Explaining a Concept Research Paper

In the Explaining a Concept Paper, you will simply want to explain a concept of your choice, using research to support your explanations/definitions.  This paper should be at least 4-6 pages long, it should include at least two sources, and it should accomplish the following:

*Inform your particular audience about a specific subject.

*Present information confidently and efficiently.

*Use established information for support, as well as personal “evidence” (if applicable) such as short anecdotes and examples from your own experience, or the experience of others.

*Maintain an informative tone (not an argumentative tone, as this is not an argumentative or persuasive paper)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Papers on the following topics will  not  be accepted:  * abortion * capital punishment * euthanasia ***

All of these topics work well for these paper, so feel free to consider any of the suggestions in the book.  However, I would also like to offer you an alternative.

Your topics for this paper, in my class, can also be concrete.  Explain the concept of an “MP3 player,” or “digital technology,” or “ballistic defense.”  How-to topics also often work well, such as how to skin a deer, how to weld, how to adopt the hobby of paint-by-number, how to burn DVDs, how to install Windows XP.  Hobbies, or things that you do/are interested in doing, can work very well for this paper. 

Other more concrete topics can also work, such as “mothering” or “fathering,” “manic depression,” and “Parkinson’s disease.”  And jobs can work too.  In the past, I have had some students who explained concepts such as being a Security Communications officer or being a real-estate agent.

Structure

In general, this paper should follow the basic research paper format:  Introduction, Body, Conclusion.  However, here’s a more specific outline:

1.)  List your audience at the top of your paper, before your title.  Who are your intended readers?  You can name a specific group of people (for instance, “New parents”) or you can name a publication that you think your paper would be appropriate for (for instance, Time Magazine or Outdoor Life).

2.)  Introduction.  This is the place where you need to engage the reader.  In journalism, this is referred to as the “hook.”  How can you hook your readers?  How can you grab their interests so that they want to keep reading?

There are several ways to hook the reader.  You can start with a question, you can alter your tone (see the first paragraph of “Love”), you can use a quote (also see the beginning of “Love”), or you can tell a story (see the beginning of “Cannibalism.”)  Your introduction and hook may take only one paragraph, or it may take several, as the example essays demonstrated.

3.)  State your thesis.  This is the place where you come right out and tell the reader what you are going to be offering them.  (See paragraph 2 in “Love” and paragraph 5 in “Cannibalism.”)

4.)  Orient your readers to your concept.  In other words, describe or define your concepts, so that your readers can understand what you’re talking about specifically.

5.)  Provide information about your concept.  Use strategies such as comparison/contrast, process narration, etc., and use examples as appropriate.  (See the body portions of the example essays “Love” and “Cannibalism.”)

6.)  Conclusion.  This is where you want to wrap things up for the reader.  You may even make some reference back to the beginning of the paper, or restate your points.  (See the last paragraphs of “Love” and Cannibalism.”

MLA Documentation

MLA Documentation is simply a standardized method of citing your sources.  In general, when you use source material, you’ll want to do several things.

Within the text of your paper . . .

1.)  When you are using a source for the first time, introduce your source so that we can understand his or her credibility.  According to Joe Smith, a computer programmer at VacuTech, “Programming is difficult” (Smith 2).

See the “Love” essay for excellent examples of this, at the bottom of paragraph 2, at the bottom of paragraph 5, and in paragraphs 10, 12, 14.)

2.)  When you quote the same source later in the paper (after he/she has been introduced), use a standard attribute tag.  Smith went on to say that “DOS is especially difficult for many beginning users” (Smith 3).

3.)  In addition to these informal methods of citation, you will need to use parenthetical citations whenever you are quoting a source directly and whenever you are using a source’s ideas, even if you are putting them in your own words.  Smith explained that there are three keys to good programming:  be patient, be practical, be persistent (Smith 2).

Additional Notes/Questions about In-Text Citations

*But what if the author of the article is not the person that I am quoting?  What if I'm quoting someone who the author quoted in her article?

If the person you are quoting is not the author, just do the same as in number 1 above, but when you get to the parenthetical citation use the author's name instead of the name of the person you are quoting.  For instance, if Lou Brown had written the article above, and merely quoted Joe Smith, you would do this: According to Joe Smith, a computer programmer at VacuTech, “Programming is difficult” (Brown 2).

*But what if the article has no author?

If the article has no author, just do the same as above, but use a keyword from the article title in the parenthetical citation.  For instance, if the article we quoted above had no author, but we knew the title was "Programming for Beginners," we would cite it like this: According to Joe Smith, a computer programmer at VacuTech, “Programming is difficult” ("Beginners" 2).

At the end of your paper . . .

At the end of your paper, you’ll need to include a Works Cited page, which will offer an extended reference for each of the sources you used in your paper. 

For more information on MLA documentation on the web, go to: