Posted: February 28th, 2023

Research paper

Research paper (optional topic) 5000 words

THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF THESSALONIKI

RES 299: Business Research Methods (Level 5)

Final & Re-sit Exam: Spring I 2023

Instructor: Dr Eirini Tsichla

The final report: Drafts of the introduction, methods, results and conclusions sections will
be turned in for editing and comments prior to final submission. The final paper should be
about 5000 words (excluding cover page, references and appendices).

Proposed structure:

1. Introduction (1500+ words) which includes:
a. A general overview of the problem requiring the research & Literature

Review (1000+ words)
b. Scope and specific research questions or hypotheses
c. Data & Methodology (500 words): Methods applied and data used

2. Analysis (2000+ words): Your main course analysis
3. Conclusions (500+ words): Your outcome, managerial implications,

recommendations etc., summary of results in terms of your hypotheses, overall
evaluation of your research: strengths and weaknesses, recommendations for future
research

4. References: Your sources, articles, books, reports etc
5. Appendices: Your research materials (i.e., questionnaires, discussion guides, coding

instruments, reports, graphs, tables, pictures etc

The final re-sit report has to:

1. Have the same topic as the original one
2. Take into consideration the corrections/errors that have been marked by the

instructor on the first submission

NOTE:
ALL projects will be processed through Turn-it-in, the software that checks for academic
integrity.

Evaluation criteria:

1. Contribution to science (10 marks) (although most important in future career)

Relevance of the research topic in the contemporary business environment,
originality of the research topic, contribution to the relevant literature

2. Overall presentation of the report (20 marks)

Structure, use of appropriate sections, correct use of English, academic style, use of
tables and figures when appropriate

3. Quality and depth of literature review (20 marks)

Use of multiple academic sources, inclusion of key studies in the area under
investigation, appropriate summary of their contribution

4. Quality of methodology (20 marks)

Clear explanation and rationalization of the research methods used, quality of data
collection instruments, appropriateness of research sample

5. Level of main analysis and foundation of conclusions (30 marks)

Clarity in the presentation of the research findings, level of data analysis, articulation
of recommendations that result from the research.

Submission guidelines

ü The report should be typed in a 12pt font, double spaced and justified.
ü A word count should also be included.
ü The file should be named after your last name as: RES299_REPORT_MYLASTNAME
ü A cover page should be provided including the student’s name, student number,

course, semester and title of the assignment.
ü Please spell check your report before submission
ü Students are expected to use academic references in the report. Powerpoint slides,

blogs, student papers/theses, youtube videos or Wikipedia are not academic
sources.

ü Academic references should be provided both in-text and at the bibliography section
following Harvard Style
For more information please visit:
https://www.open.ac.uk/libraryservices/documents/Harvard_citation_hlp

ü Students should submit the Report online through an official Turnitin submission
point on Moodle.

ü Students should submit the proposal in word format only ( x or , no pdfs)

THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF THESSALONIKI

Research 299: Business Research Methods (Level 5)

Midterm Exam: Spring 2023

Instructor: Dr Eirini Tsichla

For the midterm exam, each student is expected to submit a sound proposal regarding the
final project that will be submitted at the end of the semester. The proposal should be
between 1500-2000 words.

Framing the proposal: The research proposal will include an initial draft of the introductory
section which will include:

• Literature review
• Scope and objectives and
• Methodology, reviewing methods used in other similar studies and presenting the

rationale for the methodology to be used for the specific project.

NOTES:

• The topic must receive instructor approval before any work is done.
• Meeting time will be scheduled with each student to monitor progress on the

project.

Evaluation Criteria

1. Selecting a research topic (20 points).
Present scope and research objectives and explain the research topic in terms of
capability and appropriateness. Highlight the relevance of your topic in today’s
business environment

2. Clarifying the research design (40 points).
1) Present possible exploratory, descriptive and explanatory research that can be
reasonably accomplished and
2) Explain the intended data collection methods, e.g., experiments, surveys,
simulations, secondary data collection and analysis, case studies/action research.

3. Producing an annotated bibliography (40 points).
Look through academic journals that relate to your subject area. Identify a few
papers that did similar research as the one suggested by your topics and produce an

annotated bibliography, summarizing the findings of those papers and how they
relate to your research.

Submission guidelines

ü The report should be typed in a 12pt font, double spaced and justified.
ü A word count should also be included.
ü The file should be named after your last name as: RES299_PROPOSAL_MYLASTNAME
ü A cover page should be provided including the student’s name, student number,

course, semester and title of the assignment.
ü Please spell check your report before submission
ü Students are expected to use academic references in the report. Powerpoint slides,

blogs, student papers/theses, youtube videos or Wikipedia are not academic
sources.

ü Academic references should be provided both in-text and at the bibliography section
following Harvard Style
For more information please visit:
https://www.open.ac.uk/libraryservices/documents/Harvard_citation_hlp

ü Students should submit the Proposal online through an official Turnitin submission
point on Moodle.

ü Students should submit the proposal in word format only ( x or , no pdfs)