FINAL RESEARCH ESSAY – ESOn4007 CONTEMPORARY MIGRATION RESEARCH


Guidelines for the DRAFT of the final paper


The draft should contain approximately 1,000-1,200 words.


The draft of the final paper should consist of:


-          Introduction/background of the topic (what is already known about the subject? What is
not known about the subject and hence you would like to write about? Are there conflicting views on
the subject that you would like to discuss? Why do you consider it an important topic; why should
the reader be interested in it?)

-          Research question or problem you want to address (list one key “how” or “why” question
to be answered in the paper + max. 3 sub-questions developing the subject)

-          Theories, concepts, literature (what existing knowledge is relevant for your subject,
what literature you are planning to use – you may list the key titles (these are not included in
the 1,000 - 1,200 word count).

-          Hypothesis, main argument (what do you expect to find out, what do you want to argue)

-          Preliminary Outline of the paper (what topics you need to cover in order to answer your
question)


Guidelines for the peer-to-peer feedback on the draft of the final paper


By May 19, you will find the document “Peer-to-peer Feedback Pairs” in the IS Study Materials with
working pairs - you will find out whose draft you should comment on. Prepare a short commentary on
the draft of your colleague (300-400 words). The goal of the peer-to-peer feedback is to improve
the quality of your papers.


The peer-to-peer feedback should include:


 1. Evaluation of the topic of the paper – Is the topic/aim of the paper clear enough? Is there a
clear research question/problem articulated?
 2. Evaluation of the theoretical background – Is the topic framed by adequate theoretical
concepts?
 3. Is the main argument/answer to the research question clearly outlined?
 4. Potential strengths and weaknesses - What are the strengths of the draft? What are the
weaknesses? What do you suggest to improve the quality of the paper?