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• 15 Mar, 2021
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The Growth of Islam in the U.S after 9/11

The Researched Essay: An Odyssey

 

• This assignment is designed to allow you to discover information about a topic and a researchable question that interests you. Your research question will guide your inquiry, and in turn, your inquiry and discoveries along the way will determine if the essay takes an exploratory or an argumentative/persuasive approach.  It is not a report, but rather it is a chronicle of your discovery and research journey.  This essay assignment will bring together many of the writing skills that we have been working on this semester, such as writing with voice, evaluating others’ argument, evaluating sources, informing our writing with research, developing a clear thesis, paying attention to audience, and expressing a logical progression of thoughts.  The essay should be representative of the skills you are developing this semester.  In addition, the Research Proposal will include summaries and evaluations of sources for your researched essay.

 

Requirements

 

Paper Format:  The essay should be 3-5 pages in length (not including the Annotated Bibliography), double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in font size 12, using Times New Roman. Use MLA format.

 

Title:  You will need a title for your essay that peaks your reader’s interest and leads your reader into your topic.  A separate title page is not necessary.

 

Source Requirements:

You will need a minimum of three (3) sources.  All sources need to be evaluated using the SMELL Test (on Canvas in Module 3) for soundness. Of these sources:

 

• Two sources must be academically sound; academic sources are all peer-reviewed. Peer reviewed sources are written by an expert in the field and have passed review by other experts who judged the source for quality and accuracy. If a source is peer-reviewed, you know it’s a good choice for high-quality, accurate information about your topic. EBSCOhost and ProQuest are archives for scholarly journals.  Be certain to attend our Library Day on 11/14 for more information on strategies for finding these sources.
• One source may be field research-based (such as an interview or short survey), a website, or it may be a physical book such as a professional encyclopedia. You must choose.

 

Citation Requirements:  Make sure that all summaries, paraphrases, and quotes drawn from these sources are integrated into the text of your essay. Use MLA format to cite all your sources, both in the body of your essay and on the Works Cited page.

 

Note: Not all disciplines use the MLA format of documentation. When you write a research paper for other classes, be sure to check with your syllabus or your professor regarding the proper citation format for other papers.  When in doubt, you can always see Professor Bach in the Writing Center, BH 1003 or the Reference Librarians in our Library.

 

 

 

The Writing Center: The researched essay unit presents a good opportunity to explore the writing center.  You should strive to set up appointment and meet with a writing consultant from the Burns Hall Writing Center to work on this research essay. Be aware that the Writing Center often gets very busy this time of the semester. Do not wait until the last moment to make this appointment.

 

STEP 1:  Forming a Researchable Question & The Proposal

You will want to begin this task by considering an issue in a field of your professional or personal interest.  We will practice writing an interest inventory and narrowing down the topic in class.  I also recommend consulting our online text, Lumen Learning’s “The Qualities of a Good Research Question.”

 

In essence, a good researchable question is neither too big, nor too small.  It interests the researcher.  There are stakeholders in the answer—it has something to do with how we live or might live.  It raises more questions, and the answer might not be simple.  It focuses on an aspect of a topic about which something has been said.

 

For example:  On the topic of producing and storing cleaner energy, one may find we use lithium-cobalt batteries to store most collected solar/wind energy, but the process by which current mining techniques extract these resources releases highly toxic byproducts.  A good research question will seek to solve or weigh-in on this issue.

 

The research question and proposal are the principal focus of Module 3, and it is due before class time on Tuesday, 11/14/19.

 

STEP 2:  The Basic Annotated Bibliography

 

Your basic annotated bibliography will help you prepare to write Essay #3. You will research and write about AT LEAST 2 academically sound sources in addition to 1 personal interview, survey, or physical book source.  All entries must appear in alphabetical order, and the Annotated Bibliography must be formatted like this.  Compiling this annotated bibliography will help you select an audience, know which methods are effective for you to employ, and find backing for your position. It will also help you to practice summarizing and evaluating sources.

