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1 Essay 2 : Research Essay Academic Writing First Draft: on November 22 nd – (uploaded to Nexus by midnight ). Final Draft: December 13 th, midnight (upload to Nexus ) Length: 1500 -1700 words • Upload your final paper to Nexus . Please ensure you carefully review th is assignment sheet . Value: 25% of total course mark What's the purpose of this assignment? Most students have written research papers throughout their academic life, but many still come to Academic Writing without a clear idea of what professors expect of a major research project. There are at least three major ways to plan a research paper ( see chapter 6) : reporting, interpreting, or analyzing. Your task is to report, interpret, or analyze ideas generated by the research question you've been exploring throughout most of this course. Among other things (see below), a good research paper involves -- • finding a range of reputable external sources relevant to your topic • articulating a ce ntral research question or thesis in a way that your readers will find compelling and interesting • synthesizing (putting together) the most important ideas from your external sources. This doesn't just mean summarizing what other people have said, but cons ciously using source material as examples and supporting evidence for your own position or question • citing correctly and completely in your paper all sources you've used, and listing at the end of your paper all the sources you've cited What are the bas ic requirements? All papers MUST conform to certain basic requirements, or they'll be considered incomplete and marked accordingly. TIP: copy and paste this checklist into your word processor and PRINT IT OUT. Check your next -to -final draft against this l ist to make sure you've remembered everything. Have I. . .? • Ensured the paper is 1,500 - 1,700 words in length, NOT including "Works Cited" or "References" • Incorpor ated and correctly cited most, i f not all, of the sources I us ed in my previous essays . Fee l free to use new or additional sources. Minimum of 6 . • Formatted all pages according to MLA or APA format. • Written a well -developed introduction that describes the topic/issue and presents a clear view of the scope of this paper • Incorporated either a Research Question or an Argumentative Thesis (see below) in the Intro • Created well -developed, logical paragraphs that either focus on one clear idea or provide a transition from an old to a new idea • Included in -text, parenthetical citations for all exact q uotes, paraphrased material, 2 or ideas derived from all sources • Made sure all sources cited in the paper are ALSO listed in the "Works Cited" or "References" • Provided on a separate page a complete, correctly formatted, alphabetical list of all sources, ca lled "Works Cited" (MLA) or "References" (APA or CBE) • Corrected all typos (using a spell -checker to find them) as well as PRINTED OUT the next -to -final draft for careful proofreading and correction Two Central Principles to Keep in Mind 1. Are you thinki ng about the issue? Professors who read academic papers have two very clear expectations. Naturally they want to see that you are learning, but they also expect you to show your ability to think: to use your knowledge to create and support your own ideas. Again, a research paper isn't just a summary of other people's ideas. 2. Are you identifying a problem, conflict, issue, or contradiction associated with your topic? In other words, you must have a clear PURPOSE for writing besides the fact that "it's an assignment." Once you define a real problem or issue within that topic, you have created a real -world writing problem: you have a reason to write and your reader has a reason to listen to you. It may be helpful to think of the research paper as a form of i nvestigative reporting. The writer not only tracks down new information but also tries to test and support these new ideas in the paper itself. Double -Checking Your Research Sources It's OK not to include a "weak" source. But it's not OK to change your t opic, take a different direction, or try and find all -new sources at this point. What is a "reliable, expert" source? Here are SIX main kinds to consider: 1. Web Pages. By this time, you'll have already evaluated one web page and will likely have found sev eral more. Web sites maintained by universities and governments are generally considered reliable. But keep in mind the cautions mentioned below for web pages produced by public, "think -tank," and for -profit groups. Remember that the Web is a free -for -all of incorrect, unreliable, and unconfirmed "information," so never rely solely on one web -page for information about a topic. Check for academic or research affiliations (their URLs often end with "ca," "edu," or "gov." Note that "com" often denotes a busin ess/corporate affiliation). 2. Academic writing . Considered reliable because it is produced by trained researchers using established methodologies. Most academic publications undergo an intensive peer review process. They include academic books, collections of essays, journal articles, and electronically published journals affiliated with universities. 3. Government sources. Usually considered reliable because the research is conducted by academics or experts and is supposedly disinterested. For example, StatsCan has an excellent reputation for reliability. But government research can be at least partly motivated by politics. If in doubt, check a 3 government source against a comparable academic source to see if the findings are consistent. 4. Public -interest or non -profit materials. Considered reliable if the research has been conducted by academics or experts using a valid metho dology. If in doubt, check a non -profit source against a comparable academic/government source. 5. "Think -tanks." Reports produced by "think -tanks," "institutions," or "foundations" can seem reliable, and many are. But often, such groups are motivated by pol itical or corporate agendas. You should routinely check such material against comparable academic or government sources. 6. For -Profit. Materials produced by large businesses or corporations are often thoroughly and expertly researched. But the research or r esults may be skewed toward a particular business agenda. Thus, you should never rely solely on such sources; always check them against as many others as possible. Two Ways to Start: Research Question or Argumentative Thesis RESEARCH QUESTION In the int roduction to this paper, you can choose to articulate your Research Question and then provide a "directional" rather than argumentative thesis (e.g. , analytical thesis statement ). This is a good strategy if your research topic doesn't lend itself as well to an argumentative thesis as it does to an exploratory question. Your paper then presents information that attempts to answer your question, and your conclusion assesses how well, or whether, your research answered your question. You've been working on your Research Question all term, but th is is a good time to revise and refine your question to ensure it's well focused and compelling, one that motivates you to find some answers. General concepts to think about include causes (why?), processes (how?), definitions (what?), circumstances (where ? when?), and similarities/differences (between what and what?). Your question should be specific and focused enough so that you can do a reasonable job trying to answer it within the limited scope of this paper. THESIS Alternatively, in your introduction , you may choose not only to include a Research Question (this can be a provocative first sentence) but also to express your position on the issue or problem your paper discusses. I encourage you to revise, refine, or simply use the Argumentative Thesis you used in your first essay or have since developed , and give reasons for that position. Your paper then presents information that supports (and to be fair, also argues against) your positi on, and your conclusion re -emphasizes your position and then, perhaps, suggests where should we go from here. Organizing and Drafting Your Research Paper After you have done your research and refined your thesis statement or question, you should develop an informal outline to guide you as you begin your first draft. To do so, review your research notes to develop major categories of analysis. Do not, however, lose si ght of your thesis or question as you review other material. All the material in the final paper should support your thesis or answer your research question. Once you have a sense of the structure of your paper, begin the drafting process. You may find it helpful to begin with a secti on you are particularly interested in and confident about. That way, you'll be reassured that you do have something to say. Don't 4 feel you have to start at the beginning and write until you get to the end! For some, it's a goo d strategy to leave out quotations at this stage and just write a note to yourself to remember to include them as you redraft. Other writers feel compelled to include everything as they go. If you're one of those types, make sure you quote your source ACCU RATELY and INCLUDE THE PAGE NUMBER of each quote. Don't worry about correct formatting yet; that comes in the revision stage. Finally, try to draft a major section of the paper each time you sit down. And keep another piece of paper (or word -processing pag e!) handy to jot down ideas about other sections as they occur to you. If you have a good idea, write it down immediately, even if it is not relevant to the section you are currently drafting. What if you get stuck? You may have done most, or all, of your research and have even tried forming a tentative thesis. But when you start drafting, you find you're "just summarizing" information. Try this exercise: a. The question/problem on my mind is _________________. b. I want to review the scholarly debate on _______________. What are the major sources? c. I am interested in applying (this theory) to (my question). How could I learn more about it? d. I have a hypothesis that is relevant to (my problem). How could I test t hat idea? Don't Procrastinate!! Students can get so bogged down by the wealth of information on their issue that they put off actually writing anything about it until it is too late to do any real revision. The First Draft is an opportunity for you to gath er together your ideas about the issue and start to put them into a form that will truly support your thesis or question. Make sure you leave plenty of time to get detailed, constructive support from your class members! Do this early enough so that you wil l have time to make significant revisions. You may find it helpful to e -mail or arrange an appointment with an instructor or with a tutor if you need some help with your first draft. Incorporating and Citing Your Research Sources When you complete your fi rst draft, it's time to incorporate material from the research sources that you've collected. At this point it would be a good time to review the material in chapter 4 on using paraphrase, summary, quotation, and avoiding plagiarism. REMEMBER, EVERY TIME Y OU USE ANY MATERIAL FROM ONE OF YOUR SOURCES (WORDS, CONCEPTS, IDEAS), YOU MUST CITE IT ACCURATELY.Research is, in part, the art of building on what other good minds have created.
Documentation is one way you can convince your reader that your position is valid and that you have a good foundation for your ideas. Citation Styles Please use MLA or APA . Currently, the APA and MLA style guides require IN -TEXT parenthetical citations, not footnotes. Footnotes are used if you want to provide additional informat ion on a point that is not 100% necessary to clarify your main point. Remember that the Final Draft of your research paper MUST contain a complete list of all the sources you refer to in your essay.
