The Research Paper
English 1302: Research Paper
Spring 2023, ONLINE 2
English 1302: The Research Paper
The purpose of your research paper will be to persuade an audience to accept your claim; it is not simply a presentation of information or a grocery list of facts. You need to present the information in such a way that your readers understand and accept your point of view regarding your topic. Your topic must also be arguable, which is to say that there must be more than one valid perspective on the topic. You cannot select a topic that is already settled or that only has one point of view.
What will the topic be?
You should choose an issue an arguable issue about which you feel that you have something significant to contribute to the conversation . If you are unclear on what constitutes an arguable issue, please refer to the handout posted in eCampus that addresses these questions. If your issue does not have more than one legitimate point-of-view, it needs to be reconsidered.
Please note that the following topics will not be approved, as in my experience, they do not lead to successful papers. Papers on these topics will earn a grade of 0:
· Abortion
· Gun control
· Capital punishment / death penalty
· Global warming / climate change
· Child abuse / domestic abuse or violence
· Any topic that is exclusively faith-based, as it will not be appropriate to an academic audience.
What are the milestone dates for the research paper?
| Assignment | Due Date and Submission Info |
| Topic Selection and Approval:
You will need to state the topic you are interested in and the position you plan to take on it. Questions will not show your position and will not be approved. Provide a statement instead. | Approved by Wednesday, 8 March (by email).
For each topic you want to consider, email me these items: · Topic (a STATEMENT, NOT A QUESTION!) · Position you plan to take on the topic · Intended audience (as narrow as possible!)
DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL INSTEAD OF A TOPIC!
If these items are not included for EACH proposed idea, you will be asked to provide them before any feedback is possible.
Do not wait until the a few minutes before the deadline to send your initial ideas, or your topic will probably not be approved by the deadline. Please be sure you have reviewed the topics that will not be approved before you send your suggestions. |
| Proposal for Research Paper due: | Friday, 24 March @ 11:59 p.m. Post proposal to the link in the week 10 folder. |
| 1st Draft Due for PRG (min. 3 typed pgs): | Post first 3 pages for peer review by Weds, 29 March @ 11:59 p.m. to the link in the week 11 assignments folder. |
| Set up tutoring session for 1st 3 pages
| Set up your live tutoring session for the 1st 3 pages of your draft by Wednesday, 29 March |
| Provide feedback on 1st draft | Post feedback on 3 peers’ drafts no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, 31 March. Go back to the 3-page submission link to find your assigned reviews. |
| Full Draft Due for PRG (must include all sources, internal citations, and works cited!) | Post full draft of research paper, including works cited, for peer review by Tuesday, 11 April @ 11:59 p.m. in the week 7 assignments folder. |
| Set up tutoring session for complete draft (must include all sources, internal citations, and works cited!) | Set up your live tutoring session for the full draft of your paper by Tuesday, 11 April; submit tutoring documentation no later than the day the final paper is due . |
| Provide feedback on full draft | Post feedback on 3 peers’ drafts no later than 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, 20 April. Go back to the full draft submission link to find your assigned reviews |
| Live class session (attendance expected!) | Tuesday, 25 April @ 4:00 p.m. (Note that this is the session that will show you how to submit the full version of all resources you use in the paper; failure to provide your resources reduces your paper grade by 2 letter grades off the top, per department policy, so this is a HUGE deal! |
| Submit all resources used in research paper. | Thursday, 27 April @ 11:59 p.m.
Upload ALL sources to the Dropbox folder I shared with you earlier in the course. This is the only acceptable way to submit sources, so be sure that you have access to the shared folder now! Missing sources result in an automatic score reduction of 2 full letter grades, so don’t miss this part! |
| Research Paper Due: | Monday, 8 May @ 11:59 p.m. Late papers not accepted for any reason!!
Submit final copy of research paper, with works cited attached as last page(s) of file to the Research Paper Final Draft link in eCampus. |
How do I put together the paper?
After identifying your topic, you will address the following elements of this issue in your paper:
· Identify the issue you will be examining
· Articulate your position on that issue (both of these will be done in your thesis)
· Provide a “history” of the issue in America, and specifically in terms of law, events leading up to the issue you’ve chosen, public opinion, etc). This portion will require research!
· Examine at least 2 “sides” (but no more than 3-4) of the issue thoroughly, drawing on research to support both sides.
· Provide support for your “side” of the issue, and for your version of how the issue should be addressed/resolved
You may choose your topic, within these parameters, but you should do so in consultation with and with approval from me.
Who will my audience be?
You may select the audience for your paper, but the audience you choose will need to be clearly articulated in your research paper proposal. I will refer to this proposal when reading the final copy of your research paper, and I will expect that your research paper will reflect what you proposed unless we discuss it in advance.
How long should the paper be?
Your research paper will be 6-8 word processed pages of text, plus the Works Cited page. In other words, your paper must be a minimum of 6 completely full, word-processed pages in MLA style, and your Works Cited page should begin no sooner than page 7.
Please remember that quantity does not equal quality. I won’t count words or pages; however, any research paper that is much shorter than six pages probably won’t be adequately developed, and any one that is much longer than seven or eight pages usually indicates that the writer didn’t narrow the topic sufficiently.
How many sources do I need?
This paper requires at least 10 resources from a variety of media. Please note that any missing sources will result in a letter grade reduction in your final paper grade per source missing. Also, remember that in order to be cited, the source must be used in the body of the paper!
You’ll need to consult books, periodicals, the library’s online databases, and the internet. In addition, I’m sure that some of your topics can be argued using field research (interviews, observations, and/or surveys).
I will only accept 2 of these sources from the Internet, and no more than 2 of your sources may be field research (interviews, observations, and/or surveys).
How should I format my paper?
All research papers must conform to MLA style for both format and documentation (ie: internal citations and works cited page).
The MLA Handbook, 9th edition, presents samples to help you with the format. The heading belongs in the upper left corner of the first page. This piece of writing is long enough to deserve a title; try to make it interesting so that the reader wants to find out what is in the paper!
Suggestions for Writing
· Get your proposal back before you begin writing the draft of your research paper to be sure your topic is sufficiently focused!
· Document paraphrases as well as direct quotes in your essay.
· Remember that citing a source in the paper but not listing it in the Works Cited page is an example of plagiarism. An excellent way to check your work before submitting the finished copy is to check off each citation on the Works Cited page as you read it in the essay. When you’ve finished, make sure that every entry on the Works Cited page has a check mark beside it. If not, you need to find out where the citation is missing. As you’re doing the checking, make sure the page numbers in the essay correspond to those listed in Works Cited.
· If all of the information in one paragraph in your essay comes from the same page of the same source, you may save the citation until the end of the paragraph. If you start a new paragraph, you must insert a citation at the end of one paragraph and then within the next paragraph.
· Everything is double-spaced–the essay and the Works Cited.
· Nothing has extra spaces inserted, including entries on the Works Cited.
· When you write about another piece of writing, use the present tense: “The author suggests that plastics are a continuing threat to the environment.”
I recommend spending a substantial amount of time editing your work and refining your documentation skills. Allow enough time to type your essay carefully and even more time to proofread carefully!!
