McNair Research Paper Guidelines

Please submit your final research paperto the McNair Assistant Director by the due date indicated on the mentor/mentee contract. Exceptions will only be made based on your mentor’s documented statement that you will need an extension. Don’t forget to have your mentor approve your final draft and sign-off on the Faculty Approval of Research Form.

The write-up should conform to your discipline standards (APA, MLA, etc.). and be ready for publication in the McNair Scholars Research Journal. (NOTE: Your mentor may require a lengthier paper, but your paper should at least meet our minimums.

The paper should be:

  • A word document with 1” margins
  • Minimum 7 to 10pages in length, excludingtitle page, appendices, and bibliography
  • Times New Roman font, size: 12 point
  • Single spaced
  • You may indent or use block style
  • Double spaced after each paragraph
  • Tables, photos, and figures may be included within the body of the paper or grouped at the end as an appendix

Your research paper should include the following sections:

  • Title page: Provide the title of the research project, name of student, name of facultymentor, the department and college, and date of the report.
  • Abstract: Provide a summary of the research including highlights of results. Approximately 200 to 300 words.
  • Introduction: Discuss the nature of the project, objectives, research questions, the issues, in this area, etc.
  • Literature Review:A discussion of relevant literature to your research topic. Use this to describe existing research and how your project relates to existing knowledge of the topic.
  • Research Methods:Describe how you reached the objectives of the project. Use subheadings as necessary, i.e. methodology, results, etc.
  • Results:Present highlights of any data you collected and explain analysis and interpretation of the results.
  • Conclusions/Discussion: Summarize the important findings of your research and discuss the impact of your findings.
  • Acknowledgements: Give credit to those who helped you conduct the research including your faculty mentor. Include a statement that acknowledges any funding sources, such as the McNair Scholars Program.
  • References/Bibliography/ Works Cited: List the references that you used and are cited in your report.