Introduction of the Research
Paper
Rhetorical Situation for Research
Papers
• Every piece of writing has a “rhetorical situation.”
This is the set of circumstances under which the
piece of writing is produced, and it affects the
choices a writer makes. What is the “rhetorical
situation” of piece of writing that is classified as
“research”?
–
–
–
–
What is its purpose?
What is its audience?
What is its tone/stance?
What is its medium?
The Purpose of Our Research Paper
• Make a CLAIM about some area of pop culture
and defend that claim using reputable sources
and your own analysis of the issue.
• How do I discover and defend a claim?
– ASK a research question that invites further
discussion.
– READ a variety of sources about your question.
– DECIDE, based on your research, where you stand on
your question, and put that stance into a thesis/claim.
– DEFEND your decision (your thesis) in your paper.
•Don’t ask a question to
which you think you
already know the
answer.
Audience for our Research Paper
• Assume a general audience of other collegelevel students and professors. Your audience
is interested in your topic, and they know
what pop culture is, but may not be familiar
with your specific issue. You will need to
provide appropriate context.
Tone and Medium of Research Paper
• Tone: I will expect the paper to have a clear point
of view on the question you choose, but I will
expect the paper to be professional and
respectful of those who might disagree. (If you
wouldn’t say it to the face of someone you
respect but disagree with, it doesn’t belong in
your research paper.)
• Medium: Written paper, with the option of added
images at the end. Also, if you choose to do the
extra credit, you may use video and internet
sources in your presentation.
Expectations for Style:
• This paper should be written in an academic
style.
• Some extra points to remember:
– No text-speak (“u” for “you,” for example)
– Precise, academically appropriate language
– Limit use of “I” and “me” to well-chosen, relevant
examples.
Brainstorming for the Research Paper
Question
• Make a list of ALL of the areas of pop culture you
might like to write about. Come up with some
rough questions about each of these topics. (You
can refine them later.)
• Be curious! What are connections you’ve always
wondered about? What are things you’ve noticed
that you’d like to explore in more detail?
• What are readings from our book that intrigued
you? What more do you want to know about
those topics?
Formulating a Research Question
• A successful research question will:
– Narrow an issue related to pop culture down to a
manageable question for a 6-8 page paper.
– Be specific.
– Invite discussion about the answer to the question.
• Some poor research questions:
• How does science fiction affect society? (Too broad…
affect it HOW? And who is “society” referring to?)
• What are some good science fiction movies? (“Good” is
too subjective. What do you mean by “good”? And
what is your purpose in ranking these movies?)
Research Question, cont.
• Improved Research questions:
• Has science fiction historically been able to comment
on issues of racism and prejudice in a unique way?
What has science fiction contributed to the
conversation about these topics?
• What are some of the most significant real world
scientific discoveries that have been inspired by
science fiction films?
• Remember, your research proposal needs to have
your research question at the top, followed by a
discussion of why you chose this question and
where you think you will go from here.
Rough Research Question
• Turn at least one of the topics you brainstormed
into a rough research question.
• Now, ask yourself, why am I interested in this
question? What observations or experiences have
led me to ask this?
• Where should I go next to find out what other
people are saying about this topic?
• The answers to those questions are what make
up the paragraph for your research proposal.
Ok, I have a research question. Now
what?
• Have your research question(s) checked by
me. Continue refining them.
• What knowledge/experience do you bring to
the topic?
• What are issues you know you will need to
explore in order to find out what your claim is
going to be?
What should I be doing this week for
the research paper?
• Research Proposal
• Start finding possible sources. Keep track of
where you find them.
• Read at least five possible sources. If they are
relevant, annotate/highlight/take notes. Keep
track of which ideas came from which source.
• Begin to notice common debates or themes in
your sources. What are the big issues that
show up over and over again as you research?
Suggestions for Beginning Research
• Make a list of terms and phrases that might get you good search results
for your question.
– For example, for my science fiction and racism question, I might make the
following list:
– Science fiction and racism
– Sci-fi and racism
– Science fiction prejudice
– Science fiction and race
– Science fiction civil rights
– Science fiction social justice
– Etc.
• Try different combinations of words that might get you results. If you
don’t find what you want immediately, change your search terms and
try again.
• Once you do find a source or two, see if there are any common phrases
you might add to your list.