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I. Brief presentation of your primary thesis, your
research problem, three major sections of your investigation, and
the solution / findings / recommendations that you will be
making.
Overview: In this section, you present a clear, brief, and
eminently lucid summary of your problem and subsequent
investigation. The description of your primary thesis should
not be more than one sentence in length. In a subsequent
sentence, you will describe three major aspects that you investigate
in your paper. You should briefly state why this is important,
and that you are taking a unique approach to the problem.
Keys to
Success: Be
brief, clear, and direct. You should engage the reader's the
interest by indicating what makes your work worthwhile, unique,
potentially useful. Keep in mind that you are laying down the
foundation for rest of the paper, and creating a category that your
reader can easily manage and archive. You are preparing a
pathway for your reader and facilitating the process of making
relevant connections, and the application of the reader's own
experience to the points you are making. You are also creating
an ethos or
tone that is highly credible, which will place your reader in a
frame of mind that is receptive and accepting of your "evidence" and
"proofs."
Example: This paper examines the use of utopian narratives in Native
American science fiction and explores how they function to a)
propose new visions of a world which incorporate traditional Native
views of the human's relation to nature, b) propose an alternate
vision of science fiction, and one that does not primarily concern
itself with a dialectic between the human and the machine, and c)
envision communities of the future that incorporate Native-based
systems of governments. Although there have been a number of
studies of Native American writers, none have looked at this aspect
of writing, nor have they examined the cultural beliefs, underlying
assumptions about human nature and the proper role of government, or
the ethics of technological innovation vis-a-vis a core sense of
humanity. This investigation focuses primarily on the work of
three Native American writers, and approximately 25 collections of
their novels, essays, short stories and poems.
II. Definition of key terms
and concepts. Cite references.
Overview: In this section, you will
provide definitions and descriptions to terms that are central to
the development of your paper. This is not the same as a
glossary, but is more of a definition and discussion of how you use
the term in your paper. For example, one could say "Holman's
Handbook to
Literature defines a
'utopian narrative' as 'xxx xxxx xxxx xxx' (Holman 762)" Only
define the terms that the average reader is not likely to
understand, or the terms that have a special application for your
paper.
Keys to
Success: Make a
list of key terms and concepts that you are addressing. Look
very closely at terms that may be in common parlance, but which have
a special and specific meaning or application for your research
paper. Be clear, and explain the specifics when
necessary. Cite sources.
III. The research problem,
further described. An in-depth look at your research problem,
which describes what it is, with an illustrative scenario or
example. This a synthesis and should be original work,
therefore it may not be necessary to cite sources here. If
there are controversial elements, mention them
briefly.
Overview: This gives you a chance to re-address the topic you
introduced in the first section and to go into more detail.
You may be able to simply describe the issues and why there is a
sense of urgency about the topic. If your topic is an
exploration of a social issue, or a proposed method, you may wish to
further describe your topic with an illustrative example or scenario
which shows
rather than tells the
reader the central issue.
Keys to Success: Develop this section well so
that your reader has a clear idea of the depth and complexity of the
research problem, and an understanding of the major issues.
Select your illustrative scenario very carefully so that it does not
set up contradictions or conflicts with later sections of your
paper. Without becoming sentimental, or generating bathos,
this section can evoke an emotional response which can be helpful in
persuading your reader of the importance of the
study.
IV. History of research on this topic. Explain
why your research is unique and needed. Give a brief
chronology of research, and the history of ideas. Provenance,
antecedents, etc. Cite sources.
Overview: This section is invaluable, not
only to your reader but also to yourself because it compels you to
research your topic very carefully and to trace any evolution of
ideas that might have occurred. In addition, it makes your
argument solid and gives it credibility. It demonstrates that
you, as a researcher, are well aware of the work that has been done
in the area.
Keys to Success: Keep the lines of investigation clear and
focused. Do not list articles that digress or do not
specifically refer to your primary thesis and the research
problem. Try to find the source of some of the key ideas and
trace the evolutionary unfolding and adoption of the ideas as they
relate to your primary thesis.
V. "Evidence" section.
Supporting statistics, examples, case studies, citations, supporting
passages from key texts. Explain why the statistics you cite
are valid. Present counter-arguments and opposing
viewpoints. Cite carefully.
