Guidelines

Introduction:

These guidelines are intended to provide you direction in writing your research papers. They are not exhaustive, but merely provide guidance in your writing. There will be some specifics on here, but by and large, I cannot tell you how to write your paper; that is your job. You are expected to write a research paper that does not merely summarize a topic but instead critically analyzes a topic and offers a discussion based upon previous research findings as well as your own opinion injected into the paper, if appropriate.  You will be expected to offer critical analysis and thinking to your topic, not just talk and talk for pages and pages.

Current events Assignment

You must submit a 3 page report discussing a current sport management issue [within the last 3 years- 2017 to current]. Pick a current event then analyze it using the legal skills you have developed and prepare two arguments, one for each side of the issue presented. This topic should be relevant to your future career and could be discussed at an employment interview. This paper should be properly cited in APA format (12 point font, DOUBLE SPACED, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins) and contain at least one case NOT discussed in class and at least one legal journal article. You need to have at least 5 references from good sources. (WIKIPEDIA does not count) This assignment is due Thursday November 19 on canvas. Use the handout on canvas on how to cite in APA format. Also the Purdue Owl can help you cite correctly. Please write in complete sentences and paragraphs (5 sentences) and you need THREE FULL PAGES of Text and One References Page. (4 minimum pages)

Consider Answering the questions in the paper:

            Why is this case important to analyze?

            Should this be discussed in other sport management classes?

            How can we improve society?

            What will history say about this event or case?

            DO you still think we will still talk about this case 5 years from now?

Topic and Cases:

This is a seminar focusing on law as it applies to sport. As such, your paper must focus on an area of law within sport, physical education, and/or recreation. I have left it up to you to choose a topic of interest, but you need to make sure you have chosen a topic that is neither too broad (e.g., Drugs and Sports) nor too narrow (e.g., a topic with no case law). You need to have researched your topic before you decide upon it. It will be difficult for you to write a paper on a sport law topic for which you cannot find any cases. You can find case law pertaining to a topic from a variety of sources, including the WestLaw database, Google, and the LegalTrac database. WestLaw should provide you the best results. These are the same areas you can find sources for your paper. Check out the Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport as well. It is easily searchable and open access.

Format:

• You are expected to produce your papers with Microsoft Word, using 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spacing.

• You are expected to use APA 6^th edition formatting throughout your paper. You need to purchase an APA manual (Amazon is a good, cheap place) as soon as possible in this doctoral program. Additionally, there are a number of online resources dedicated to APA formatting:

• http://www.apastyle.org/ (look at the Tutorials here)
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
• http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796
• http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm

Here is the APA LibGuide that you should find very helpful:

• http://troy.libguides.com/c.php?g=466039&p=3186681

• The formatting must be throughout the paper, including References. You will lose points for failing to use proper APA formatting.

• Your paper needs to be a minimum of 3 pages and there is no maximum. The Title Page and References do not count in this number. Make sure you are not filling your paper with “fluff” just to get the pages required.

Outline:

The basic outline of your paper should be as follows:

1. Title Page
   1. Tell me your title, class, and date.
2. Introduction
   1. Introduce the subject of your paper. It may help to mention recent developments in the issue/subject.
   2. The Introduction should feed into your next section.
3. Statement of Problem/Issue
   1. Tell me why this is an important issue.
   2. Have other studied this before? If so, why is it important to do further research? If not, how is the issue important?!
4. Literature Review
   1. This will be the bulk of your paper.
   2. You are reviewing and summarizing the literature/cases on your given topic.
   3. Talk about other research in this area. What have other scholars found?
5. Discussion
   1. This is where your opinion starts to come into play. Don’t just tell me that Title IX needs to be done away with, tell me why that is a reasoned stance and support it with research.
6. Conclusion
   1. The ending to your paper. Don’t overlook this. It needs to tie everything together.
7. References
   1. Need to be in APA format
   2. You must include at least 10 peer-reviewed sources (like journal articles), at least 6-8 cases, and at least 6 other sources (other articles, books, etc.).
   3. As this is a sport law course, you need to have a substantial part of your reference list be cases you have researched and pulled off of WestLaw.
   4. Your book cannot be used as a source, although articles cited in the book can (and probably should) be used.
   5. Make sure to follow proper formatting!
      1. EXAMPLE:

Baker, T. A., Connaughton, D. P., Zhang, J. J., & Spengler, J. O. (2007). Perceived risk of terrorism and related risk management practices of NCAA Division IA football stadium managers. Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 13(2), 145-179.

Grading:

This is really where you get the least amount of information. Grading is a tricky thing. I can tell you that you will lose points for failing to follow proper formatting guidelines. You will also lose points for spelling and/or grammatical errors. You have spell-check, so there are no excuses for these things.

