Stress

Researched Argument Paper

The research paper is a kind of capstone assignment in English 1, a chance to combine your interests and ideas with the skills of writing and research you have strengthened week after week this semester. Before you embark on your research journey, you need to choose one of the prompts below-- Prompt A or Prompt B. Each prompt calls for an 8-10 page research paper with a minimum of seven sources, but the questions asked are different. While Prompt A is open-ended and calls upon you to define your own research question and approach to answering it, Prompt B

sets forth a clear structure to your inquiry and may offer a more predictable strategy for developing and organizing your paper. Prompt A After reading and thinking about different themes, choose a current specific issue that sincerely interests you and

write an insightful argumentative paper on that topic. I highly recommend that you choose an issue that is specific, detailed, and multi-faceted. Whatever you choose, you will use your own insight as well as scholarly research to establish the critical and creative terms of your inquiry. Ideally, your approach will problematize, or challenge established views of the topic you have chosen.

While this is a research paper, it is still a thesis-driven, argumentative essay. I want to read your thoughts about the issue(s), and I want you to convince me of your opinions. The topic you choose and the position you take should invite debate and differences of opinion. Your paper should not merely report facts; rather, it should show that you can use facts and critical thinking to persuasively support your position on the issue. It may help for you to write

your own prompt in order to keep your essay focused and argumentative. If you do this, please make sure that it is open-ended and invites ideas, not just facts. Prompt B If a less-open ended prompt appeals to you, consider using the problem-solution model for your project. A problem- solution paper asserts that X is a problem and that Y is the best solution to that problem, offering evidence to

show that X is a problem and to prove that Y is the best solution to it. In this assignment, your purpose is to persuade your reader that a specific and significant problem (of your choosing) exists. Then, you should identify at least three potential solutions to the problem, evaluate and/or defend these solutions (using refutation), and persuade your

reader to accept your evaluation of which solution (or solutions) is/are most useful. In response to Prompt B, be sure to do the following in the body of your essay: 1. Establish that a specific problem exists. Examine the causes of the problem. Provide detailed support to prove that the problem is significant. Explain to readers how this problem affects them. Be sure to present only ONE

problem. 2. Present three solutions to the problem. Describe and explain the solutions. Provide detailed support to persuade readers that your solutions are effective. Begin with the least effective approach (the first solution could even be a solution that you think is ineffective) and end with the most effective solution.

3. Use refutation to evaluate the effectiveness of the solutions. You might concede when evaluating the first solution that it is ineffective. This is a good way of criticizing a contemporary popular solution that you find ineffective. Then, in the refutation of your second solution, you might concede and refute the critics. Presumably, in your refutation for your final and best solution, you will focus on defending your solution against objections. The

general movement of refutation should be as follows: 1) identify and summarize objections to your solutions; 2) then, concede (partially); and/or 3) refute the objections. For Both Prompts What I’ll Be Thinking When Evaluating Your Researched Argument:

● Is your thesis clear, complex, but unified, and strong? ● Does your thesis statement offer an insightful, dynamic point of view (one that does not merely echo one of your sources)?

● Does the rest of your essay follow the “map” outlined in your thesis paragraph? ● Is your research relevant and strong? Are you using it accurately to support your argument? ● How well do you use quotations? ● Are your introduction and conclusion effective? Memorable? Distinctive? ● Do you stay on topic? Is the writing organized and not repetitive? ● Are you using the elements of counter-argument or refutation to deepen the thinking about the topic? ● Are there too many grammar/usage/structure errors that distort or confuse meaning? ● Do you properly cite and document your sources using MLA in-text citations and a works cited page? ● Have you used at least three scholarly sources and three popular sources?

Crucial information:

● The research process is unpredictable and ideas often evolve over time. Don’t be surprised if your original ideas change and get more detailed and specific. The direction of your own arguments and opinions may surprise you! For example, someone may intend to write about driverless cars and how they will improve city traffic, but after the research process, she may come to the conclusion that driverless cars can only safely reduce traffic if they are used widespread for fleet usage going at low mph. ● It is imperative that your argument be specific: a claim about “reality TV shows” would be better than one looking at “television programming,” but an analysis of “The Voice and one of its imitators” would be the best of the three. ● Topic selection is crucial to the eventual paper’s quality. Some topics will require you to think, to stretch, to make a difficult case; those are the good ones. Others, sometimes very tempting, will seem obvious, free of challenge; those you should avoid, as they’ll very likely produce bland papers. Students often choose absurdly straightforward thesis statements (such as that smoking is unhealthy and should be discouraged); and, because such claims don’t need to be proven, the research paper flops. ● Don’t expect the rough draft to be perfect. You should be prepared to make major changes between the rough and revised drafts. Sources This assignment requires that you incorporate a total of six sources, minimum, into your paper, including three

scholarly source. Of course, you are welcome to have more than six sources! But what is a scholarly source? A scholarly or academic source could be an article from a scholarly journal, a

chapter from an academic book (i.e., a book published by an academic press), or statistical data from a government database. A non-academic source would be an article from a magazine, newspaper, or website; an editorial from a

newspaper, a film, a popular book, a music album, etc. The annotated bibliography assignment will help you engage your sources early enough to get something

meaningful out of them, or, in some cases, to decide that the source is not worth using in your paper. The annotated bibliography is a scholarly tool that will help your project stay on track and help me to see your progress toward a

viable project.

