Research Paper 101

Research: What It Is

A research paper is the culmination and final product of an involved process of: research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition.

The research paper is like a living thing, which grows and changes as the you explore, interpret, and evaluate sources related to a specific topic.

Primary and secondary sources are the heart of a research paper, and provide its nourishment; without the support of and interaction with these sources, the research paper would morph into a different genre of writing (e.g., an encyclopedic article).

Research: What it is notA research paper is not simply an informed summary of a topic by means of primary and secondary sources. It is neither a book report nor an opinion piece nor an expository essay consisting solely of one's interpretation of a text nor an overview of a particular topic.

Instead, it is a genre that requires one to spend time investigating and evaluating sources with the intent to offer interpretations of the texts, and NOT unconscious regurgitations of those sources. The goal of a research paper is not to inform the reader what others have to say about a topic, but to draw on what others have to say about a topic and engage the sources in order to thoughtfully offer a unique perspective on an issue. Your voice/argument needs to be present in the paper!

Goal of your Research Paper

1) Ask a question worth answering.

2) Find an answer that you can support with good reasons.

3)Find reliable evidence to support your reasons/argument.

4) Draft a report that makes a good case for your answer or perspective.

5) Revise that draft until readers will think you met the first four goals.

Argumentative Research Paper

The argumentative research paper consists of an introduction in which the writer clearly introduces the topic and informs his audience exactly which stance he intends to take; this stance is often identified as the thesis statement. An important goal of the argumentative research paper is persuasion, which means the topic chosen should be debatable or controversial.

Analytical Research Paper

The analytical research paper often begins with the student asking a question (a.k.a. a research question) on which he has taken no stance as of yet. Such a paper is often an exercise in exploration and evaluation. For example, perhaps one is interested in the Old English poem Beowulf. He has read the poem intently and desires to offer a fresh reading of the poem to the academic community in light of a particular issue that relates to the poem.

Three Kinds of Questions:

There are generally three types of questions that can guide Research Papers.

As we begin research we will move from a topic of “noun phrase” to describe your research paper to a paper guided by a question of hypothesis.

Conceptual Questions:

What should we think?

A Question is conceptual when your answers to “So what?” doesn’t tell readers what to do, but helps them better understand some issue. Before we solve a practical problem we have to do conceptual research to better understand it.

(ie) How did Shakespeare’s political environment influence his plays?

Practical Questions:

What should we do?

When your answer to “So What?” tells readers what to do to change or fix some improvable situation.

* This is the least likely question you will ask in your research paper. You are unlikely to do enough research over the next weeks to “solve” a problem or offer a plausible solution to a large issue, but you can help the reader but understand a problem. *

Applied Questions:

Often we know we must do something to solve a practical problem, but realize before we can know what that is, we must do research to understand the problem better.

What is your purpose in writing?

There are many "correct" things to write about for any subject, but you need to narrow down your choices. For example, your topic might be "dorm food." At this point, you and your potential reader are asking the same question,

"So what?" Why should you write about this, and why should anyone read it? Do you want the reader to pity you because of the intolerable food you have to eat there? Do you want to analyze large-scale institutional cooking? Do you want to compare Purdue's dorm food to that served at Indiana University?

How Are You Going to Achieve This Purpose?

How, for example, would you achieve your purpose if you wanted to describe some movie as the best representation of disability issues you’ve ever seen? Would you define for yourself a specific means of doing so? Would your comments on the movie go beyond merely telling the reader that you really liked it?

Who is your Audience?

The concept of audience can be very confusing. Should the student's audience be her instructor only, or should her paper attempt to reach a larger academic crowd? These are two extremes on the pendulum; the former is too narrow of an audience, while the latter is too broad. Therefore, it is important for the student to articulate an audience that falls somewhere in between.

Audience related Questions:

Who is the general audience I want to reach?

Who is most likely to be interested in the research I am doing?

What is it about my topic that interests the general audience I have discerned?

If the audience I am writing for is not particularly interested in my topic, what should I do to pique its interest?

Will each member of the broadly conceived audience agree with what I have to say?

If not (which will likely be the case!) what counter-arguments should I be prepared to answer

Brainstorm!