 

You will need to provide three sentences for each entry on this page.  The first sentence will summarize the source.  The second will briefly explain why the document is a credible source, and the final sentence will tell the audience how it is used in the paper.

 

Provide readers with the best encounter with information from your inquiry and/or to argue for best practices within a field or for a procedure, consider sources and evidence that include the following:

 

• Statistical sources—statistics provide some of the most compelling reasons for why a standard operating procedure has been traditionally followed, or they can provide proof as to why methods should be changed.
• Studies—particularly those from information insiders, who are actively working in the field.
• Quotes from authorities your audience would trust—historical, governmental, and professional sources. Interviewing the right professional is effective here.
• Stories/anecdotes—from interviews you conduct, a survey you create or conduct. Testimonies from reputable articles, books, documentaries, radio, or television news broadcasts, etc. can be effective.
• Analogies/counter-examples—Consider other controversies that could be compared to/serve as analogies for yours. See the sample student research essay that looks at two sides of a debate on the glass ceiling.  If you’re suggesting your audience change strategies, which group’s approach—whether part of their debate/not—might you recommend?

 

 

 

Quality of the Sources:

Wikipedia can NOT be considered one of the sources in your bibliography. You can look at it initially for background. I would see if any of their citations can help you; they may be used.

For each source in your annotated bibliography, consider these factors, among others, to assess its quality:

• Publication/sponsor credibility/level of bias (credentials)
• Author credibility/level of bias
• Credibility of style of site/article/writing (logic, fallacies, harshness of style, etc.)
• Timeliness
• Information verifiable?

 

 

Format of the Annotated Bibliography:

For a complete list of MLA citations, see PA Chapter 10, “Documenting Sources: MLA,” or the MLA PowerPoint and document in Module 2.  In each annotation you should:

 

(1) Cite the text of your choice in perfect MLA format.

(2) Summarize the text.

(3) Evaluate the credibility of the text.

(4) Explain how you will use the source in your paper.

For an example and description of an annotated bibliography see the examples on the Purdue Owl at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03/

 

 

Final helpful point: Consider how the research you choose will be effective (or won’t be effective) for the audience that you are trying to reach in your final researched paper:

 

To determine your audience, you might look closely at the web sites of stakeholders in the conversation, including:

• A public interest group you find online involved in field
• A leading professional figure invested in the practice or concept you are researching
• An author who has written on the subject
• An official who is a decision maker in this issue
• Another group/person who could be considered a stakeholder

 

STEP 3:  Getting to the draft, Revision, and key dates  in the timeline:  Proposal: due 11/14; Prewriting: due 11/19; Rough Draft: 11/21; Final Draft: 12/12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluation Method

 

Your essay will be graded on both your final product and your revision process, using the following criteria.

Final Draft Criteria:

 

• Central Theme and Content: Central theme is well defined and carried out throughout the essay. Content is clear, focused, and synthesized.

 

• Organization: Organization enhances and showcases the central theme. Ideas are ordered so that they build upon one another and transitions between sentences and paragraphs are smooth.

 

• Sense of Audience: Audience is clearly defined (either implicitly or explicitly).  An awareness of audience is carried throughout the essay, as indicated by the defining of unfamiliar terms, anticipation of the reader’s questions, and sensitivity to all potential members of the audience.

 

• Stylistic Choices: Specific and accurate words are used to convey intended meaning.  Language is varied and clichés are avoided.  A variety of sentences lengths and constructions are used to add emphasis.

 

• MLA Format: Correct formatting is used throughout the essay, including the heading, page numbers, in-text citations, and Works Cited page.

 

• Research and Annotated Bibliography: Source requirements are met.  Sources are reliable and academically sound.  Research is smoothly incorporated into the texts and works to strengthen the central theme.  The basic annotated bibliography is properly formatted, complete, and includes all relevant information.

 

• Presentation: Essay is professionally presented in terms of relevant title, grammatically clear sentences, consistent verb tenses and correct punctuation and spelling.  The paper is the appropriate length.

 

• Revision Process: Significant changes are made between drafts which can include significant shifts of focus, perspective, target audience, or structure. Feedback is considered when making revision choices.