Research Paper Information

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You must receive 70% or higher on your research paper in order to be eligible to receive a C or higher for the course. The research paper may be revised.

Please read the sample annotated student paper in Unlocking the MLA Code, pp. 88-104.

For more information and help about writing effective papers, review Unlocking the MLA Code, “Thesis Statements,” pp. 64-67; “Audience,” pp. 72-73; “Structure and Organization,” pp. 73-77; and “Basic Paper Guidelines,” pp. 77-85.

Basic Research Paper Criteria

1. The research paper must be preceded by all of the completed research paper process steps before it is submitted for grading. The process steps must be submitted in a timely enough fashion that you can get feedback. Students who simply submit most all or all of the research paper process steps right before they turn in the paper will not get credit. That entirely defeats the purpose of the process steps. These process steps are vital; your papers won’t be graded if you do not complete the process steps in a timely fashion or if you skip any of them.
2. Your research paper must cover a topic that relates to class topics, and it should address possible solutions to the problems the paper covers. The solutions are likely to be only partial, and I do not expect you to invent your own solutions to important problems we face—far from it. This is a research class. I expect you to do research using expert, scholarly sources and to present to your readers recommendations based on that research. The paper’s recommendations should be concrete and practical recommendations—not just “wishful thinking” about what the government or some other entity should do. Try to put yourself in the position of your readers, and make suggestions that you can actually visualize yourself carrying out.

Research Paper Information

1. The research paper must not plagiarize in any way, and you must submit the paper to Turnitin before you submit it for grading. Do so enough in advance that you can catch and fix any potential plagiarism or attribution problems. You will re-submit your work to TurnItIn when you turn in revisions. Review Unlocking the MLA Code: “Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism,” pp. 115-22. Papers not submitted to Turnitin will not be graded.
2. The research paper must be a minimum of 2,000 word in the body, (do not include your works cited entries and identification information in your word count).
3. Documents must be in MLA format, and you should use proper word-processing functions for line spacing, indenting, centering the title, inserting the header, and so on. Review Unlocking the MLA Code, “Document Format and Layout,” pp. 1-10.
4. The research paper must have in-text citations in correct MLA format for all ideas taken from sources, whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. Review Unlocking the MLA Code: “Parenthetical Citations, pp. 11-22.
5. The research paper must have a Works Cited page in correct MLA format containing all sources used. Cite all information taken from sources, whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. Review the pertinent sections in Unlocking the MLA Code: “Works Cited Pages,” such as “Basic Rules for MLA Works Cited Pages,” pp. 26-28; “A Scholarly Journal Article English 1A Class Pack 51 from an Online Scholarly Journal,” pp. 26-47; and “A Scholarly Journal Article form a Library’s Database,” pp. 47-48.
6. Remember that a thesis statement asserts a debatable point—it doesn’t merely state a fact or “factoid.”

Research Paper Information

1. When you use expert sources, introduce them, but generally you should not introduce them by naming the titles of their articles or books in the body of an essay or research paper. That information is on the Works Cited page, and it does not tell your audience why these people are experts whose assertions can be trusted. Tell you readers what an expert’s credentials and areas of expertise are. (Review “Introducing Expert Sources in Essays and Research Papers.”) 10. Support any arguments and assertions with empirical data, not merely quotations from experts—if they cannot offer data to prove their claims, find other sources. You need evidence, not just generalizations and assumptions.
2. No more than 20% of its content should be direct quotations. It does not even have to have that much; paraphrasing and summarizing information is very useful.
3. Keep in mind a general audience of readers who have not read what you have read. Make all of your points clear so that anyone reading your work would be able to understand your arguments and the evidence that you provide. You need to provide empirical evidence, not simply quotations, generalizations, and opinions. Try to imagine yourself as a researcher hoping to get your wok published in a journal.
   

   Research Paper Information

4. Generally, in academic writing, you should not refer to yourself, your experiences, or your feelings. Don’t use first person singular (I, me) unless you are quoting someone. There is an exception—if you have had genuinely relevant personal experience, you can include that, but contact me to clear it with me first. As far as your imagined audience is concerned, “relevant personal experience” has to involve more than your emotions.
5. Adopt a relatively formal language register. Avoid informal language and slang. Avoid terms like “kids,” “nowadays,” “stuff,” and so. Don’t use the abbreviation “etc.” Avoid “empty adjectives.” These are words like “interesting,” “great,” “wonderful,” “good,” and so on. Use concrete adjectives—words that have specific meanings, no matter who the reader is. Adjectives like “controversial,” for example, are specific; “controversial” means that something has caused controversy. Don’t use second person (you, your). Use first person plural if you are talking about members of society (we, us, our) or third person (they, them, their) if you are talking about people in general.
6. Avoid exclusionary language like “man,” “mankind,” “man made,” etc. Use “people,” “society,” “human beings,” “artificial,” and so on. Don’t refer to people in general as “he” or “him.” Avoid language and arguments that demean other races, other cultures, people with different religions, people with no religion, people with different sexual preferences, and so on.
7. Try to come up with interesting titles, not simply Research Paper. Be informative. After all, when you read an article, it is never simply titled “Article.” English 1A Class Pack 52

Additional Guidelines

Research Paper Information

Also keep the following guidelines in mind as you write your paper:

1. Provide enough detail so that your audience can evaluate the research you cite. You should not expect readers to simply take your word that research means what you say it means or that it means what someone else writing about it or presenting it says it means. Offer significant details that can be evaluated. Don’t simply say, “Studies show that [a claim] . . . .” or “Statistics indicate [a claim] . . . .” or “Findings suggest . . . .” and leave it at that. Journalism students are often taught to ask six questions about the subject they are writing on: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? These are useful questions to ask when reading your paper draft and any references you make to research. Reading about the research studies that you refer to, would your readers be able to answer Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? If not, you need to include more information. Who conducted the research? What were the sample populations (size, age groups, and so on)? What were the actual results? When was the research conducted? Why was it conducted? How were the data gathered and evaluated?
2. Don’t offer unsubstantiated generalizations and assumptions as evidence. For example, statements like “Americans believe too much fake news” or “Americans spend too much time playing video games and too little time reading” aren’t precise, and they don’t offer statistics or proof. “Americans” implies all Americans, and “too much” is a vague generalization; it does not provide statistics or data. All of your arguments should be based on assertions that you can back up with empirical evidence.
3. Don’t include evidence or ideas that you do not fully understand. You may find yourself undercutting or contradicting your own ideas without even realizing it. Do not use terminology unless you are absolutely sure of what the words mean, either in your own sentences or when you directly quote. If you do not understand all of a source’s words or ideas, don’t use them.
   

   Research Paper Information