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Writing Assignments |
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| Summary | Topic Proposal | Preliminary Bibliography | Research Paper |
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Format (for all major writing assignments): Times New Roman, 12pt., double-spaced, 1 inch margins, proper heading, last name & page number in header |
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* See Longman, page 233 for example |
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schedule early 973.408.3617 ext 3617 |
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Printable Writing Assignments
Page
Read about summary writing here.
Write a one page summary of Drew’s Standards of Academic Integrity.
Take two of the topics you have been brainstorming and answer the following questions:
Keep in mind that for this assignment your research paper will need to have an argumentative thesis and thus your proposed topics will need to be “argumentative” (not necessarily controversial) in nature.
1
Title of Project:
Give your project a working title, which may or may not become the title of
your paper.
2
Statement of purpose:
Explain what you hope your research will find or show. State your
question or series of questions before you begin your research. After you
have conducted significant research you should be able to answer your
question(s) in one or two sentences, which may become the thesis of the final
paper.
3
Background:
Explain your interest in and experience with this topic. Describe any
previous research you have conducted on this or related topics, any classes you
have taken on this or related topics, or any reading you have already done in
the field. If you have personal experience that has led you to want to do
more research, describe that here too.
4
Significance:
Explain why this topic is worth considering, or this question or series of
questions is worth answering. Answer the following questions: why
should your instructor let you select this topic? what
do you hope to learn from it? what will this new
knowledge add to the field of knowledge that already exists on this
topic? what new perspective will you bring to
the topic? what use might your final research paper
have for others in this field or in the general public? who might you decide to share your findings with once the
project is complete?
5
Description:
Describe the kind of research you will conduct to complete this project
(library research, internet research, interviews, observations, ethnographies,
etc.)
6
Methodology:
Explain how you will conduct your research in as much detail as
possible. If you will consult others (such as a statistician, an
ethnographer, or a librarian) explain what role they will serve and how you
hope they will enhance your development of an appropriate methodology for this
project. Discuss the kinds of sources you hope to consult and the methods
you will use to extract and process the information you gather in as much
detail as is possible at this stage. (As the project is underway you
might find the need to revise your methodology, explore new types of source
material, and/or adopt new methods of gathering and processing data. If
this happens, revise this section of the proposal.)
Problems:
Describe the problems you expect to encounter and how you hope to solve
them. For example, texts might be unavailable, necessitating travel to
other libraries or use of inter-library loan facilities; people you had
hoped to interview might be unavailable or unwilling to participate,
necessitating that you select other interviewees or change the focus; internet
sites might be down or no longer available, etc. (Try to imagine every
possible problem so that you have contingency plans and the project doesn't
become derailed.)
For this assignment, you will take the preliminary topic proposal that pertains to your chosen research topic, and develop your ideas further. This will involve expanding your working bibliography.
Bibliography:
Make a list of texts you plan to consult. If you are writing a
library-based research paper you should aim to make a list of at least 20 potential
sources (30 is better)—you may include the sources
you used for draft one of your paper (explanatory paper), which you will
then narrow down as you conduct the research. Many sources initially seem
relevant, but turn out not to be, so it is always better to list all sources
that might be of interest. As you eliminate sources, cross them off of this
list. Mark sources that are particularly useful, and add new sources as
you come across them. This will enable you to make a Works Cited list at the
end of your project (i.e.: a list of only the works you have summarized,
paraphrased, or quoted from in the paper.)
When it comes time, you will only be
responsible for annotating 16 of these sources.
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Label each of your
entries—Primary or Secondary / Informational or Argumentative / Scholarly, Media, or Popular
Make sure your working bibliography follows the MLA format (don’t just paste in links to websites). SEE LONGMAN HANDBOOK FOR EXAMPLES.
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(and scroll down) |
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(also see Longman “Using MLA Documentation Style” 201-240) |
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English 2: Library Resources (this includes search engines, meta-search
engines, specialized searches, and directories.) |
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Your
paper must have: · An argumentative thesis (meaning someone can reasonably disagree with it. It doesn’t have to be “controversial.”) · Evidence to back it up · 10-12 pages (not including your Works Cited page) · A minimum of 10 sources, at least seven of which must not be strictly web-based (journal articles and such you find via the library databases are not strictly web-based) · Proper citations using MLA · Proper format (1 inch margins, double-spaced, 12-pt. Times New Roman, proper heading etc.) · A Works Cited page, also using MLA (this is not the same thing as the annotated bibliography) · A title THIS
RESEARCH PAPER WILL BE COMPLETED IN STAGES.