These papers will be graded very tough, as they represent 25% of your grade in this course. I am expecting to receive polished work from you, not rough drafts, so you need to have gone through significant revisions before turning them in to me. Use your peers – exchange papers and revise eachothers’ work. I cannot tell you how long you should spend on this assignment, but taking into account the time it will take to research the topic, read the requisite articles and cases, write the paper, and revise it to a sufficient point, I would say that you should plan to spend a minimum of 30 hours on this assignment. I cannot stress this enough; if you turn in something that was written the night before, you will most likely receive an F on it.

The following is provided to give you an idea of grading research papers:

“A” Paper: Perhaps the principle characteristic of the “A” paper is its rich content.  Some people describe that content as “meaty,” others as “dense,” still others as “packed.”  Whatever, the information delivered is such that one feels significantly taught by the author, sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph.  The “A” paper is also marked by stylistic finesse:  the title and introduction are engaging; the transitions are artful; the phrasing is tight, fresh and highly specific; the sentence structure is varied; the tone enhances the purposes of the paper.  The objectives are specifically established and reinforced throughout the paper.  The research base is current, extensive and appropriate while relationships to practical considerations are well constructed.  There is a very logical sequence throughout the paper with proper references that support the author’s contentions.  The paper and reference list is complete and perfectly constructed in APA or legal style.  Finally, the “A” paper, because of its careful organization and development, imparts a feeling of wholeness and unusual clarity.  Not surprisingly, then, it leaves the reader feeling bright, thoroughly satisfied, and eager to reread the piece.

“B” Paper: It is significantly more than competent.  Besides being free from mechanical and grammatical errors, the “B” paper delivers substantial information-that is, substantial in both quantity and interest-value.  Its specific points are logically ordered, well developed, and unified around a clear organizing principle that is apparent early in the paper.  The introduction draws the reader in; the summary is both conclusive and thematically related to the opening.  The transitions between paragraphs are, for the most part, smooth, the sentence structures pleasantly varied.  The dictation of the “B” paper is typically much more concise and precise than that found in the “C” paper.  Occasionally, it even shows distinctiveness-i.e. finesse and memorability.  Some key research may have been missing in the construction of this paper but only an expert within the field would recognize its omission.  There may be a few minor errors in the reference list, and none that would hinder the reader’s ability to locate the citation.  Very few APA errors are present throughout the paper. On the whole, then, a “B” paper makes the reading experience a pleasurable one, for it offers substantial information with few distractions.

“C” Paper: It is generally competent-it meets the assignment, has few mechanical errors, and is reasonably well organized and developed.  The actual information it delivers, however, seems thin and commonplace.  One reason for that impression is that the ideas are typically cast in the form of vague generalities-generalities that prompt the confused reader to ask marginally:  “In every case?”  “Exactly how?”  “Why?”  “But how many?”  Stylistically, the “C” paper has other shortcomings as well:  the introduction does little to draw the reader in; the summary offers only a perfunctory wrap-up; the transitions between paragraphs are often bumpy; the sentences, besides being a bit choppy, tend to follow a predictable (hence monotonous) subject-verb-object-order; and the dictation is occasionally marred by unconscious repetitions, redundancy, and imprecision.  Often, this paper looks like a string of research studies and/or cases with little to no rhyme or reason except to meet a page requirement.  There is insignificant support from the case law (i.e., fail to reference landmark cases and/or too few cases).  The paper has several APA throughout the paper. The “C” paper, then, while it gets the job done, lacks both imagination and intellectual rigor.  It does not, therefore, invite a re-reading.

“D” Paper: Its treatment and development of the subject are only rudimentary.  While organization is present, it is neither clear nor effective.  Sentences are frequently awkward, ambiguous, and marred by mechanical errors.  Evidence of careful proofreading is scanty or nonexistent.  The whole piece, in fact, often gives the impression of having been conceived and written in haste.  The research base is very shallow as if the amount of time researching the topic was done the same week the paper was written.  Numerous APA style errors are present throughout the paper. Whole lines of research that should have been included are noticeably absent.  A reader is therefore left confused with perhaps an ignorant level of knowledge related to the author’s intent.

“F” Paper: Its treatment of the subject is superficial; its theme lacks discernable organization; its prose is garbled or stylistically primitive.  Mechanical errors are frequent.  The information conveyed and the research and /or cases cited serve little to no useful purpose.  Major and/or many APA style errors are present throughout the paper. A reader is not informed by the piece and must struggle and have discipline to finish reading it.  In short, the ideas, organization, and style fall far below what is acceptable graduate student writing.

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