Description
This is my final research paper so here are the given instructions by my professor also please read the attached documents for writing the proposal and the annotated bibliography.
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Research Proposal
Now that you’ve completed the invention/pre-writing exercises and have decided on an appropriate topic, you
are ready to write the Research Exploration/Proposal. You will be proposing a solution to the problem of what
you are going to write about for your research paper and how you will approach the time and resource problem.
Your audience for this proposal will be your instructor and the members of this class.
FORMAT
Write your proposal using the following memo format and headings. You may, of course, include sub-headings
if necessary.
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Topic. In this section, pay particular attention to the scope of the subject. Remember, you’re writing a
research paper, not a thesis or dissertation. Demonstrate that the topic is serious enough and/or interesting
enough to warrant research. Your topic will need to have a persuasive claim; in other words, it should be
more than simply a collection of factual assertions (a grocery list) that leads to a “so what” response from
the audience. Be sure to identify and explain your interest in or connection with the topic. Answering your
Research Question (see information below) will help you with all of this.
Audience. Define a real audience of readers and specify their needs. Who would be interested in this topic
and why? Identify possible constraints. No, “all Americans” or “my professor” aren’t valid audiences.
Purpose. What will your research do to help readers? To help you? How will readers use or apply the
information your research provides? (exigence)
Schedule. Clearly and carefully decide on a work schedule that will insure that you finish the project on
time. This schedule will also become a part of the memo. This schedule will be a very detailed, day-by-day,
compilation of the steps you will take in order to meet each draft deadline and word count. You must
include your daily-proposed activities, showing you are working toward the goal of each step in the process
and, ultimately, the perfected Research Paper.
REASEARCH QUESTION
A research question guides and centers your research. It should be clear and focused, as well as synthesize
multiple sources to present your unique argument. Even if your instructor has given you a specific assignment,
the research question should ideally be something that you are interested in or care about. Be careful to avoid
the “all-about” paper and questions that can be answered in a few factual statements.
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Examples: For instance, the following question is too broad and does not define the segments of the
analysis:
o Why did the chicken cross the road? (The question does not address which chicken or which
road.)
o Similarly, the following question could be answered by a hypothetical Internet search:
▪ How many chickens crossed Broad Street in Durham, NC, on February 6, 2014?
(Ostensibly, this question could be answered in one sentence and does not leave room for
analysis. It could, however, become data for a larger argument.)
o A more precise question might be the following:
▪ What are some of the environmental factors that occurred in Durham, NC between
January and February 2014 that would cause chickens to cross Broad Street? (This
question can lead to the author taking a stand on which factors are significant, and allows
the writer to argue to what degree the results are beneficial or detrimental.)
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How Do You Formulate A Good Research Question?
o Choose a general topic of interest, and conduct preliminary research on this topic in current
periodicals and journals to see what research has already been done. This will help determine
what kinds of questions the topic generates.
o Once you have conducted preliminary research, consider: Who is the audience? Is it an academic
essay, or will it be read by a more general public? Once you have conducted preliminary
research, start asking open-ended “How?” “What?” and Why?” questions. Then evaluate
possible responses to those questions.
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Other Examples:
o Say, for instance, you want to focus on social networking sites. After reading current research,
you want to examine to what degree social networking sites are harmful. The Writing Center at
George Mason University provides the following examples and explanations:
o Possible Question: Why are social networking sites harmful? An evaluation of this question
reveals that the question is unclear: it does not specify which social networking sites or state
what harm is being caused. Moreover, this question takes as a given that this “harm” exists. A
clearer question would be the following:
o Revised Question: How are online users experiencing or addressing privacy issues on such
social networking sites as Facebook and Twitter? This version not only specifies the sites
(Facebook and Twitter), but also the type of harm (privacy issues) and who is harmed (online
users).
o While a good research question allows the writer to take an arguable position, it DOES NOT
leave room for ambiguity.
Information adopted from the Duke University Thompson Writing Program
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Start by Writing out your Topic as a Question. Your research becomes much easier when you know the
question. You often have to write out your question many times from different perspectives before you can
settle on what it is you want to research. Having trouble forming your topic into a question?
Fill in the blanks of the following sentence to help you discover your question:
• I am studying…
o in order to find out…
o in order to help my reader understand…
o Research Question:
• EXAMPLE:
o I am studying… (state what your broad topic is)
▪ EXAMPLE: cell phones
o in order to find out…(use standard journalistic questions: who, what, where, when, but focus on
why and how)
▪ EXAMPLE: how their use contributes to traffic accidents
o in order to help my reader understand…(motivate your question, why does your reader need to
know this)
▪ EXAMPLE: why constant use may increase safety risks to themselves and others
o Research Question: (use the ideas in A-C to form a research question)
▪ EXAMPLE: How does the constant use of cell phones contribute to traffic accidents
and increase safety risks to both the community and the user?
Information adopted from Sonoma State University
Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a list of cited sources about a particular topic, in which each citation is followed by a brief
annotation, or discussion of the source. The annotation usually consists of just one paragraph, but your instructor may
require more. An annotated bibliography is useful for documenting your research in a specific area, exploring varying
viewpoints, and summarizing main points from different sources. Format requirements of an annotated bibliography
vary greatly from one documentation style to another; please refer to a style manual for specific format requirements
(ex: MLA, APA, CBE, Chicago, etc.).There are two parts to every entry in an annotated bibliography: the citation and the
annotation.
The Citation:
The citation includes the bibliographic information of the source. The documentation style required for this information
depends upon your particular academic field and will usually be assigned by your professor (some common styles
include MLA, APA, CBE, and Chicago). Follow the instructions for the assignment, and the guidelines in the appropriate
documentation handbook. Citations are organized alphabetically.
Sample Journal Citation in MLA format:
Gilbert, Pam. “From Voice to Text: Reconsidering Writing and Reading in the English Classroom.” English Education 23.4
(1991): 195-211. Print.
The Annotation:
The annotation is a brief paragraph following the citation. Purpose of the Annotation: The annotation of a source can
serve several different purposes; your professor may require your annotations to do some of the following:
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condense the content of the source (write a brief summary of the information)
evaluate the credibility of the source (analyze for authority, accuracy, currency, objectivity)
assess the usefulness or relevant application of the source
discuss the writer’s background (examine expertise or layman knowledgeability)
analyze the intended audience (education, age, experience, needs, bias)
describe your reaction (credible source? value of source? analytical/emotional reaction?)
The length of an annotation depends upon the assignment. Shorter annotations will most likely cover only main points
and themes; longer annotations may require a more in-depth description, discussion, or evaluation of the source.
Consult the specific requirements for your assignment as your professor may dictate a word count or length for each
annotation.
Sample Annotated Bibliography (MLA)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
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Format for annotated bibliographies depends upon their intended use. If you are composing one for a class
assignment, the instructor will tell you what format to follow.
The focus of the following sample annotated bibliography entries is the use of reading and literature in the
composition classroom. It matches the examples of annotated bibliographies from Purdue’s OWL website. Note:
to reduce paper consumption, we have used single space lines; however, MLA format requires double spaced
lines throughout your document.
Gilbert, Pam. “From Voice to Text: Reconsidering Writing and Reading in the English Classroom.” English Education 23.4
(1991): 195-211. Print.
Gilbert provides some insight into the concept of “voice” in textual interpretation, and points to a need to move
away from the search for voice in reading. Her reasons stem from a growing danger of “social and critical
illiteracy,” which might be better dealt with through a move toward different textual under-standings. Gilbert
suggests that theories of language as a social practice can be more useful in teaching. Her ideas seem to
disagree with those who believe in a dominant voice in writing, but she presents an interesting perspective.
Greene, Stuart. “Mining Texts in Reading to Write.” Journal of Advanced Composition 12.1 (1992): 151-67. Print.
This article works from the assumption that reading and writing inform each other, particularly in the matter of
rhetorical constructs. Greene introduces the concept of “mining texts” for rhetorical situations when reading
with a sense of authorship. Considerations for what can be mined include language, structure, and context, all of
which can be useful depending upon the writer’s goals. The article provides some practical methods that
compliment Doug Brent’s ideas about reading as invention.
Murray, Donald M. Read to Write: A Writing Process Reader. Fort Worth: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1987. Print.
Murray’s book deals more specifically with the ways writers read other writers, particularly the ways in which
writers read themselves. Read to Write provides a view of drafting and revising, focusing on the way a piece of
writing evolves as an author takes the time to read and criticize his or her own work. Moreover, the book
spotlights some excellent examples of professional writing and displays each writer’s own comments on their
own creations, in effect allowing the student reader to learn (by reading) the art of rereading and rewriting as
exemplified by famous authors.
Newell, George E. “The Effects of Between-Draft Responses on Students’ Writing and Reasoning About Literature.”
Written Communication 11.3 (1994): 311-47. Print.
This study reflects the advantage of teacher responses on student papers. When reflected upon as “dialogue”
questions to the student, these comments can lead to further interpretation and deeper understanding of a
text. Newell found that responses which prompted students to work from their initial drafts brought about more
final papers than teacher responses that led them away from their initial drafts with “directive” remarks.
All Information from BCC-UCF Writing Center
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