Guidelines for Second Year Paper

The purpose of the second-year paper requirement is for students to demonstrate substantial progress toward writing a paper that can be part of their prospectus. Papers are due on the first day of classes for the Fall semester of the student's third year according to the UMass academic calendar (https://www.umass.edu/registrar/academic-calendar ).

All students should identify a faculty research mentor for the second-year paper no later than the last day of classes for the fall term of their second year, according to the UMass academic calendar. The student should send an email to the Graduate Program Director (GPD) email address ([email protected])  confirming that the student and the mentor agree to the arrangement. The student should work closely with the faculty mentor to develop and complete the second-year paper. Being a mentor for the second-year paper does not imply that the mentor will serve on a student's dissertation committee.

All successful second-year papers must be complete and clearly written. It must include the following sections:

1. Introduction. The student must identify a clear research question, a compelling motivation for the research, a background description of the study's context, and a description of the major contribution the study makes.
2. Literature Review. The student must describe the most relevant studies to place the proposed new research in the context of the current literature and to show that the proposed study can make an
   important contribution to the professional literature.
3. Methods and Results. (*Note that students may separate the required content mentioned below into two or more sections)
   1. If the student's work features secondary data analysis, the paper must include a description of the data sources and the empirical methods used. For data sources, the student must describe the methodology of obtaining data, the method used to combine different data sources, and/or the data collection method if new data is involved. For empirical methods, the student must clearly describe the econometric methodology used to address the proposed research question. This may include theoretical models, testable hypotheses, statistical tests, regression models, etc. The paper must also include a results section with appropriate tables, graphs, and accompanying text based on statistical tests/regressions.
   2. If the student's work features an experiment, the paper must contain a description of the experimental design and the empirical methods. For the experimental design, the student must describe the treatment design, provide the experimental instructions and software screenshots, and/or identify the field environment if the experiment is to be conducted outside the laboratory at UMass. For empirical methods, the student must clearly describe the econometric methodology used to address the proposed research question. This may include theoretical models, testable hypotheses, statistical tests, regression models, etc. The student is not required to have completed the data collection. However, data analysis with pilot data and/or a simulated dataset should be included if available.
   3. If the student's work features economic theory, a clearly specified theoretical model is required. The student must carry out preliminary proofs, simulations, or other initial analysis that help to demonstrate that the proposed theoretical exercise will produce findings that will make a substantive contribution to the related literature.  
4. Conclusion and future steps. This section should summarize the current findings, discuss the limitations of the proposed approach, and identify the next steps for completing the current research or developing new ideas for future research.

Papers will be graded Pass/Fail by the student's research mentor and one member of the Graduate Studies Committee. The GPD will mediate any disagreement between the mentor and the GSC member. Students who do not submit the work on time or do not pass on the first attempt will be given notice in early October of their third year, along with any comments from the mentor and the GSC. The student has another opportunity to (re-)submit or revise the paper by the first day of classes of the Spring semester of their third year, according to the UMass academic calendar. If the (re-)submission or revision still does not receive a passing grade, the student will receive reduced funding in future terms based on the calculation clarified in the section of Conditional Funding Guideline in the latest Graduate Handbook.