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RESEARCH ESSAY PROJECT OVERVIEW
In the remainder of the course ahead, you will select a topic of personal interest to you, define a controversy within that topic, and examine that controversy at length. The final result will be a 2500-3000 word (approx. 10-12 page) persuasive research paper that argues convincingly for one side of that controversy.
Remember, the point of essay 3 is to make an argument that hasn’t been made or isn’t obvious to most people. It’s also important to look at questions/concerns that haven’t been argued to death. Topics that SHOULD NOT be explored include: anything with guns, abortions, vaccinations, marijuana, or suicide.
- Are We in a Race against the Machine?
- Is Fast Food the New Tobacco?
- Is Pop Culture Actually Good for Us?
- What Should We Eat?
- What’s Gender Got to Do with It?
- What’s Up with the American Dream?
- Why Does It Matter Who Wins the Big Game?
You will utilize at least 7 sources that will help you portray your argument. These sources must be incorporated correctly, used appropriately, and cited thoroughly using MLA standards. Sources should represent both the side that agrees with you and those that disagree with your own thesis. Your final draft will need to incorporate at least one chart, table, or graph, as well as at least one pictorial component (photo, drawing, etc).
You will be given more detailed assignments for each portion of the project as we move through the quarter. You’re welcome to peek ahead at upcoming modules to get a sense of what the steps leading up to the final will be. The idea is that we do small chunks here and there, so that the last steps feel more like assembly than writing a huge paper all in one or two days.
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Licensing & Attributions CC licensed content, Shared previously Composition II. Authored by: Alexis McMillan-Clifton. Provided by: Tacoma Community College. Located at: http://www.tacomacc.edu. Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative. License: CC BY: Attribution |
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
At its most basic level, research is anything you have to do to find out something you didn’t already know. That definition might seem simple and obvious, but it contains some key assumptions that might not be as obvious.
Understanding these assumptions is going to be essential to your success in this course (and in your life after college), so I’m going to spell them out here.
First, research is about acquiring new information or new knowledge, which means that it always begins from a gap in your knowledge—that is, something you don’t know. More importantly, research is always goal-directed: that is, it always begins from a specific question you need to answer (a specific gap in your body of information that you need to fill) in order to accomplish some particular goal. If you are a very focused, driven person, this will seem obvious to you because you are probably already quite aware of yourself as someone who goes after the information you need in order to accomplish your goals. If you tend to be more laid-back and open to whatever experiences life brings you, you may not be as conscious of yourself as a goal-directed finder of information, but I hope to help you recognize the ways in which research is already embedded in your life.
Research (definition 1) = Anything you have to do to find out something you didn’t already know.
Research Question = Your one-sentence statement of the thing-you-don’t-know that motivates your research.
Sometimes the answer to your question or the information needed to fill your knowledge gap already exists in exactly the form you need. For example,
- Does Columbus, Ohio, have a commercial airport?
The answer to this turns out to be yes, and the time to find the answer is about ten seconds. A Google search of “airports in Ohio” produces as its first hit a Wikipedia entry titled “List of airports in Ohio.” A quick glance at the this document shows that Columbus does indeed have a commercial airport, and that it is one of the three largest airports in Ohio.
- Do any airlines offer direct flights from Kansas City to Columbus?
The answer to this appears to be no, and the time to find the answer is about two minutes. Using Travelocity.com and searching for flights from MCI (Kansas City International Airport) to CMH (Port Columbus International Airport) gets the message “We’ve searched more than 400 airlines we sell and couldn’t find any flights from Kansas City (MCI) … [to] Columbus (CMH).” Doing the same search on Expedia.com and Orbitz.com yields the same answer. There appear to be no direct flights from Kansas City to Columbus, Ohio.
Often, however, the questions we need to have answered are more complicated than this, which means that answer comes with some assembly required.
- What’s the best way to get from Kansas City to Columbus, Ohio?
To answer this question requires a two stage process of gathering information about travel options and then evaluating the results based on parameters not stated in the question. We already know that it is possible to fly to Columbus, although no direct flights are available. A quick look at a map shows that is also a relatively straightforward drive of about 650 miles. That’s the information gathering stage. Now we have to evaluate the results based on things like cost, time and effort required, practicality given the purpose of the trip, and the personal preferences of the traveler. For a business traveler for whom shortest possible travel time is more important than lowest cost, the final decision may be very different than for a college student with a large dog.
Although all three questions require information gathering, for the purposes of this course we are going to call questions like #1 and #2 “homework questions” (because you can find the answer just by going to a single reference source and looking it up) and save the designation “research question” for questions like #3 for which developing a fully functional answer requires both gathering relevant information and then assembling it in a meaningful way.
