English 1302
Fall 2009
RESEARCH PAPER
If you’ve watched any detective movies, you’ll find that the job of
researching and detecting a culprit can be exciting. When an investigator interviews
his witness, reads through files and reports, while piecing together clues in an
attempt to uncover a criminal, the whole process of searching and researching
seems exciting. The enthusiasm is often attributed to the purposeful excitement of
discovering the unknown. Yet those who may find murder mysteries exciting may
not be aware that academic research is in its essence is similar in nature to all other
research. Honest and inquisitive research writing does demand close attention to
detail, but the work will not be tedious if you see the process as steadily contributing
to discoveries about yourself and the world around you. As you consider what
others have to say about your subject, you will become an expert in your own right.
You will form an in-depth knowledge of the field that you care about, and you will
be able to communicate that to your audience.
When using library research, you must be careful to keep record of all your
sources. Do refer to the annotated bibliography assignment for the necessary
documentation items. In your process of researching, you must not only document
your sources, but also analyze and evaluate your sources. You must also draw from
others’ work to form, support, and extend your own opinions. You must practice
intellectual integrity by presenting others’ work accurately and acknowledging your
sources of information. You are expected to develop a thesis for your topic, do
research on it, form a position on your findings, and develop argumentations in
support of your thesis.
You must make sure that this research paper is not a mere report, but a true
research where you address societal concerns by exploring new ways of dealing with
problems at hand. The audience must go away feeling that they’ve learned
something new from your research. You must find a way of analyzing and studying
your research in an attempt to contribute a fresh perspective or angle to your area
of study. The research must allow for the readers to see a clear link between the
findings and the analysis of the underlying issues, themes, values, assumptions or
beliefs that controls current ways of looking at the problem. You must find a way to
persuade your audience to draw new meanings and new ways of seeing the world
from the analysis that you make. The analysis should present a single dominant
thesis of your area of research. Therefore, it is extremely important that you choose
analysis that builds towards a cohesive argumentation of how you see the field of
study.
Please know that your choice of topic is very important for your research and that
your topic proposal will be evaluated for research worthiness before it will be approved
for research. Research worthiness will be evaluated on a scale of how the topic appeals to
the concerns of a common audience, ranging from those students who are in our class to
those who watch Nightline. Obviously, topics that are more controversial are usually seen
as topics that are more appealing to the masses. Having said that, what that appeals to the
masses may be areas that are not research worthy as they may be topics that have not
been addressed in scholarly research. Such topics would certainly be disastrous for our
purpose. I, therefore, suggest that you leave such topics out. Be aware that all topics that
do not meet the criterion of research worthiness, will have to be reworked for a better
topic.
For the purpose of this research, you must write a twenty-page paper
(excluding the references) on the topic that you have chosen. The research paper
must be based on the research that you have previously done. All papers must be
double spaced and presented in Times New Roman 12pt. font, with a margin of one
inch and presented in the MLA format. All papers must have at least 5 MLA style
in-text citation and a minimum of 10 references in a MLA style work cited page.
These references should be from those that were listed in your annotated
bibliography. All research material used and cited in the work cited page must be
presented in a research portfolio.
Your portfolio must consist of all the materials below:
-Research Plan
- Topic proposal
- Bibliographic Report
-A half page summary of your research findings.
-20 page research paper (Minimum of 2 drafts)
- 20 selected bibliographic entries (please also provide entries that were eliminated)
- 10 minutes final presentation
-10 references in your work cited page.
-5 in-text citation
-Pre-submitted annotated bibliography
-A copy of all the materials cited in your work cited page.
-All in cited text highlighted in the copied material.
-A one-page critical evaluation of your research.
You may submit all this in a portfolio format that you like. You may choose the
manner of presenting this portfolio.
Topic report:
Write a two page (12 point Times Roman font) essay, observing the area of your
study from a narrowed perspective of your choice. You are required to research for
details through various sources like the media, books, online database, and
academic journals.
Topic Proposal:
Below are the heuristics for the topic proposal and research schedule assignment:
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Topic proposal must be at least a page long.
Topic proposal must clearly define a geographical, conceptual, political,
social, or economic landscape that you are interested in studying for the
research paper.
You must also suggest the reasons why you have chosen to limit your research
within the area. Your reasons can comprise of any particular social, political,
or economical hardship or problem that communities around the world are
facing. It is crucial for you as the researcher to also stipulate how you are
directly or indirectly impacted by it as well.
The purpose for the topic proposal is to convince me, your group, and the
class that your topic is research worthy.
The purpose for the schedule is for you to have an individualized time line or
plan for the completion of the final research paper.
You are required to incorporate all the following due dates that are available
to you in the course calendar: the topic report, the annotated bibliography
presentation, the research presentation, and the final research paper due date.