Tattooing and Techniques of Cross-Cultural Research
Part III: Outline of a Cross-Cultural Study Paper

by William Divale

 Department of Anthropology

York College (City University of New York), Jamaica, NY

A cross-cultural research paper should contain the following sections. Type should be 12 point type with text double-spaced but tables single-spaced. Margins should be one inch on all sides.

Title Page
This should contain the title of the paper, your name and address, course number and name, semester, Instructor’s name.

Abstract Page
This should contain a short summary of your paper and its findings (150 to 200 words).

Introduction (1 - 2 pages)
This section should contain a brief overview of your topic. Discuss the basic concepts and define key terms.

Literature Review (4 - 6 pages)
This section should contain summaries of relevant research done on the topic or related topics. Outline key arguments or hypotheses. 

Hypotheses (½ – 1 page)
Your literature review should end with a clear statement of the main hypothesis you will be testing in your study.

Variables (Key Concepts) (2 - 4 pages)
Describe how the concepts in the variables of the hypothesis are defined and measured, e.g., describe the coding process that you developed or used.

Sample (½ – 1 page)
Describe the sample you used. Why and how was it chosen?

Results (5 - 10 pages)
Discuss the results of each of your hypothesis tests.
Show the tables with the statistical results. Number each table consecutively.

Discussion (1 page)
Discuss what was learned from the study. What would you do differently next time? What needs to be done as a result of the findings?

Appendix
This section should contain:
· A copy of any Coding Rules that were followed
· A table listing the data coded
· The completed Coding Sheets

References Cited
This section should contain a list of all the bibliographic references that you cited in the paper. Follow the APA (American Psychological Association) style.

INDEX

Part I: Syllabus

Part II: Outline of Basic Steps of a Cross-Cultural Study
(contains Proposition Inventories, Data Entry Sheet, etc.)

Part III: Outline of a Cross Cultural Study Paper

Part I V: Outline of a Conference Paper