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Paper
Offers detailed guidance on how to develop, organize, and write a college-level research paper in the
social and behavioral sciences.
Purpose Def inition
of
Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena and, in


Guide

Types of
many cases, to challenge and extend existing knowledge within the limits of

critical bounding assumptions. The theoretical framework is the structure that
Research can hold or support a theory of a research study. The theoretical framework
Designs introduces and describes the theory that explains why the research problem
Design under study exists.
Flaws
to
Abend, Gabriel. "The Meaning of Theory." Sociological Theory 26 (June 2008):
Avoid
173–199; Swanson, Richard A. Theory Building in Applied Disciplines. San
Independent Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2013.
and
Dependent
Variables Importance of Theory
Glossary A theoretical framework consists of concepts and, together with their
of def initions and reference to relevant scholarly literature, existing theory
Research that is used for your particular study. The theoretical framework must
Terms demonstrate an understanding of theories and concepts that are relevant to the

1. topic of your research paper and that relate to the broader areas of knowledge

Choosing being considered.

a The theoretical framework is most often not something readily found within
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Research the literature. You must review course readings and pertinent research studies
Problem for theories and analytic models that are relevant to the research problem you
are investigating. The selection of a theory should depend on its
Reading
appropriateness, ease of application, and explanatory power.
Research
Effectively The theoretical framework strengthens the study in the following ways:

Narrowing 1. An explicit statement of theoretical assumptions permits the reader to

a evaluate them critically.
Topic 2. The theoretical framework connects the researcher to existing
Idea knowledge. Guided by a relevant theory, you are given a basis for your
Broadening hypotheses and choice of research methods.
a 3. Articulating the theoretical assumptions of a research study forces you
Topic to address questions of why and how. It permits you to intellectually
Idea transition from simply describing a phenomenon you have observed to
generalizing about various aspects of that phenomenon.
Extending
4. Having a theory helps you identify the limits to those generalizations. A
the


theoretical framework specif ies which key variables influence a
Timeliness
of a
phenomenon of interest and highlights the need to examine how those 
key variables might differ and under what circumstances.
Topic
Idea By virtue of its applicative nature, good theory in the social sciences is of value

2. precisely because it fulf ills one primary purpose: to explain the meaning,

Preparing nature, and challenges associated with a phenomenon, often experienced but

to Write unexplained in the world in which we live, so that we may use that knowledge
and understanding to act in more informed and effective ways.
Academic
Writing
Style The Conceptual Framework. College of Education. Alabama State University;
Corvellec, Hervé, ed. What is Theory?: Answers from the Social and Cultural
Choosing
Sciences. Stockholm: Copenhagen Business School Press, 2013; Asher, Herbert
a
B. Theory-Building and Data Analysis in the Social Sciences. Knoxville, TN:
Title
University of Tennessee Press, 1984; Drafting an Argument. Writing@CSU.
Making Colorado State University; Ravitch, Sharon M. and Matthew Riggan. Reason and
an Rigor: How Conceptual Frameworks Guide Research. Second edition. Los
Outline Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2017; Trochim, William M.K. Philosophy of Research.
Research Methods Knowledge Base. 2006; Jarvis, Peter. The Practitioner-
Paragraph
Researcher. Developing Theory from Practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass,
Development
1999.
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19/4/2021 Theoretical Framework - Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper - Research Guides at University of Southern California

3. The
Abstract
Strategies for Developing the Theoretical Framework
Executive
Summary I. Developing the Framework

4. The Here are some strategies to develop of an effective theoretical framework:

Introduction
1. Examine your thesis title and research problem. The research
The
problem anchors your entire study and forms the basis from which you
C.A.R.S.
construct your theoretical framework.
Model
2. Brainstorm about what you consider to be the key variables in your
Background research. Answer the question, "What factors contribute to the
Information presumed effect?"
3. Review related literature to f ind how scholars have addressed your
The
research problem. Identify the assumptions from which the author(s)
Research
addressed the problem.
Problem/Question
4. List the constructs and variables that might be relevant to your
Theoretical
Framework
study. Group these variables into independent and dependent
categories.
5. Review key social science theories that are introduced to you in your


5. The
course readings and choose the theory that can best explain the
Literature
relationships between the key variables in your study [note the Writing
Review
Tip on this page].
Citation 6. Discuss the assumptions or propositions of this theory and point out
Tracking their relevance to your research.

