Graduation Paper Manual
Date
2018
Authors
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Publisher
Universidad Católica Luis Amigó
Abstract
Research has a catalytic power. When teachers conduct research, their teaching
practices improve and their professional identity blossoms (Edwards & Burns, 2016). When
teachers publish their research, benefits accrue beyond their own classrooms and carry over
into the entire academic community (Cárdenas, 2003). That is why professional language
teachers should not only engage in research but also systematize and disseminate their
research-based practices.
The times when graduating students were required to write obscure and long-
winded theses that were later shelved in a library to collect dust are long gone. In line with the above arguments, senior students from the English teaching program at Luis Amigó are
expected to conduct research relevant to their teaching and to pour it into potentially
publishable articles.
To aid in the attainment of that goal, I wrote up the first edition of this research-
paper manual in 2014. Students and teachers from the program piloted it in 2015. Later that
year, the Curriculum Committee and the Council of the School of Education approved it as
an official guide for student-teachers’ graduation papers. Nevertheless, now that it has
reached its fourth edition, many changes have taken place in the program.
Graduates today have multiple options to structure their graduation paper: Besides a
research article, they can alternatively produce a reflection article, an article describing a
pedagogical innovation, or a review of the literature on a specific theme in ELT. In any
case, the ultimate form their paper takes must be agreed upon with their advisor.
This manual provides the essential requirements of format, structure, and style to
write a monograph that mirrors a research article. To that aim, it follows the publication
guidelines offered by both the American Psychological Association (APA - 6th edition) and
reputed national academic journals in language teaching.
One fundamental change in the structure of the manuscript has to do with the
presentation of the context. Even though students are still encouraged to integrate the
analysis of the broader context into the presentation of the research problem, they are now
required to describe the context wherein their study was conducted in the method section.
This modification seeks to help manuscripts better fit into the structure of research articles
today.
I still believe that, as far as academic writing goes, quality should take precedence
over quantity. Therefore, in line with the extension requirements of most academic
journals, the manuscript should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words. However, neither
advisors nor students should be mistaken by this premise. The type of academic writing
expected for the graduation paper should be rigorous, methodical, accurate, relevant, and
concise. If done properly, this type of writing will require a change of paradigm that will
nonetheless ensure that the graduation papers we produce reflect the professional, personal,
and academic qualities expected from our graduates.
By following this model, we intend to (a) familiarize our graduating students with
the procedures and principles of both conducting research in education and systematizing
the results derived from it, and (b) increase the likelihood of publishing students’
graduation papers as relevant contributions to the ongoing conversation of the academic
community in our profession.
If you are a student, use this manual to write your monograph in the wake of a
research article. When in doubt, check with your advisor. You can also check the APA
manual to solve specific questions regarding style and format. If you are an advisor, keep in
mind that this manual is meant to be used as a guide, not as an ironclad prescription. Use it
wisely. Make sure your students preserve the necessary rigor in their writing, but give them
sufficient leeway so that they can express the richness of their pedagogical and research
explorations.
Description
Keywords
Investigación, Licenciatura en Inglés