This fall, each student will be responsible for developing a research paper on a topic related to
administrative law, rulemaking, and/or legal issues facing public service. Your research paper should be
approximately 14 pages long and should include a variety of resources. Newspaper articles and other
media sources can be used to develop your topic. Your theoretical analysis should be built upon books
and peer-reviewed journal articles in the field of ethics in public administration. The research paper is
due by December 6th at 8pm.
Don’t pick a topic that’s so
broad that you cannot cover it in 12-15 pages, and don’t pick a topic that’s so narrow that you will not
have enough information.
The research paper is worth 300 points. Your research paper should be 12-15 pages in length. Your
paper should include the following sections: (1) An introduction that includes your research
topic/question and a road map to the paper; (2) a thorough review of the literature which includes a
description of your administrative law problem, theories related to this problem, frameworks for
analyzing the problem, etc.; and (3) a conclusion that summarizes your main findings, discusses the
limitations of your research, and posits future research questions. If you are concerned about the idea of
developing a theoretical framework, you may use one of the frameworks provided in the textbooks.
Consult the next page for ideas on how to develop a topic for the research paper.
You should start by describing your basic administrative law problem and then dig deeper into it. An
“A-level” paper should include a solid theoretical framework for the analysis. Your literature review
should be analytical, not summative. I do not want you to engage in a sequential discussion of each
separate article or book. Reviews that follow the format “Author A said blah, blah, blah,” “Author B
said this and that,” “Author C said so and so,” are unacceptable presentations of the literature. Your
sources can be diverse, but I want to see a nice mix of materials. You must use some academic, peerreviewed journals for this paper. Furthermore, I would encourage you to
explore law review journals from various law schools, as they incorporate a blend of both scholarly
analysis while retaining the legal focus necessary to explore administrative law. You may not cite
Wikipedia as a source.
Your paper should be double-spaced and in 12-point font. You must use citations and all sources
should be in APA format. If you do not know APA format, now’s the time to learn it; there are
links on the library’s Guides and Tutorials website or you may consult the APA Publication
Manual, Sixth Edition. Papers must conform to the Assignment Format Guidelines provided in
the syllabus for this course..
How to develop a topic for the Administrative Law Research Paper
1. Start by looking relevant administrative law literature. You can write on any topic from the assigned
texts or from scholarly sources you have located, including judicial cases Some examples are:
A. Administrative rulemaking and the promotion of public feedback in the rulemaking process
B. Modern perspectives: EEO law, ethical concerns within legal frameworks, illegal/prohibited
practices in public employment, the rights and/or protections for public employees, et al.
2. Think about your job. What things can you write about related to work? Some examples:
A. Legal issues within broad context:
i. Should the government seize homes in the development process? Is there developing
legal precedent examining the scope of eminent domain?
ii. Have public personnel policies changed recently?
iii. Are there observable and/or growing trends concerning legal protections for public
employees at the municipal, state, or federal level?
iv. What types legislative initiatives, at any level of government, are currently being
observed and what types of legal implications may arise from them?
B. Legal issues linked to public personnel policies for state and/or federal employees
C. Legal issues related to higher education and/or college admissions
Example: Have recent examples of misconduct at higher education institutions
prompted changes in legal liability for those institutions?
Example: the implementation of affirmative action policies in the admissions process
Example: Institutional policies and procedures for sexual assault and Title IX
Keep in mind that while you are welcome to use previous course readings as resources within the
research paper, you will undoubtedly need to locate additional sources to provide a more comprehensive
and applicable analysis of the topic selected. One potential location for such additional resources may
be articles or readings from previous courses, law review journals, and even administrative agency
public notices and/or news releases (such as from regulatory agencies like the Securities Exchange
Commission or Federal Communications Commission). These pools of potential resources are often
overlooked, though they are easily accessible and contain pertinent information
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