Content
A theoretical framework is used to limit the scope of the relevant data by
Alert
focusing on specif ic variables and def ining the specif ic viewpoint [framework]
Services
that the researcher will take in analyzing and interpreting the data to be
Evaluating gathered. It also facilitates the understanding of concepts and variables
Sources according to given def initions and builds new knowledge by validating or
challenging theoretical assumptions.
Primary
Sources
II. Purpose
Secondary
Sources Think of theories as the conceptual basis for understanding, analyzing, and
designing ways to investigate relationships within social systems. To that
end, the following roles served by a theory can help guide the development of
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19/4/2021 Theoretical Framework - Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper - Research Guides at University of Southern California

Tiertiary your framework.

Sources
Means by which new research data can be interpreted and coded for
What future use,
Is Response to new problems that have no previously identif ied solutions
Scholarly strategy,
vs. Means for identifying and def ining research problems,
Popular? Means for prescribing or evaluating solutions to research problems,
Ways of discerning certain facts among the accumulated knowledge
6. The
that are important and which facts are not,
Methodology
Means of giving old data new interpretations and new meaning,
Qualitative Means by which to identify important new issues and prescribe the
Methods most critical research questions that need to be answered to maximize

Quantitative understanding of the issue,

Methods Means of providing members of a professional discipline with a common

language and a frame of reference for def ining the boundaries of their
7. The profession, and


Results Means to guide and inform research so that it can, in turn, guide
research efforts and improve professional practice.

Using
Non-
Textual
Adapted from: Torraco, R. J. “Theory-Building Research Methods.” In Swanson R.
Elements
A. and E. F. Holton III , editors. Human Resource Development Handbook:
8. The Linking Research and Practice. (San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, 1997): pp.
Discussion 114-137; Jacard, James and Jacob Jacoby. Theory Construction and Model-
Building Skills: A Practical Guide for Social Scientists. New York: Guilford, 2010;
Limitations
Ravitch, Sharon M. and Matthew Riggan. Reason and Rigor: How Conceptual
of
Frameworks Guide Research. Second edition. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2017;
the
Sutton, Robert I. and Barry M. Staw. “What Theory is Not.” Administrative
Study
Science Quarterly 40 (September 1995): 371-384.
9. The
Conclusion
Structure and Writing Style
Appendices

10. The theoretical framework may be rooted in a specif ic theory, in which case,

Proofreading your work is expected to test the validity of that existing theory in relation to

Your specif ic events, issues, or phenomena. Many social science research papers f it

Paper into this rubric. For example, Peripheral Realism Theory, which categorizes
perceived differences among nation-states as those that give orders, those that
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19/4/2021 Theoretical Framework - Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper - Research Guides at University of Southern California
pe ce ed d e e ces a o g at o states as t ose t at g e o de s, t ose t at
Common obey, and those that rebel, could be used as a means for understanding
Grammar conflicted relationships among countries in Africa. A test of this theory could be
Mistakes the following: Does Peripheral Realism Theory help explain intra-state actions,
such as, the disputed split between southern and northern Sudan that led to the
Writing
creation of two nations?
Concisely

11. However, you may not always be asked by your professor to test a specif ic
Citing theory in your paper, but to develop your own framework from which your
Sources analysis of the research problem is derived. Based upon the above example, it
is perhaps easiest to understand the nature and function of a theoretical
Avoiding framework if it is viewed as an answer to two basic questions:
Plagiarism
1. What is the research problem/question? [e.g., "How should the
Footnotes
individual and the state relate during periods of conflict?"]
or
2. Why is your approach a feasible solution? [i.e., justify the application
Endnotes?
of your choice of a particular theory and explain why alternative
Further constructs were rejected. I could choose instead to test Instrumentalist


Readings or Circumstantialists models developed among ethnic conflict theorists
that rely upon socio-economic-political factors to explain individual- 
Annotated
state relations and to apply this theoretical model to periods of war
Bibliography
between nations].
Giving
an Oral The answers to these questions come from a thorough review of the literature
Presentation and your course readings [summarized and analyzed in the next section of your
paper] and the gaps in the research that emerge from the review process. With
Group
this in mind, a complete theoretical framework will likely not emerge until
Presentations
after you have completed a thorough review of the literature.
Dealing
with
Just as a research problem in your paper requires contextualization and
Nervousness
background information, a theory requires a framework for understanding its
Using application to the topic being investigated. When writing and revising this
Visual part of your research paper, keep in mind the following:
Aids
Clearly describe the framework, concepts, models, or specif ic
Grading theories that underpin your study. This includes noting who the key
Someone theorists are in the f ield who have conducted research on the problem
Else's you are investigating and, when necessary, the historical context that
Paper supports the formulation of that theory. This latter element is
i l
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19/4/2021 Theoretical Framework - Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper - Research Guides at University of Southern California
particularly important if the theory is relatively unknown or it is
How to
borrowed from another discipline.
Manage
Position your theoretical framework within a broader context of
Group
related frameworks, concepts, models, or theories. As noted in the
Projects
example above, there will likely be several concepts, theories, or
Types models that can be used to help develop a framework for
of understanding the research problem. Therefore, note why the theory
Structured you've chosen is the appropriate one.
Group The present tense is used when writing about theory. Although the
Activities past tense can be used to describe the history of a theory or the role of
key theorists, the construction of your theoretical framework is
Group
happening now.
Project
You should make your theoretical assumptions as explicit as
Survival
possible. Later, your discussion of methodology should be linked back
Skills
to this theoretical framework.
Writing Don’t just take what the theory says as a given! Reality is never
a Book accurately represented in such a simplistic way; if you imply that it can
Review

Multiple
Book
be, you fundamentally distort a reader's ability to understand the
f indings that emerge. Given this, always note the limitations of the
theoretical framework you've chosen [i.e., what parts of the research


problem require further investigation because the theory inadequately
Review
explains a certain phenomena].
Essay

Reviewing
Collected The Conceptual Framework. College of Education. Alabama State University;
Works Conceptual Framework: What Do You Think is Going On? College of
Engineering. University of Michigan; Drafting an Argument. Writing@CSU.
Writing Colorado State University; Lynham, Susan A. “The General Method of Theory-
a Case Building Research in Applied Disciplines.” Advances in Developing Human
Study Resources 4 (August 2002): 221-241; Tavallaei, Mehdi and Mansor Abu Talib. "A
Writing General Perspective on the Role of Theory in Qualitative Research." Journal of
a Field International Social Research 3 (Spring 2010); Ravitch, Sharon M. and Matthew
Report Riggan. Reason and Rigor: How Conceptual Frameworks Guide Research.
Second edition. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2017; Reyes, Victoria. Demystifying the
About
Journal Article. Inside Higher Education; Trochim, William M.K. Philosophy of
Informed
Research. Research Methods Knowledge Base. 2006; Weick, Karl E. “The Work
Consent
of Theorizing.” In Theorizing in Social Science: The Context of Discovery. Richard
Swedberg, editor. (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2014), pp. 177-194.

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19/4/2021 Theoretical Framework - Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper - Research Guides at University of Southern California

Writing
Field
Writing Tip
Notes
Borrowing Theoretical Constructs from Elsewhere
Writing
a Policy An increasingly important trend in the social and behavioral sciences is to think
Memo about and attempt to understand research problems from an interdisciplinary

Writing perspective. One way to do this is to not rely exclusively on the theories

a developed within your particular discipline, but to think about how an issue

Research might be informed by theories developed in other disciplines. For example, if

Proposal you are a political science student studying the rhetorical strategies used by
female incumbents in state legislature campaigns, theories about the use of
Acknowledgments
language could be derived, not only from political science, but linguistics,
Bibliography communication studies, philosophy, psychology, and, in this particular case,
feminist studies. Building theoretical frameworks based on the postulates and
hypotheses developed in other disciplinary contexts can be both enlightening
and an effective way to be more engaged in the research topic.

