Research assignments for college courses can take many different forms. The most engaging and complex assignment is usually the research paper, which may be assigned in stages, such as proposal, outline, rough draft, and final paper. Sometimes assignments call for just one stage of a research project, such as an annotated bibliography. All research assignments will require you to work with outside sources. This chapter will help you define and manage your project to help you prepare for the most basic to the most formidable research tasks.
The Research Proposal
Find a topic that intrigues you, and develop a focused research question about it. Conduct some preliminary research, and adjust your focus if necessary. Once you have a rough picture of how you expect to answer your question, draft a proposal that explains your idea.
Your proposal should include the following:
For a sample research proposal assignment, see Sample Assignment: Creating a Research Proposal.
background information explaining your interest in the project and how you arrived at your topic and question
a summary of your preliminary findings and a likely answer to your research question
an explanation of possible obstacles you may need to overcome in conducting your research
a list of two to three sources you find promising, with complete bibliographic information (for MLA style, see Ch. 36; for APA style, see Ch. 37)
The Source Evaluation
Find a topic that intrigues you, and develop a focused research question about it. Conduct some preliminary research, and choose two sources—one print and one online—that are relevant to your topic. For each source, provide the following:
For a sample source evaluation assignment, see Sample Assignment: Preparing a Source Evaluation in Ch. 32.
an evaluation of the author’s credibility—is the writer a well-known journalist or an expert of some kind?
an evaluation of the source’s (publisher’s or sponsor’s) reliability
an evaluation of the author’s authority on the topic
an evaluation of the publication date
The Annotated Bibliography
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Find a topic that intrigues you, and develop a focused research question about it. Conduct some preliminary research, and adjust your focus if necessary. Once you have a rough picture of how you expect to answer your question, narrow your search and choose five to eight sources that are the most relevant and worthwhile for your purposes. For each source, provide the following:
For a sample annotated bibliography assignment, see Sample Assignment: Developing an Annotated Bibliography in Ch. 33.
bibliographic information (for MLA style, see Ch. 36; for APA style, see Ch. 37)
a summary of the source’s main thesis and supporting evidence
a description of how the source relates to your research question
an explanation of how the source relates to other sources you are researching (Is it generally in agreement with, or in opposition to, other sources?)
The Outline
Find a topic that intrigues you, and develop a focused research question about it. After conducting whatever research is necessary, synthesize the information you assemble to develop your own reasonable answer to the research question. Then create an outline of how you would present your evidence in a paper. Your outline should include the following main entries:
For details on preparing an outline, see Organizing Your Ideas in Ch. 20.
thesis statement
supporting evidence (three or more sections)
responses to opposing viewpoints
concluding point
The Research Paper
For a sample research paper in MLA style, see A Sample MLA Research Paper in Ch. 36; for a sample research paper in APA style, see A Sample APA Research Paper in Ch. 37.
Write a research paper, following the steps outlined in Chapters 30–35: find and explore a topic that intrigues you, and develop a focused research question about it. Conduct research, evaluating your sources and keeping the information you assemble organized and manageable. Develop your own reasonable answer to your research question and use evidence from sources to support your claim. Then draft, revise, and edit your paper, persuasively using a variety of source material to convey your conclusions. The paper should include the following key features:
introduction with thesis statement
supporting evidence for thesis
clear body paragraphs with transitions
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responses to opposing viewpoints
conclusion that summarizes the main point
appropriate documentation of five to eight sources