Where Do I Start?

RESEARCH

Summary: We live in an age overflowing with sources of information. With so many information sources at our fingertips, knowing where to start, sorting through it all and finding what we want can be overwhelming! This handout

provides answers to the following research-related questions: Where do I begin? Where should I look for information? What types of sources are available? Where Do I Begin?

Before you begin your research, you should ask yourself some questions. These will help narrow your search parameters. What kind of information are you looking for? Do you want facts? Opinions? News reports? Research studies? Analyses? Personal reflections? History? Where would be a likely place to look? Which sources are likely to be most useful to you? Libraries? The Internet? Academic periodicals? Newspapers? Government records? If, for example, you are searching for information on some current event, a reliable newspaper like the New York

Times will be a useful source.

Are you searching for statistics on some aspect of the U.S. population? Then, start with documents such as United States census reports.

Do you want some scholarly interpretations of literature? If so, academic periodicals and books are likely to have what you’re looking for.

Want to know about commercial products? Will those companies have Web sites with information?

Are you searching for local history? Then a county library, government office, or local newspaper archive is likely to be the most useful.

How much information do you need?

How many sources of information are you looking for? Do you need to view both sides of the issue?

Online vs. Print Publications

An important distinction when doing research is the difference between traditional publications and online resources. The Internet may be the most convenient place to begin your research, but it is not always the best. Online Sources:

Anything published exclusively online in a variety of digital formats. Material includes: websites, PDF documents, ebooks, multimedia. Traditional Publications:

This includes anything that has been published in print form and is widely available at libraries and bookstores. Material includes: books, textbooks, newspapers, popular and scholarly journals, and magazines. With the advent of new technologies, many traditional resources are now available online (including newspaper

articles, magazines, book chapters, and journal articles). Pay careful attention to whether the source you have found is an online-only source or if it has a print component as well. Types of Sources

The amount of information available to us can be overwhelming and confusing. This section provides a list of common types of sources and what information you can discover from each.

Traditional print sources:

Books and Textbooks: Books present a multitude of topics. Because of the time it takes to publish a book, books usually contain more dated information than will be found in journals and newspapers. Newspapers: Newspapers contain very up-to-date information by covering the latest events and trends. Newspapers report both information that is factual in nature and also share opinions. Generally, however, they will not take a “big picture” approach or contain information about larger trends. Academic and Trade Journals: Academic and trade journals contain the most up-to- date information and research in industry, business, and academia. Journal articles come in several forms, including literature reviews that overview current and past research, articles on theories and history, or articles on specific processes or research. Government Reports and Legal Documents: The government releases information intended for its own use or for public use. These types of documents can be an excellent source of information. An example of a government report is the U.S. Census data. Most government reports and legal documents can now be accessed online. Press Releases and Advertising: Companies and special interest groups produce texts to help persuade readers to act in some way or inform the public about some new development. Flyers, Pamphlets, Leaflets: While some flyers or pamphlets are created by reputable sources, because of the ease in which they are created, many less-than-reputable sources also produce these. They are useful for quick reference or very general information. Multimedia: Printed material is certainly not the only option for finding research. Also consider media sources such as radio and television broadcasts, interactive talks, and public meetings. Though we often go online for this information, libraries and archives often have a wealth of non-digitized media or media that is not available online. Digital sources Websites: Most of the information on the Internet is distributed via websites. Websites vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources. Blogs and personal websites: Blogs and personal sites vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources. For example, many prestigious journalists and public figures may have blogs, which may be more credible of a blog than most. Social media, message boards, discussion lists, and chat rooms: These types of sources exist for all kinds of disciplines, both in and outside of the university. Some may be useful, depending on the topic you are studying, but just like personal websites, the information is not always credible. Multimedia: The Internet has a multitude of multimedia resources including online broadcasts and news, images, audio files, podcasts and interactive websites.

Primary Research: Research isn't limited to published material that can be found on the Internet or at the library. Many topics you choose to write on may not have an abundance of sources and hence may require a different kind of approach to conducting research. This approach involves collecting information directly from the world around you and can include interviews, observations, and surveys; this is called primary research. If you are working on writing about a problem local to your school or community, you may need to conduct primary research. You may be able to find secondary sources (such as those found at the library or online) on the more general topic you are pursuing, but may not find specifics on your school or town. To supplement this lack of sources, you can collect data on your own.

For example, Briel wants to research a proposed smoking ban in public establishments in Lafayette, Indiana. Briel begins by going to the library and then searching online. She finds information related to smoking bans in other cities around the United States, but only a few limited articles from the local newspaper on the ban proposed in Lafayette. To supplement this information, she decides to survey twenty local residents to learn what they think of the proposed smoking ban. She also decides to interview two local business owners to learn how they think the ban may affect their businesses. Finally, Briel attends and observes a town hall meeting where the potential ban is discussed. Many different types of primary research exist. Some common types used in writing classes and beyond include: • Interviews: A conversation between two or more people in which one person (the interviewer) asks a series of questions to another person or persons (the interviewee).

• Surveys and questionnaires: A process of gathering specific information from people in a systematic way with a set series of questions. Survey questions usually have pre- specified or short responses. • Observations:

Careful viewing and documenting of the world around you.