CohenMiller, A. S. and P. Elizabeth Pate. "A Model for Developing



Interdisciplinary Research Theoretical Frameworks." The Qualitative Researcher
24 (2019): 1211-1226; Frodeman, Robert. The Oxford Handbook of
Interdisciplinarity. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

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19/4/2021 Theoretical Framework - Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper - Research Guides at University of Southern California

Another Writing Tip

Don't Undertheorize!

Do not leave the theory hanging out there in the introduction never to be
mentioned again. Undertheorizing weakens your paper. The theoretical
framework you describe should guide your study throughout the paper. Be sure
to always connect theory to the review of pertinent literature and to explain in
the discussion part of your paper how the theoretical framework you chose
supports analysis of the research problem or, if appropriate, how the theoretical
framework was found to be inadequate in explaining the phenomenon you were
investigating. In that case, don't be afraid to propose your own theory based on
your f indings.

Fleetwood, Steve and Anthony Hesketh. "HRM-Performance Research: Under-

theorized and Lacking Explanatory Power." The International Journal of Human
Resource Management 17 (2006): 1977-1993.




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19/4/2021 Theoretical Framework - Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper - Research Guides at University of Southern California

Yet Another Writing Tip

What's a Theory? What's a Hypothesis?

The terms theory and hypothesis are often used interchangeably in newspapers
and popular magazines and in non-academic settings. However, the difference
between theory and hypothesis in scholarly research is important, particularly
when using an experimental design. A theory is a well-established principle that
has been developed to explain some aspect of the natural world. Theories arise
from repeated observation and testing and incorporates facts, laws, predictions,
and tested assumptions that are widely accepted [e.g., rational choice theory;
grounded theory; critical race theory].

A hypothesis is a specif ic, testable prediction about what you expect to happen
in your study. For example, an experiment designed to look at the relationship
between study habits and test anxiety might have a hypothesis that states, "We
predict that students with better study habits will suffer less test anxiety."
Unless your study is exploratory in nature, your hypothesis should always
explain what you expect to happen during the course of your research.

The key distinctions are:




A theory predicts events in a broad, general context; a hypothesis

makes a specif ic prediction about a specif ied set of circumstances.
A theory has been extensively tested and is generally accepted among
scholars; a hypothesis is a speculative guess that has yet to be tested.

Cherry, Kendra. Introduction to Research Methods: Theory and Hypothesis.

About.com Psychology; Gezae, Michael et al. Welcome Presentation on
Hypothesis. Slideshare presentation.

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19/4/2021 Theoretical Framework - Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper - Research Guides at University of Southern California

Still Yet Another Writing Tip

Be Prepared to Challenge the Validity of an Existing Theory

Theories are meant to be tested and their underlying assumptions challenged;

they are not rigid or intransigent, but are meant to set forth general principles
for explaining phenomena or predicting outcomes. Given this, testing theoretical
assumptions is an important way that knowledge in any discipline develops and
grows. If you're asked to apply an existing theory to a research problem, the
analysis may include the expectation by your professor that you should offer
modif ications to the theory based on your research f indings. Indications that
theoretical assumptions may need to be modif ied can include the following:

Your f indings suggest that the theory does not explain or account for
current conditions or circumstances,
The study reveals a f inding that is signif icantly incongruent with what
the theory attempts to explain or predict, or
Your analysis reveals that the theory overly generalizes behaviors or
actions without taking into consideration specif ic factors [e.g., factors
related to culture, nationality, history, gender, ethnicity, age, 

geographic location, legal norms or customs, religion, social class,
socioeconomic status, etc.].

Philipsen, Kristian. "Theory Building: Using Abductive Search Strategies." In

Collaborative Research Design: Working with Business for Meaningful Findings.
Per Vagn Freytag and Louise Young, editors. (Singapore: Springer Nature, 2018),
pp. 45-71; Shepherd, Dean A. and Roy Suddaby. "Theory Building: A Review and
Integration." Journal of Management 43 (2017): 59-86.

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