So for the purposes of this course, research (definition 2) is the process of finding the information needed to answer your research question and then deriving or building the answer from the information you found.
Research (definition 2) = The physical process of gathering information + the mental process of deriving the answer to your research question from the information you gathered.
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Homework question = A question for which a definite answer exists and can easily be found by consulting the appropriate reference source. |
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Research question = A question that can be answered through a process of collecting relevant information and then building the answer from the relevant information. |
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Licensing & Attributions CC licensed content, Shared previously Composition II. Authored by: Janet Zepernick. Provided by: Pittsburg State University. Located at: http://www.pittstate.edu/. Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative. License: CC BY: Attribution Photo of finger. Authored by: Jimmie. Located at: https://flic.kr/p/73D8Pe. License: CC BY: Attribution Image of Kansas. Authored by: bscalled. Located at: https://flic.kr/p/dYZTrE. License: CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial |
DISCUSSION: WHAT RESEARCH HAVE YOU DONE LATELY?
In your life outside of school, think about some investigation you’ve done to satisfy your own curiosity. (Keep in mind the difference between “homework questions” and “research questions” as noted in What Is Research?)
- What was your research question?
- What kind of information did you have to gather in order to answer it?
- What sources did you use to gather the information?
- Were you successful in answering the question?
- And, if you’re willing to share, what was your answer?
Post 1: For your first post, answer the first 4 bullet points (and the last, if you’re willing).
Your post should be at least 150-200 words. It doesn’t have to be grammatically perfect, but should use standard English (no text-speak, please) and normal capitalization rules.
Posts 2 and 3: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.
Responses are weighed as heavily as your initial posting, and should be roughly as long (150-200 words) when combined. Responses should indicate you’ve read your classmates’ posts carefully. Include specific details from the post you’re responding to in your reply.
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Licensing & Attributions CC licensed content, Shared previously Composition II. Authored by: Janet Zepernick. Provided by: Pittsburg State University. Located at: http://www.pittstate.edu/. Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative. License: CC BY: Attribution |
RESEARCH AND OTHER TYPES OF SOURCE- BASED WRITING
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CAUTION: The fact that we don’t have quite enough different words to express all possible variations of information-gathering tasks has created an area of potential confusion for students writing research papers for English classes. The following paragraph is designed to clear that up, so please read it carefully. |
Some high school and first-year college writing courses use the term “research paper” or “research writing” to apply to any situation in which students use information from an outside source in writing a paper. The logic behind this is that if the writer has to go find information from a source, that action of going and finding information is similar to research, so it is convenient to call that kind of writing task a “research paper.” However, it is only true research if it starts from a QUESTION to which the writer genuinely doesn’t know the answer and if the writer then develops or builds the answer to the question through gathering and processing information.
To help keep that difference in mind, this module will use “research” to refer to the goal-directed process of gathering information and building the answer to a research question, and “source-based writing” to refer to the many other types of information gathering and source-based writing one might do.
One important indicator of the difference between research and other source-based writing tasks is when in the process you develop the thesis (main point) of your paper. In a research project, you begin with a question, gather the data from which you will derive or build the answer to the question, build the answer, and then state your answer in a single sentence. This one-sentence statement of your answer to your research question then becomes your thesis statement and serves as the main point of your paper. In the research writing process, therefore, stating your thesis happens at the pivot point between research and writing (so roughly half or two thirds of the way through the project, depending on the amount of time spent gathering and processing information).
Any assignment for which you begin by developing your thesis and then go out and gather information to support it is indeed be a source-based writing assignment, but it is not technically research because it begins from the answer instead of the question.
Being aware of this distinction is essential to your successful completion of both research projects and other source- based writing tasks. The work processes that lead to efficiency and success with research projects are very different from the work processes you may have used successfully for other types of source-based papers. Both offer valuable learning experiences, but it is important to understand which type of assignment you are being asked to do so that you can adjust your expectations accordingly.
Think of the most recent writing project you have done that required sources. Based on this definition, was it a research project or a source-based writing project?
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Licensing & Attributions CC licensed content, Shared previously Composition II. Authored by: Janet Zepernick. Provided by: Pittsburg State University. Located at: http://www.pittstate.edu/. Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative. License: CC BY: Attribution Image of man using computer. Authored by: World Bank Photo Collection. Located at: https://flic.kr/p/cvL28d. License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Image of man with question mark. Authored by: Seth Capitulo. Located at: https://flic.kr/p/fnN1SJ. License: CC BY: Attribution |
WHAT IS RESEARCH WRITING?
Research = the physical process of gathering information + the mental process of deriving the answer to your question from the information you gathered.
Research writing = the process of sharing the answer to your research question along with the evidence on which your answer is based, the sources you used, and your own reasoning and explanation.
