Research Assignments: Working from Sources

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: