WRITING CENTER "INFORMATION PICK-UP" (S.S.C.C.)
TIPS ON WRITING THE RESEARCH PAPER:
• WHAT IS A RESEARCH PAPER?
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
• WHAT ARE SOME STRATEGIES TO MAKE WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER EASIER?
• WHAT IS PLAGIARISM? WHAT
IS CITATION?
• WHAT IS A
RESEARCH PAPER? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
A research paper may range from a highly-technical (impersonal and objective ) piece of writing to a personal essay which incorporates information from researched sources. Basically, a research paper draws on the information and work of others--in the form of interviews, printed sources, surveys, films, first-hand observations, government documents, the Internet, reference works, and so forth.
Education in the 21st century and onwards must include the skills needed to gather new and ever-changing information and incorporating that into every-day knowledge. The research paper is the main method for recording the new facts and data and organizing what has been learned.
In the high-tech information age, research writing has become much easier (and yet more challenging in other ways).
Academically, there are two general types of research papers:
1) the informative report: This describes, explains or analyzes a certain aspect of a chosen subject. The material is organized and presented in a way so as to offer up a new spin or interpretation of that given subject. One example of an informative report is the "overview" or "review of the literature" articles which try to report on the latest research or ideas in a certain field.
2) the researched argument: This presents a unique stance on a certain issue. The author here tries to bring readers around to his/her point of view in such a paper. Sources or evidence are used to bolster the argument.
Research papers must make an assertion. Oftentimes, this assertion may not yet become clear until much research has been done. Researchers often need to keep an open mind and a flexible stance in order to successfully carry a research paper from start to finish. Students should therefore not take a "foregone conclusion" approach. Having a broad knowledge of the subject matter and a healthy curiosity to learn more about it may be motivation enough.
Research papers must be original. There is little value in rehashing what is already known. The academic value of research lies in the contentions that such research makes, how well-supported the points are, how insightful the information is, and how fluently and clearly a position is made.
Research papers must be narrowly focused, not vague nor direction-less nor overly general. The level of detail necessary in research papers is high. Therefore, if a student tries to cover a broad range in subject matter, he/she would run into the problem of covering the material in a cursory or "thin" way.
Remember that every assertion that the author makes has to be supported by fact, proof, logic, details, and other evidence. It is never enough to make an assertion and assume that the readers must accept that assertion as fact--simply because the author stated it. Readers are assumed to be cautiously cynical in a healthy way.
Research papers must consider their audience: are they lay people regarding this subject matter, or are they experts? How much pre-existing information will they have? How much will they want and need to know? The level of inquiry that a writer goes into depends on who he/she is writing to. Presumably, in college, students write for their peers (and also their instructors, to a degree). What the audience knows as general knowledge will affect how the writer approaches the subject matter. One safe assumption--in general--is that the writer must take the readers step-by-step into the concepts, without assuming too much. Still, he/she must watch his/her tone so as not to "write down" to the readership.
Research papers often have a current time element to them. Usually, the more timely and contemporary a topic is, the better it is as a piece of research writing. Again, researched writing must show the author's awareness of what was written before about this subject matter. New information must then be introduced and grafted onto the old.
• WHAT ARE
SOME STRATEGIES TO MAKE WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER EASIER?
1. Allow time for the research. Research itself can be an exhausting endeavor, precisely because there's so much information available. Research can also take a writer in unpredictable directions. Necessary materials may not be readily-available.
A researcher might find that the information he wants does not exist. He/she might find, on the contrary, that there's a plethora of information--and not enough time to sort through it all.
For the flexibility needed to do a good job on a research paper, students should leave plenty of time open for this part of the research.
2. Have a fairly narrow topic--so as to keep the research focused. To better use the on-line systems to look for information, researchers need to keep their topic focused and a few key words in mind to "strategize" accessing of the information.
3. Take legible, informative, comprehensive and easily-accessed notes. Researchers need a way of information-recording which allows them to review the sources or information they find, in order for accurate decisions to be made about the writing of this paper. Some researchers prefer to use 4 x 6" cards to store this information.
Easy-to-read notes will help the author to avoid plagiarism; to retrace his/her footsteps in the research process; and to cite sources.
DIRECT QUOTATION: Use direct quotations (surrounded by " " quotation marks) when the exact wording is essential for comprehension; unusual or striking or famously-spoken; spoken by an expert or authority of high standing; and/or memorable and important to retain in its original form.
SUMMARY: Use a summary to condense general information into a concise and clear form.
PARAPHRASE: Use a paraphrase (a rewriting or "translation" into the student's own words of an idea or case study or argument) to simplify wording or maintain a distinctive (student-based) style in your paper. Sometimes, paraphrases are used as a way to maintain control of the information in the student voice (e.g. without the intrusion of the source's particular slant).
What may be paraphrased (re-phrased in your own words):
General information which you would like to use to create a context for an idea or an argument may be paraphrased. You should not try to paraphrase anything which is highly specific or "quotable".
1. common ideas which are widely available and known by the public;
2. not controversial (or un-contested) facts;
3. ideas which may be paraphrased without being essentially altered or changed or misconstrued; and
4. general ideas.
4. Have an opinion, and express it. Many students take a "hands-off" attitude when writing a research paper. Many are overwhelmed by the amount of information they've gathered and forget to maintain control of that information in their writing. A research paper is not merely a conglomeration of facts and figures. It is a well-organized, assertion-making piece of writing which the author should "own".
5. Use an outline to organize your information. An outline is the plan of organization (skeleton or structure) for your ideas.
Write your thesis at the top of the page, and use it as the controlling idea for your research paper. Gather the information you've collected on note cards and put them into some order, usually by topic. Try to arrange your ideas into logical order so that readers learn what they need to know first, second, third, and so on.
Write an outline. Use this as the basis of organization for your paper.
• WHAT IS
PLAGIARISM? WHAT IS CITATION?
Plagiarism refers to the unfair, unprofessional use of ideas which belong to the original authors/thinkers. Plagiarism refers to the use of information which others had originated or expressed first. Given copyright law and ideas of "intellectual ownership", one may borrow other's ideas only if one gives credit where credit is due.
One must "cite" or refer to the original speaker/thinker of a piece of wisdom. Citation serves several purposes:
• It allows for the tracking of information by others who may want to do further research after reading your paper.
• It allows for professional respect, a courtesy nod towards the originator of good (and bad) ideas.
• It allows for intellectual ownership of property.
• It allows readers to evaluate your work, according to the sources of information which you used.
What must be cited?
1. direct quotations, particularly if they're well-expressed or uniquely rendered;
2. summaries or paraphrases of material from your sources;
3. opinions, judgments, original insights and observations of others;
4. statistics from a researched source;
5. illustrations, tables, graphs, drawings, photographs, and charts which you get from other sources;
6. and materials which you wish to attribute to an authority or important other--to strengthen a certain point.
General, well-known information does not need to be cited. "If the information appears in several sources, it is generally known. Facts that are widely used in encyclopedias, textbooks, newspapers, and magazines or on television documentaries or radio news shows are safe to include" (Bentley).
If you use information off of the Internet, you still need to identify the original source--which should be mentioned in the file. Over-citing may be better and safer than under-citing. (Refer to the Writing Center's "Citations in Cyberspace" handout for more data on how to cite off of the Internet and World Wide Web.)
(Note: For more information, please refer to Writing Center handouts on End Note Documentation, MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) documentation, doing computer research, writing book reviews, and other topics related to research writing.)
Keep a copy: For safety's sake, keep a copy of your final draft in hard copy or printed paper form (as well as on computer disk). Make sure that you keep an open mind towards revision as you get feedback from your readers.
Sources:
Bentley, Judy;
Emery, Donald W., John M. Kierzek
and Peter Lindblom's Writing
Research Papers;
Handbook of English Fundamentals, "The Research Paper Made Easy:
From Assignment to Completion," and
Mulderig, Gerald P. The Heath Guide to Writing the Research Paper.
(Revised 1998)