Unit 3 - Overview

Overview of Individual Research Paper

Student Outcomes: As a result of this unit and assignment, students will be able to:

• Generate and refine research questions and thesis statements that are appropriate in scope, purpose, and audience to guide their research
• Describe a general process of writing a research paper and analyze the order and interdependence of the steps
• Draft and revise an outline to guide their research
• Annotate and evaluate scholarly articles in terms of reliability, validity of their arguments, and relevancy to a particular research question
• Synthesize sources logically and coherently to support their own arguments and analysis
• Integrate and document sources in a style of their choice without plagiarism
• Compose a secondary research paper that includes an introduction, synthesis of scholarly sources and conclusion with appropriate language and style for a lay-audience

Assignment Description:

Students will write a non-empirical, secondary research paper that synthesizes earlier publications on the subject of research and discuss their implications for future research. The main purpose of this assignment is to practice logical and critical thinking skills and source-based writing skills (evaluating, synthesizing, and documenting sources). The paper options include, but are not limited to:

• Argumentative: Students take a stand on a controversial issue in their disciplines and use the sources as evidence to support their argument as well as to refute the opposing views.
• Problem / Solution: Students describe an issue within their field of study and discuss potential solutions to that issue, finally choosing one solution as the best.
• Compare / Contrast: Students introduce 2+ aspects of a topic and describe how they are alike and how they differ, drawing a conclusion or conclusions based on their analysis.
• Cause(s) / Effect(s): Students analyze an occurrence or event within their field of study, describing what caused it and the subsequent effects, concluding with what is the most significant effect and/or what needs to be done in the future.

Assignment Prompt & Grading Rubric:

Please provide your students with an assignment prompt and grading rubric on the 1st or 2nd day of each new unit so that they are clear what the students outcomes and expectations are and can plan their personal schedules according to the deadlines. You should use the document provided above, although you may adapt it for your class and teaching style.

Sample Assignments:

Sample 1

Sample 2