The paper should be substantially based on at least three articles from professional journals. Professional journals in accounting would include Accounting Horizons, Journal of Accounting Research, Strategic
Finance, The Journal of Accountancy, or something comparable. You can also use other professional journals, such as the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Management, the Journal of
Management Information Systems, or the Journal of Information Systems. The three principal journal articles referenced in the paper should be copied and turned in with the paper. In addition, feel free to include other research sources. Other important sources include professional documents at websites used formally for accounting (FASB, IASB, AAA, AICPA, etc.). You should have a minimum of five sources in total, but you may include as many as you wish. The objective of the paper, apart from the obvious coverage of the topic area, should be to INTEGRATE the information provided in the research sources.
You should not go through a page and a half or two pages continuously citing the same source. In most classes, the assigned paper is longer. I would rather sacrifice some length and emphasize a good
SYNTHESIS of the sources into a well-written, coherent document.
Remember that if the words of the author are used exactly, quote and include a parenthetical reference. If the words of the author are paraphrased, do not quote but include a parenthetical reference.

Spelling and punctuation are PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT. If you have one or two spelling or grammar errors, I’ll chalk it up to being human – no problem. If you have 5 or more spelling or grammar errors, your grade will suffer one or more (probably more) letter grade deductions. You should have several other people (pick them carefully!) proofread your paper before you hand it in. If you are concerned about the propriety of your topic, please feel free to e-mail me or call me at home. Point deductions of (5-10 each) will be made for not following other instructions above (for example – not APA, not PDF, not three sources, and for each page missing (less than six pages). If everyone follows the research paper requirements, additional learning occurs about meaningful topics and writing skills are enhanced as a part of the process.