ENGL- Burchfield 2013: Assignment

Research Project

(30% of total grade for ENGLISH 1102)

Due Date: Thursday May 2,  in my mailbox in the GHC faculty mailroom

Length: A minimum of 4.5 pages typed and double-spaced (12-pt font, Times New Roman)

Requirements:

• Proper heading and proper title for the paper.
• Your last name and the page number should appear on every page in a header.
• MLA citations should be used throughout the paper.
• Your paper must have a Works Cited page with at least five credible sources. It should be included as the last page in the paper, but is not counted as one of the 4.5 pages.
• Note cards with your citations properly listed and your quotes and own ideas and paraphrases based on each source.
• Photocopies of cited source material.
• Consult our library or Chapter 33 in our Harbrace Essentials for further assistance with MLA citation and bibliography procedures.
• Consult Chapters 30-32 in the Harbrace for the procedure of writing a research paper.
• Must place your stapled paper and Works Cited page, note cards, and photocopies of sources into a simple, two-pocket paper folder.

Plagiarism will absolutely not be tolerated.

Goal: The Research Paper should present a thesis developed from one of the topics that I gave you to choose from—proving a particular viewpoint on the subject. The research should support your attitudes and observations—and not be the paper itself. The research should be presented in the form of correctly cited direct quotes and paraphrases—but only in support of your own observations. It is your responsibility to keep up-to-date with the timeline of this project. You will be expected to work diligently at this intensive assignment outside of class—occasionally there will be time allotted in class for work on this paper, though you are not to wait for these opportunities.

Sources: You must have a minimum of five sources. You must use some combination of books, magazines, newspapers, or computer sources. You may use one primary source (well-notated interview, for example) after consultation with me. Regarding computer sources, the most valid and reliable are articles found through academic journals on Galileo. I need to approve any non-Galileo Internet source.

Research Project Timeline and Checkpoint

(Components such as the outline and rough draft will not be figured into the final Research Paper grade, though they will count as individual homework assignment grades. Failure to keep up with these checkpoints and turn them in will indicate that you are ill prepared and behind, and, furthermore, that you do not need my assistance. It is imperative that you stay current with the timeline and work ahead as much as possible. )

Tuesday, April 16: Tentative Thesis Statement typed and ready to discuss with me.

Thursday, April 18: Email Reworked Thesis Statement (as needed) typed; partial and beginning working bibliography (with comments on sources); properly constructed.

Ongoing: completed bibliography in correct MLA format and typed (no source changes can be made after this checkpoint unless discussed with me). Individual meetings with instructor.

Ongoing: Rough introduction and conclusion to paper typed; outline typed. Look up Purdue OWL for pointers on outlining. Meet with instructor.

(Your note cards should be completed and your rough draft should be underway.)

Thursday, April 25: Completed rough draft with Works Cited page brought to class (typed)

Thursday, May 2nd: Final Research Paper and Works Cited due (with both note cards and photocopies of sources put in folder) in my box (same day as take-home exam due).

*Definition of Working Bibliography: Contains the information about the material you think you may use in the paper. Follow the MLA format. Then, at the end of the entry, summarize the content or value of each source in one or two sentences.

Points will be given for correct note cards and photocopies…

*Tips for Completing Your Note cards:

• Each index card should show the author’s name and the title; the exact page numbers from which the information is drawn, and a brief comment on what you think about the source.
• Use different ink to indicate a passage you are exactly quoting and plan to use in your essay verbatim, versus things that you paraphrase (which still need to be cited) versus your own ideas (so, three colors).
• The note cards should be sorted in the order approximately that they are used in the paper.

*Photocopying Your Sources: whole copied pages. Put the full bibliographic citation on the first page of every photocopy. Each subsequent copied page should have the author’s name and page number clearly marked. The copies should be sorted in roughly the order that they are used in the research paper.

The below information will be helpful for developing your research question. The information is taken from Purdue OWL. Please consult this site for further advice. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/1/

What is a research paper?

It is a final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition. It can be persuasive, argumentative, or analytical.

What a research paper is not…

It is not just an informed summary of a topic by means of sources. It is not a book report nor is it an opinion piece. The goal of a research paper is to inform the reader what others have to say about a topic, but to draw on with others have to say about the topic and engage the sources in order to offer a thoughtful, unique perspective on the issue.

The two types of research papers:

1. Argumentative research paper: The argumentative research paper consists of an introduction in which the writer clearly introduces the topic and informs his audience exactly which stance he intends to take; this stance is often identified as the thesis statement. An important goal of the argumentative research paper is persuasion, which means the topic chosen should be debatable or controversial.
2. Analytical research paper: The analytical research paper often begins with the student asking a question (a.k.a. a research question) on which he has taken no stance. Such a paper is often an exercise in exploration and evaluation. Though his topic may be debatable and controversial, it is not the student's intent to persuade the audience that his ideas are right while those of others are wrong. Instead, his goal is to offer a critical interpretation of primary and secondary sources throughout the paper--sources that should, ultimately, buttress his particular analysis of the topic.

Secondary Resources
Traditional Print Sources

Books & Textbooks: Books come in a multitude of topics. Because of the time it takes to publish a book, books usually contain more dated information than will be found in journals and newspapers.

Newspapers: Predominately covering the latest events and trends, newspapers contain very up-to-date information. Newspapers report both information that is factual in nature and also share opinions. Generally, however, they will not take a “big picture” approach or contain information about larger trends.

Academic and Trade Journals: Academic and trade journals are where to find the most up-to-date information and research in industry, business, and academia. Journal articles come in several forms, including literature reviews which overview about current and past research, articles on theories and history, or articles on specific processes or research.

Government Reports and Legal Documents: The government releases information intended for its own use or for public use. These types of documents can be an excellent source of information. An example of a government report is the U.S. Census data. Most government reports and legal documents can now be accessed online.

Press Releases and Advertising: Companies and special interest groups produce texts to help persuade readers to act in some way or inform the public about some new development

Flyers, Pamphlets, Leaflets: While some flyers or pamphlets are created by reputable sources, because of the ease in which they are created, many less-than-reputable sources also produce these. They are useful for quick reference or very general information.

Multimedia: Printed material is certainly not the only option for finding research. Also consider media sources such as radio and television broadcasts, interactive talks, and public meetings.

Internet-Only Sources

Websites: Most of the information on the Internet is distributed via websites. Websites vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources.

Weblogs / Blogs: A rather recent development in web technology, weblogs or blogs are a type of interactive journal where writers post and readers respond. They vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources. For example, many prestigious journalists and public figures may have blogs, which may be more credible of a blog than most.

Message boards, discussion lists, and chat rooms: Discussion lists, chat rooms, and message boards exist for all kinds of disciplines both in and outside of the university. However, plenty of boards exist that are rather unhelpful and poorly researched.

Multimedia: The Internet has a multitude of multimedia resources including online broadcasts and news, images, audio files, and interactive websites.

Primary Resources

Many different types of primary research exist. Some common ones used for writing classes include:

• Interviews: A conversation between two or more people in which one person (the interviewer) asks a series of questions to another person or persons (the interviewee).
• Surveys & Questionnaires: A process of gathering specific information from people in a systematic way with a set series of questions. Survey questions usually have pre-specified or short responses.

Evaluating Resources

• The world is full of information to be found--however, not all of it is valid, useful, or accurate. Evaluating sources of information that you are considering using in your writing is an important step in any research activity.

• When writing research papers, you will also be evaluating sources as you search for information. You will need to make decisions about what to search for, where to look, and once you've found material on your topic, if it is a valid or useful source for your writing.