HTM 515 – Final Paper/Project Format – On Line
Purpose/scope – The final paper/project is intended to engage students in a real-world issue pertaining to your respective internship. The paper topic will be determined and agreed to by the intern supervisor and student. The topic should be beneficial to the company and educational to the student. Once the topic is determined, the student is expected to define the research problem (problem statement), collect the necessary data, and report on the findings. The length of the paper is not specified; however, quality is preferred over quantity. It is expected that papers should be at least 15+ pages long. Finally, it is required that the paper/project and findings will be presented to the internship supervisor by the student
The final paper/project format should be double-spaced using 12-point Times New Roman font with 1” margins. Content, writing logic/flow, spelling and grammar will be graded as part of your final grade. The final paper MUST include the bolded section headings as directed and be organized in the following manner:
1. Final Paper Format – Your paper must follow the following format.
a. Cover Page – Title of the paper, course name and number, semester year, student name and identification number and instructor’s name
b. Table of Contents – Prepare a detailed table of contents, which includes the following section below
c. Executive Summary – The executive summary should be a summary of the report in 1-2 pages with the following captions:
i. Parameters of the report – purpose/objective of the study, type of company, etc.
ii. Description of the problem – describe the problem and how your project will be beneficial to the company.
iii. Methodology – describe how you went about solving the problem. What type of survey did you do? How did you collect data?, etc.
iv. Summary of findings and conclusions – summary of the facts you found surrounding the problem or situation being researched and your conclusions based upon those facts.
v. Recommendations – summarize the specific recommendations you are making to the company to solve the problem or respond to the research project.
d. Section I – Introduction/Background – Provide the reader with a description/ background of the topic that is being researched. Give a contextual backdrop to why this is an important issue to be addressed (e.g., What are competitors doing? What is the marketplace currently doing or headed? What happens if this isn’t addressed?).
e. Section II – Statement of the Problem/Research Project – A brief discussion of the specific topic that will be investigated and addressed and why it is important. (e.g., What is the problem? Why is this problem worth my attention? How important, influential, or popular is this problem? Would research findings lead to some useful change in best practice?) For example, if a study is researching management stress in a hotel, why is this needed? Is there turnover, Low morale? Be clear about the problem statement and explain why the study is needed.

f. Section III – Methodology – A discussion of how you went about approaching and solving the problem or research project. In other words, how did you collect the data you needed to analyze for the project? This section, for example, should included details on what type of survey you did including where you found the survey and/or how you collected data, etc. Tables, charts and figures are strongly encouraged to demonstrate your data.

g. Section IV – Findings – A presentation of the factual (truth and facts – not opinion) information you found regarding the problem to be solved or the research project. What were the strategic alternatives that might have been used to solve the problem or research project? What alternative(s) did you decide to use and why?
h. Section V– Conclusions – Given your findings of fact, what are your conclusions as to what the underlying problems are, or conclusions as to the research project?
i. Section VI – Recommendations – Given your findings and conclusions, what are your specific recommendations to solve the problems or achieve the objective of the research study?
j. References – 2-3 references minimum but more are expected. Please provide a reference section when you cite any source in your paper. Remember plagiarism is not acceptable and is grounds for failure. All citation and references should follow the APA format. Please see (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01) or (www.apastyle.org) for exact specifications.
2. Final Paper Grading Criteria – The final paper will be graded subjectively with the following items of critical importance:
a. Quality and depth of analysis of the problem or subject of the research.
b. Quality and depth of the findings and conclusions.
c. Quality and depth of recommendations.
d. Organization and presentation of the report, including grammar, spelling, content, use of sub-captions, exhibits, numbering systems, and graphics.
e. Feedback (comments and grade A, B, etc.) by your supervisor will also be used to determine your grade. Students are required to present their findings to their supervisor during the semester.
Turnitin.com Requirement
· All final papers must be uploaded and submitted through Turnitin.com link on iLearn for plagiarism and grammar checks.
· Directions and feedback: http://at.sfsu.edu/support/how-submit-turnitin-assignment
· The paper must be uploaded and submitted to Turnitin.com no later than the final packet due date outlined on the course schedule. You can review the Turnitin feedback and make changes to your paper.
· Turnitin Helpful links:
· To view you Turnitin Originality Report clink on the directions link: http://at.sfsu.edu/support/how-view-your-turnitin-originality-report
· Student Training – About Originality PDF – http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/about-originalitycheck
· Viewing originality reports: http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/viewing-originality-reports
· Cheating and Plagiarism/Self Plagiarism: See course syllabus for strict rules and guidance on cheating and plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism. This class has a zero-tolerance policy towards cheating behaviors. Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others or self by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) so used as one’s own work. Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from 0 or F on a particular assignment, through an F for the course, to expulsion from the university. For more information on the University’s policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the University Office of Student Conduct (‘Polices and Regulations’).