A. Abstract back to top
The Abstract provides a brief overview of your entire project for someone who will not read the rest of your paper. The Abstract is self-contained and it presents different information than the standard introduction. It should include a brief description of the topic, an overview of the contents of the paper, and a short discussion of the conclusions drawn as a result of the project. (1 page)
B. Introduction back to top
The Introduction presents your thesis and develops the motivation for your study. It guides the reader through the sections of your SIP. It should put your project into a broader context and explain the relationship between the sections.
C. Experiential Description back to top
The Experiential Description is a brief description of your internship and how it helped you select your topic for your Connections Essay. (Approximately 1-3 pages.)
D. Connections Essay back to top
The Connections Essay is a concise paper on an academic topic. It does not describe your internship experience but it expounds on a topic relevant to the internship. This essay will have a clearly defined thesis, or organizing theme. Support from published sources will be referenced throughout the essay. (Approximately 10-15 pages)
E. Literature Review back to top
The Literature Review develops a strong organizing thesis or theme with substantial supporting evidence. It draws mainly on library and other published resources. It will include citations for all outside sources.
F. Analytic Section back to top
This section uses data or models to answer a research question related to your thesis. The research section should demonstrate your familiarity with economic or business principles applied to a specific issue. You will draw on a variety of skills to address this question-- library research, economic modeling and statistical analysis. It includes a literature review discussing how other studies have looked at this question and related questions. (Include citations for these sources.) It also includes a description of your data-- the variables, the time period, the sources. The main substance of this section is either statistical analysis or mathematical modeling. Statistical analysis could include descriptive statistics, graphical analysis, and regressions. You should then describe the meaning of your results.
G. Conclusion back to top
The Conclusion should do more than merely report your results. It can be used to make connections between your SIP, your coursework, and your future plans. It should reflect on your paper's thesis and major themes.
H. References back to top
The Reference Section should include complete citations for all the works you used for your SIP. These sources should be varied and extensive, including academic sources. SIPs with only a few sources will not be accepted.
I. Appendix back to top
The Appendix, or appendices, can contain a wide variety of materials. It could include a copy of a survey, list of data, or derivation of a model. If your SIP topic relates to an externship, internship, or other experiential learning, it could include a journal or copies of papers or works completed. Many kinds of supporting material can be included in the appendices.
SIP Style Requirements
In the Economics and Business Department, SIPs are prepared according to the Chicago Manual of Style. You will find a copy of the 14th edition in the reference section of the library. Please consult it as often as you want.
Referencing back to top
A good SIP should have many referenced works, books and articles. It is important that WHENEVER you use someone else’s ideas, tables or statistics you reference the source properly.
When referencing an author in the body of your SIP, the proper way of doing this is by using the author’s last name, followed by the year of publication and the page number (if applicable). For example:
In a recent study, Moore (1996, p. 94) claims that the money supply process under the gold standard behaved pretty much like neoclassical theory predicts: the quantity of money in circulation was dictated by the stock of gold at any point in time.
If you choose to reproduce a table or even some statistics, the proper way of doing this is to refer to the source where the original table appeared. It is best to place this information directly below the table.
Quotations back to top
There are two types of quotes: long and short. Short quotes are typically less than four lines. In this case, you leave the quote as part of your sentence and text in quotation marks. For example, consider the theory of credit rationing. We know that the rate of interest charged on loans is below the market rate. According to Greenwald and Stiglitz (1993, p. 31), “The interest rate charged is that which maximizes the expected return to lenders, and at that interest rate, there is an excess demand for credit.”
If your quote, however, is longer than four lines, it is best to take it out of the paragraph. It should stand alone with no quotation marks. The long quote is single-spaced and in a smaller font (for instance Times New Roman 10 pts). Consider the following example, again with respect to credit rationing:
Moreover, Stiglitz and Weiss (1991, p. 248) argue that,
Both the demand for loans and the supply of funds are functions of the interest rate. ...Clearly, it is conceivable that at [r*] the demand for funds exceeds the supply of funds. ... Traditional analysis would argue that, in the presence of an excess demand for loans, unsatisfied borrowers would offer to pay a higher interest rate to the bank, bidding up the interest rate until demand equals supply. But although supply does not equal demand at [r*], it is the equilibrium interest rate! ... There are no competitive forces leading supply to equal demand, and credit is rationed.
Bibliography back to top
The method of source noting required by the Department is similar to that used in most professional journals in Economics and Business. The bibliography for the paper is to be prepared according to the guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Style. Note that each entry is numbered.
Please take note there are important differences between a book, an edited book, and an article in a book or in a journal. Make sure you spend the necessary time and effort to carefully write your bibliography.
Books back to top
One author
1. Schumpeter J. A. The Theory of Economic Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1934.
Several authors
2. Yarbrough, Beth V., and Robert M. Yarbrough. The World Economy: Trade
and Finance. Fort Worth, Texas: The Dryden Press, 1994.
(** Note also that the name of the first author is inverted while the name of the second author is given in its natural order. See Chicago Manual of Style, p. 530-531).
Edited book back to top
Compiled book
3. Mill, John Stuart. Autobiography and Literary Essays. Edited by John M. Robinson and Jack Stillinger. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980.
Non-compiled book
4. Nell, Edward, ed. Money in Motion. London: Macmillan, 1996.
Articles (see p. 571 of the Chicago Manual of Style)
One author
5. Barro, Robert. “The Loan Market, Collateral, and the Rate of Interest,” Journal of Money, Credit and Banking May, 10, no. 2 (1976): 170–83.
Two authors
6. Anderson, L. and J. Jordan. “Monetary and Fiscal Actions: a Test of their Relative Importance in Economic Stabilization”, Federal Reserve Bank of St–Louis Monthly Review November, 50, no. 11 (1968): 11–12.
Popular magazine
7. Caspari, E.W., and R.E. Marshak. “The Rise and Fall of Lysenko.” Science, 16 July 1965, 275-78.
Web sites back to top
Web sites can be a good place to find articles and statistics. But if you use information that you found on a web site, in any degree, you MUST state it in your bibliography. The proper way of referencing web sites depends on the information you have. For instance, if it is an article where you have an author, date and place of publication, please follow the instructions above for articles. Make sure you add the web page address and date accessed. For instance,
8. Eichengreen, Barry. “Can Emerging Markets Float? Should They Inflation Target?,” April (2001), retrieved April 11, 2001 from http://emlab.berkeley.edu/users/eichengr/POLICY.HTM
If you are referencing statistics, the best way to do this is to state the institution, followed by the name of the statistical series (if applicable), and the web page.
9. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. "Foreign Exchange – Euro Conversion Rates," January 1999 – May 2001, retrieved April 11, 2001 from http://www.stls.frb.org/fred/data/xupdate.html
Footnotes back to top
Footnotes are used not for references, but rather to add to your arguments without unnecessarily distracting the reader. In making a statement, you may want to develop the argument or specify a point that fall outside the direct scope of your research. Footnotes are thus an extension to your argument. Content footnotes are placed at the bottom of the relevant page and numbered sequentially. |
