ENGL1301

Research  Paper  Guidelines

  The  purpose  for  the  research  paper  is  to  increase  your  library  research  skills   and  refine  how  to  use  the  information  that  you  have  found.  It  also  provides  you  a   solid  foundation  to  apply  what  you  have  learned  about  argument  and  its  structure.

  The  subjects  for  the  paper  are  open  for  you.  However,  there  are  some   limitations.  You  may  not  write  about:

capital  punishment/death  penalty   abortion   gun  control  

gay  marriage  or  gay  adoption   violence  in  the  media  (including  music,  television,  movies,  and  video  games)  

bilingual  education euthanasia  (including  the  right  to  die  and  physician-­‐-­‐-­‐assisted  suicide)  

legalization  of  marijuana   the  war  (including  any  current  or  past  wars)  

historical  figures  (arguing  that  one  [ie  general]  is  better  than  another)   stem  cells  (cloning)

animal  experimentation   school  uniforms  

9/11   aliens ghosts  

God  (or  other  topic  based  on  religion,  about  religion,  etc.)   Da  Vinci  code,  the  Illuminati,  or  other  secret  society  

transgender  surgery   immigration   drinking  ages  

texting  (including  while  driving)   cell  phone  use  

reliance  of  technology   the  impact  of  the  media  (including  how  the  media  impacts  one’s  self-­‐-­‐-­‐esteem)  

obesity   beauty  pageants  

the  wall  at  the  border  

  What  does  this  leave?  Believe  it  or  not—lots  of  really  cool  topics,  but  you’ll   need  to  find  a  topic  that  is  argumentative  and  researchable.  

  Before  you  complete  your  first  assignment  (Topic,  Outline,  and  Annotated   Bibliography),  you  must  get  your  topic  pre-­‐approved  by  sending  an  email  with  the   subject  and  specific  topic  oyu  want  to  research.  For  example,  the  email  should  be   something  like  this:  

  “I  am  interested  in  the  subject  of  drugs.  More  specifically,  I  think  I   would  like  to  argue  that  if  the  country  values  keeping  the  population   healthy,  then  we  need  to  create  pharmacies  more  like  those  in  Mexico   where  certain  drugs  (like  antibiotics).”  

  This  email  should  provide  a  general  direction  you  would  like  to  take  your   research  paper  topic.  This  direction  can  and  will  likely  change  as  you  move  through   looking  for  sources,  but  the  important  aspect  of  this  email  is  to  gauge  whether  the   topic  is  argumentative  from  the  beginning.  For  example,  if  we  take  the  same  email   and  change  it  like  this,  problems  might  surface:  

  “I  am  interested  in  the  subject  of  drugs.  More  specifically,  I  think  I   would  like  to  argue  that  drugs  are  bad.”  

  The  issue  with  the  email  above  is  that  from  the  very  beginning  the  topic  is   unfocused  in  terms  of  an  argumentative  stance.  All  drugs  are  bad,  including  over-­‐ the-­‐counter  drugs.  In  my  personal  interest,  if  I  take  aspirin  or  Aleve,  I  break  out  into   an  allergic  reaction  which  can  cause  my  face  to  swell  up  and  my  throat  to  close  up   (leading  to  breathin  problems).  

  The  sooner  that  you  determine  a  solid  argumentative  position,  you  will  have   more  time  to  get  going  on  the  rest  of  the  assignments.  More  importantly,  the  need   to  have  your  topic  approved  is  intended  to  help  you  avoid  working  on  a  topic   that  isn’t  on  the  right  track.  Therefore,  you  must  have  your  topic  approved  prior   to  completing  the  Topic,  Outline,  and  Annotated  Bibliography.

Research  Paper  Format  and  Specifics—Final  Draft

  The  research  paper  is  to  be  a  minimum  of  ten  (10)  pages  long.  Normally,   argumentative  papers  are  around  12-­‐15  pages  long,  not  including  your  works  cited   page  (or  references  page)  and  appendix  or  graphs.

