main topic. The ideas are arranged logically to support the thesis. Uses appropriate, direct language: the writing is compelling; the sentences are well phrased and varied in length and structure. Paragraphs are well-structured, excellent use of headings, organization and flow.	Proficient (15 pts) The ideas are arranged logically to support the thesis. Paragraphs are well-structured, excellent use of headings, organization and flow. The sentences are well-phrased and varied in length and structure. There are occasional violations in the writing, but they do not represent a major distraction or obscure meaning.	Marginal (10 pts) Has partial or inadequate introduction and conclusion The writing is not organized logically. Ideas fail to make sense and are not expressed clearly. Some sentences are awkwardly constructed, and represent an occasional distraction for the reader. Paragraphs are unstructured, lacks general organization, and flow.	Unacceptable (5 pts) The project has an inadequate introduction and conclusion. The writing is not arranged logically. Frequently, ideas fail to make sense and are not expressed clearly. Reader cannot identify a line of reasoning. Errors in sentence structure represent a major distraction to the reader. Paragraphs are unstructured, headings are missing, lacks general organization and flow.	Missing (0 pts) Not submitted.	20 pts
Mechanics Consistent and appropriate voice. Sophisticated and precise word choice. Almost no spelling errors, errors in agreement, tense, punctuation or capitalization.	Exemplary (20 pts) Free of errors in grammar, punctuation, word choice, spelling, and format.	Proficient (15 pts) Few minimal errors in grammar, punctuation, word choice, spelling and format.	Marginal (10 pts) Writing has numerous errors in grammar, punctuation, word choice, spelling, and format and distracts the reader.	Unacceptable (5 pts) Errors in grammar, punctuation, word choice, spelling, and format are so numerous that they obscure the meaning of the passage. The reader is confused and stops reading.	Missing (0 pts) Not submitted.	20 pts
Incorporated Feedback	Exemplary (20 pts) Final draft thoroughly incorporates professor's feedback from the rough draft, answering questions, fleshing out details, adding citations, etc. where appropriate.	Proficient (15 pts) Final draft incorporates most of the professor's feedback from the rough draft, answering questions, fleshing out details, adding citations, etc. where appropriate.	Marginal (10 pts) Final draft incorporates some of the professor's feedback from the rough draft, answering questions, fleshing out details, adding citations, etc. where appropriate.	Unacceptable (5 pts) Final draft incorporates a little of the professor's feedback from the rough draft, answering questions, fleshing out details, adding citations, etc. where appropriate.	Missing (0 pts) Missing, no submission, or final draft incorporates none of the professor's feedback from the rough draft.	20 pts
Number of Sources	Exemplary (10 pts) Research project has 16 or more sources.	Proficient (8 pts) Research project has 11-15 sources.	Marginal (6 pts) Research project has 6-10 sources.	Unacceptable (4 pts) Research project has 1-5 sources.	Missing (0 pts) Missing, no submission, or research project has 0 sources.	10 pts
Argument	Exemplary (20 pts) Project makes an original, logically consistent, coherent argument. The argument is succinctly captured by a clear thesis statement. The thesis statement answers the research question proposed by the project. The project provides compelling supporting arguments, evidence, examples and details.	Proficient (15 pts) Project makes a logically consistent argument that is expressed in a thesis statement. The thesis statement generally answers the research question. The argument shows some original elements, and/or the thesis statement is verbose. The project provides adequate supporting arguments, evidence, examples and details.	Marginal (10 pts) Project makes an argument that is expressed in a thesis statement. The argument is awkwardly constructed, and/or the thesis statement is unclear, and/or the thesis statement does not adequately answer the question proposed by the project. The project does not provide adequate supporting arguments, evidence, examples or details.	Unacceptable (5 pts) Project makes an argument, but the argument is unoriginal, unclear, or poorly constructed. The thesis statement is either unclear or lacking, and/or does not answer the research question proposed by the project. The project does not provide adequate supporting arguments, evidence, examples or details.	Missing (0 pts) Not submitted.	20 pts
Total Points: 130