Overview: In this section, you present
supporting findings from credible sources. These generally
take the form of refereed journals, books by respected publishers,
monographs, and online journals. In the case of online
references, you will need to be very careful to assure yourself that
the source is credible. If in doubt, ask your advisor or
librarian.
This is where you present statistical support for
your idea, and/or the results of any research, surveys, laboratory
investigations, etc. Be sure to discuss methodology as well as
addressing who conducted the research, when it was done, why or what
primary objective was served, where it happened, what results were
obtained. If research was conducted that refutes or calls into
question this work, be sure to describe it as
well.
Keys to
Success: Make
certain the statistics are directly relevant to your research
problem, and clearly describe how they relate to the primary thesis
and/or the sub-topics or aspects explored. Set the stage to be
able to refer back to this supporting evidence when making points in
later sections of the paper.
VI. Expanded "Evidence" --
Further case studies or examples. Minimum of three:
supporting your thesis statement, one that takes your thesis
statement in a new direction or explores the subtopics, and one that
makes one think of new aspects of your thesis and research
problem. Use citations, and intersperse your thoughts and
analysis throughout.
Overview: This is part of the research paper where your
analytical abilities are put to the test. This is also where
you have a chance to show the reader the key elements of your
argument, and elements those elements with examples. It is
necessary to be very careful in citing sources. Your mission
here is to demonstrate that your ideas and insights are rock-solid,
and if they dare doubt, you have the facts to back it
up!
Keys to
Success: Find
good examples or case studies that clearly illustrate the points you
want to make. Do not quote passages that are too long:
make it short, pithy, and relevant. Be sure to discuss the
quote, and do not place two block-quotes together, or one after
another in concatenation. Your discussion should make
connections between your primary thesis, the subtopics, and any new
or interesting insights you have or discoveries that you have
made. Be sure
to cite your sources.
VII. Debate points or
controversial aspects. Discuss the issues and present
new ways of looking at the primary thesis, and its three or four
primary sub-categories. This is your original work.
Begin to undermine or question the underlying assumptions that may
problematize your investigation, and your conclusion, approaches,
solution.
Overview: This is the "fun" part of the paper. Here you
have a chance to bring up all the controversial points, points of
debate, and potential conflicts and/or contradictions. A good
way to get started is to address any stereotypes or myths that might
be associated with your topic, and which get in the way of a
clear-headed, down-to-earth, and rational analysis of the
facts. You may also wish to dig into the underlying
assumptions in your work. These can be cultural assumptions,
or underlying ideas about the nature of people, ideas about society
and government, or ethical issues. In addition, you have a
chance to explore the impact of current trends or ways of thinking
and explore those. If there are troubling and potentially
contradictory underlying issues that often come to the surface as
you are thinking about your research problem, please be sure to
address them here. If they occur to you, they will most
certainly occur to at least some of your readers. By
addressing them, you are making a concession to them, and
demonstrating that you are in full command of the facts and the
issues. This will help your credibility. In addition,
you have a chance to explain why the approach you used is the most
appropriate, and why you selected the case studies and/or examples
that you did. You can also explore the implications that the
subject you explored have on the future.
Keys to Success: Be direct, and don't be afraid
to address controversy. Lay your cards on the table.
Demonstrate why this topic is fascinating, and why your research
problem is so intriguing that you would choose to devote a good
segment of your valuable time and resources to it. If you're
excited, your audience will be excited, too.
VIII. A concluding summary
that is more than a conclusion. Insights, recommendations,
probable issues vis-a-vis the future. This can include a
vision of the future, an illustrative scenario.
Overview: In this section, you bring
together your research, your analysis, and your insights, and you
lead your reader to a brief contemplation of where they have been as
they traveled through your paper. You have a chance to explain
why this paper is relevant to future studies and
investigations. If you are making a recommendation which would
require the reader or someone to take action, then you can develop
action steps, and even develop an illustrative scenario to help the
reader envision your ideas.
Keys to Success:
Do not be too
reductive or narrow. Instead, reinforce the importance of the
research. Be specific, and avoid being too universal or
general.
IX. References. Please be sure to refer to the
Longman's Writing
Guide or another
commonly accepted style guide and clearly cite all sources:
journals, books, reference materials, Internet-based
information.
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