  The  paper  should  be  written  in  the  following  format:  typed,  double  spaced,   12-­‐point  font,  in  either  Times,  New  York,  Courier  or  Palatino.  The  research  paper   should  be  written  in  3rd  person,  standard  language,  not  1st  person,  informal   language.  Your  final  paper  should  include  the  paper  itself  and  a  page  with  your   sources  listed  accordingly  to  MLA  or  APA  documentation.  The  paper  is  to  be   written  with  full  MLA  or  APA  documentation  (You  can't  earn  a  passing  grade  if   you  do  not  fulfill  this  requirement).

  As  far  as  sources,  you  need  to  haveat  least  ten  sources.  Of  those  10  sources,   at  least  1  should  be  a  book,  at  least  2  should  be  periodicals  (magazines,  journals,   newspapers),  1  court  case,  and  the  rest  can  be  from  any  place  you  want  (so  as  the   sources  are  reputable.).  The  best  location  for  sources  is  the  database  articles  within   the  STC  Library  page.  Should  you  have  difficulty  in  finding  a  book  or  a  court  case,  

contact  me  and  I'll  see  what  I  can  find.  The  remaining  six  (6)  sources  should  fit  the   qualifications  discussed  in  the  chapter  regarding  support.  You  may  use  interviews,   email  correspondence,  Internet  pages  from  legitimate  sources,  online  news  stories,   government  documents,  and  anything  else  that  is  helpful.

Any  Internet  websites  need  to  get  prior  approval  from  me  in  order  to  use  them.

Sources  you  may  not  use:

Wikipedia  

General  Dictionaries  

Encyclopedias  

Personal  Websites

  If  you  need  any  help  or  have  any  questions,  please  do  not  hesitate  to  contact   me.  Often,  students  will  decide  to  change  topics  in  the  last  week  before  everything  is   due.  You  do  not  have  that  flexibility.  In  the  event  that  you  are  having  difficulties,  you   must  contact  me  immediately.

  If  you  make  any  changes  on  your  subject  from  the  time  you  send  in  your   proposal  to  the  time  you  submit  your  rough  draft,  you  must  resubmit  the  same   requirements  for  the  topic,  outline  and  working  bibliography.  If  you  do  not,  I  will   not  grade  your  paper.

  Also,  if  your  final  paper  does  not  match  your  rough  draft,  I  will  not  grade  it.   Under  no  circumstances  can  you  wait  to  begin  this  major  assessment.  Don't   fall  behind  and  you  won't  have  a  problem.  In  the  past  I  made  a  face-­‐to-­‐face   conference  for  online  students  required.  However,  I  have  learned  that  this   conference  is  a  bit  difficult  for  students.  Therefore,  conference  times  will  be  made   available  and  can  be  conducted  online,  in  person,  or  via  chat.  

Process  of  Research  Paper  Completion

You  will  have  a  series  of  assignments  due  throughout  the  unit.  Here's  a  list  of  those   assignments:

1.  Topic,  Outline,  Working  Bibliography

A.  You  must  get  your  topic  approved  before  you  proceed  any  further.  You  may  do  so   by  sending  an  email  through  Blackboard.

  For  the  paper,  you  are  expected  to  take  a  position  on  your  topic  since  the   paper  has  an  argumentative  focus.  You  will  be  required  to  expound  your  own   opinion  (position  or  claim),  and  explain  the  reasons  why  you  believe  in  your   position  (support).  The  research  paper  should  be  your  own  discussion  and  ideas  

and  not  a  string  of  quotes  with  very  little  analysis  or  opinion  from  you.  Keep  this   information  in  mind  while  you  are  coming  up  with  a  topic.  If  the  topic  is  informative,   then  the  topic  will  not  get  approved.

B.  Once  you  get  your  topic  approved,  then  you  can  begin  on  the  Topic,  Outline,   Working  Bibliography  assignment.

Requirements  for  Topic,  Outline,  Working  Bibliography:

1.  As  a  document,  identify  your  topic  and  claims  (major  and  minor)  in  a  couple  of   paragraphs.  Provide  an  explanation  as  to  why  you  would  like  to  research  the  topic.   What  do  you  know  or  not  know  about  the  topic?  Also,  what  issues,  problems,  and/or   concerns  do  you  have  about  the  research  paper,  both  specifically  and  generally?