The essential components or building blocks of research writing are the same no matter what kind of question you are answering or what kind of reader you are assuming as you share your answer.
The Essential Building Blocks of Research Writing
Do real research
- Begin from a question to which you don’t know the answer and that can’t be answered just by going to the appropriate reference source. That is, begin from a research question, not a homework question.
- Decide what kind of information or data will be needed in order to build the answer to the question.
- Gather information and/or collect data.
- Work with the information/data to derive or construct your answer.
This is the research process, and it happens before you begin to write your paper. No research, no research writing, so don’t shortchange this part of the process.
Create a one-sentence answer to your research question.
- This will be the thesis statement/main point/controlling idea of your research paper.
Share your answer to research questions in a way that make it believable, understandable, and usable for your readers. To do this
- Include plentiful and well-chosen examples from the data/information you gathered
- Indicate the validity of your data by accurately reporting your research method (field or lab research)
- Indicate the quality of your information by accurately citing your sources (source-based research)
- Provide the reasoning and explanation that will let your readers completely understand how the evidence adds up to your answer.
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Licensing & Attributions CC licensed content, Shared previously Composition II. Authored by: Janet Zepernick. Provided by: Pittsburg State University. Located at: http://www.pittstate.edu/. Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative. License: CC BY: Attribution Image of man using card catalog. Authored by: brewbooks. Located at: https://flic.kr/p/7NxJTd. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike |
DISCUSSION: WAS YOUR RECENT WRITING PROJECT RESEARCH WRITING OR SOURCE- BASED WRITING?
Think of the most recent writing project you have done that required sources. Based on the definitions found in Research And Other Types Of Source Based Writing, was it a research project or a source-based writing project?
If it’s been a while, or you can’t remember, you can use writing you did for non-academic purposes for this discussion.
For the project you used to answer this question, explain the assignment answer the question: Research or source-based writing? give evidence to support your answer. Refer to the text in Research And Other Types Of Source Based Writing to help you find evidence.
Post 1: For your first post, answer the bullet points.
Your post should be at least 150-200 words. It doesn’t have to be grammatically perfect, but should use standard English (no text-speak, please) and normal capitalization rules.
Posts 2 and 3: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.
Responses are weighed as heavily as your initial posting, and should be roughly as long (150-200 words) when combined. Responses should indicate you’ve read your classmates’ posts carefully. Include specific details from the post you’re responding to in your reply.
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Licensing & Attributions CC licensed content, Shared previously Composition II. Authored by: Janet Zepernick. Provided by: Pittsburg State University. Located at: http://www.pittstate.edu/. Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative. License: CC BY: Attribution |
READING TO WRITE EFFECTIVELY
Reading to Write Effectively: Why you need a reading strategy before writing anything
Given all of the reading and writing that we are expected to accomplish as college/university students, it’s important to be as efficient as possible when committing our time to these responsibilities. Three of the most important suggestions for approaching reading and, therefore, writing, efficiently are as follows:
Read with a pen in hand; don’t expect yourself to remember key concepts/ideas
- most of us can’t remember everything that we’ve read and then call it to memory when we’re writing. Therefore, reading with a pen in hand prepares you to circle/underline key concepts/ideas in the text you’re reading. This creates a way of “tracing” key concepts/ideas throughout the text so that when it’s time to recall what you’ve read and use it to guide your writing, it will be much easier to condense the entire text into a unique, organized, written response. If you don’t want to write in the text that you’re reading, open a blank Word document for keeping track of key concepts/ideas (and page numbers).
Write while reading because it’s an informal way of “conversing with” the author of the text (i.e. learning about how your writing can contribute something useful to “the conversation” of your resources)
- in addition to circling/underlining key concepts/ideas throughout your reading process, it may also be helpful to keep a list of questions, connections with other texts/assignments/disciplines, etc. because this list can easily translate into “official” writing. For instance, even if your teacher isn’t requiring a written assignment in response to the reading assignment, if you keep a working document with questions, connections, etc. regarding the reading assignment, you will likely be much better prepared to discuss the reading, not to mention that your notations can easily serve in the short-term as a Twitter/Facebook post (which is helpful for providing others’ responses to your ideas) or in the long-term as an idea for a final paper. For most of us, it’s much easier to have somewhere to start when, eventually, we need to complete a writing assignment based on the reading assignments of the course.
Develop research questions/research key words while reading; most of the time, it’s fairly easy to identify research key words/ create unique research questions while reading actively
- the notations you keep in the texts you’re reading can help to prevent the frustration of figuring out “what to write about” when it comes time to interpret the reading assignments into unique written work. They give you something to start with – either in the sense that you can extend the ideas you have already written down, or challenge them by researching what’s missing … either way, you have something to work with, which helps to alleviate some of the anxiety of staring at a blank page.
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