2.  Turn  in  a  preliminary  outline  following  the  Classical  Model,  Toulmin  or  Rogerian   Model  of  organization.  Make  sure  that  you  fill  in  information  that  would  lead  one  to   understand  where  you  are  going  with  your  topic.  You  can  adapt  and  adjust  a  model   to  fit your  topic  or  focus.  

3.  For  your  working  bibliography,  you  need  to  turn  in  a  least  5  entries  with  a  brief   discussion  of  the  main  ideas  covered  and  how  you  think  the  source  will  be  helpful   within  your  paper.  This  is  called  an  annotated  bibliography.  You'll  find  links  for   creating  an  outline  and  annotated  bibliography  within  the  unit.

An  example  will  be  provided  at  the  assignments  link  where  you  will  be  turning   in  this  assignment  and  is  also  listed  within  the  research  paper  unit.

2.  Reading,  MLA  and  APA  Quizzes  and  Discussion  Posting

  To  ensure  that  you  understand  the  unit  and  that  you  know  how  to  document,   paraphrase,  summarize,  and  quote  properly,  you  will  have  a  number  of  quizzes   assisting  you  in  learning  how  to  do  so.  The  logic  behind  these  assignments  is  to   provide  you  with  an  opportunity  to  understand  how  to  avoid  plagiarism  and  how  to   properly  complete  the  research  paper  before  having  to  complete  a  rough  draft.

3.  Rough  Draft

  A  rough  draft  will  be  turned  in  for  general  feedback  for  me.  An  electronic   sign-­‐up  sheet  will  be  created  with  times  including  evenings  and  weekends  for   conferences.  Regardless  whether  the  conference  is  online,  over  the  phone,  or  face-­‐ to-­‐face,  you'll  be  able  to  have  1  hour  dedicated  to  you  for  some  help.

  The  rough  draft  must  include  a  “References”or  “Works  Cited  page,”   depending  if  you  are  using  APA  or  MLA  documentation.

  In  addition,  the  rough  draft  needs  to  be  at  least  5  pages  and  include  in-­‐text   citations.  The  more  of  a  draft  that  you  have,  the  better  it  is  since  you  will  be  able  to  

make  changes  after  the  conference  and  complete  the  paper  easily.

  Make  sure  to  schedule  the  conference  in  a  logical  place  in  the  writing  process.   For  example,  if  you  are  unsure  about  your  progress,  don’t  wait  for  a  conference   towards  the  end  of  the  conference  times  and  then  find  out  that  what  you’ve  written   is  all  wrong.

  Finally,  make  sure  that  you  remember...if  I  don't  see  a  rough  draft,  I  will  NOT   grade  your  final  draft,  thus  causing  you  to  fail  the  class.  If  you  run  into  ANY   problems,  see  me  before  this  assignment  is  due.  I  would  hate  for  you  to  mess  the   entire  semester  up  because  of  not  turning  in  the  rough  draft.

4.  Research  Paper-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐Final  Draft

Your  final  draft  will  be  due  by  the  deadline  posted  within  the  assignments  link.  You   will  be  turning  in  your  resources  electronically,  so  that  if  I  have  a  question  about   something  you  read,  I'll  have  access  to  the  readings.  Most  of  your  sources  are  likely   to  be  (and  ideally,  should  be)  from  the  databases  you  can  access  from  STC  or  other   types  of  electronic  documents  like  legitimate  websites  that  have  reports  and  other   important  documents.  Therefore,  you'll  simply  upload  PDF  documents,  provide   website  addresses,  and  other  info.  For  those  resources  that  are  not  electronic,  you   can  upload  a  photograph  or  scan  of  the  page  that  you  used.  In  effect,  if  you  used  a   certain  page  from  a  book,  you'll  take  a  picture/scanof  the  title  page  and  a  picture  of   the  page  you  used.  That  way,  everything  can  still  be  turned  electronically.