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* A note on sources: A minimum of seven of
your sources must be from some source other than the general/public internet. General/public
internet sources include, but are not limited to, web pages and internet-only
news sites. Books, journals, government reports, and other sources which appear
in print somewhere are not general/public internet sources and may be used
towards your seven non-internet sources, even if you accessed them through
on-line databases. General encyclopedias, Wikipedia,
and about.com are not acceptable as sources for this paper.
DRAFT 1
Background Synthesis
Read about synthesis writing here.
The first stage of research writing is completing some initial background
research on your topic of interest. This paper will help you get acquainted
with your topic, without requiring you to make an argument upfront.
Your task with this paper is to
provide your readers with information about the topic you have selected by
reporting details you have gathered from three or more (reliable) sources.
You will organize this background information by topic rather than by
source. The paper should contain a focusing statement, though it will not
be argumentative since the goal of a background/explanatory synthesis is to
inform rather than to persuade. This paper should be between 3-5 pages, and use
4+ sources.
The basic structure for this assignment:
- A basic introduction to
the topic and introduction to sources, clearly written focus statement
- Organization by themes, points, similarities etc., while incorporating
appropriate sources- Each paragraph will begin with a topic sentence
that identifies what the paragraph will discuss, followed by
information from several sources (cited).
- Conclusion reminding readers of the themes, points, similarities etc.
that were brought up in your essay.
The Key Features of a
Synthesis:
(1) It accurately reports information from the
sources using different phrases and sentences;
(2) It is organized in such a way that readers can immediately see where
the information from the sources overlap;.
(3) It makes sense of the sources and helps the reader understand them in
greater depth.
DRAFT 2 Argumentative Research Paper -- Partial Draft
Your half draft should be between 5 and 6 pages. It should include a
strong introduction and well formulated argument (thesis) and several well
developed supporting paragraphs.
DRAFT 3 Argumentative Research Paper -- Full Draft
Your full draft should be between 10 and 12 pages. Use your peer review sheet as a guideline.
You can begin working on your annotated bibliography as soon as you begin finding useful sources for your paper. As you begin weeding out unhelpful sources, you will need to begin justifying your remaining sources. This process will help you realize which sources best help you make your argument. And as you begin annotating your sources, you may find you are able to take many of your ideas and arguments directly from your annotated bibliography and use them in your paper.
Each annotated bibliography
entry will list:
1) your source, cited properly using the MLA format,
2) a brief summary of the
source, 2 to 4 sentences to summarize the main idea(s)
this will require you to have read through (not merely skimmed)
some of the source,
3) a
brief assessment/ criticism of the source…is it well documented? reliable? current? biased? Does the author have credibility in the field?
Etc.– 1 to
2 sentences,
4) and a brief description
of how this source has relevance in your research project. * more
than “this source pertains to my topic”—really
illustrate how the source helps your argument 1 to 2 sentences to relate the source to your research topic
Your annotated bibliography should have at least 16 entries and should follow the above format. Ten of the sixteen entries must come from resources accessed through Drew or another library – either on-line or in-print – but not available on the general internet. The other five sources may come from the internet, although that is not required. (You may get all 16 of your sources from the library or library’s electronic databases if you choose.) *Note, you may choose to include some of the preliminary sources you included in your research topic proposal as part of your annotated bibliography.
Check out the Purdue On-line Writing Lab website for more examples.
This
assignment is designed to give you archival research experience as well as
practice analyzing primary and or secondary sources.
For your archives project, you will:
1. Use the finding aid in the Methodist Archives to find any document(s) of interest (this document(s) does NOT have to pertain to your research topic);
2. Fill out a request form to see the document(s) (the archivist will give you special instructions);
3. Review the document(s), take notes, and begin to decide how you will answer the questions you have been assigned;
4. Request a photocopy of the document(s) (you will use this during your presentation);
5. Complete the questions you have been assigned and decide how you will present your archival document to the class.
Be prepared to spend one to one and a half
hours in the archives. Keep in mind that the archives hours are shorter
than library study hours. Bring a dollar and some change for photocopies.
* You will be responsible for completing this assignment
by week 5. You will need to prepare a 5 minute presentation of your
archival document, to deliver in front of the class. You are only required to present on one
document.
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CONTENTS ·
Topic Proposal ·
Preliminary
Bibliography ·
Thesis and Outline ·
Annotated
Bibliography, 16 entries ·
Draft 1 - Background Synthesis w/ my
comments ·
Draft 2 – Partial Draft, 5 to 6 pages w/ my
comments ·
Draft 3 – Full Draft, 10 to 12 pages w/ my
comments · If you missed an in-class peer review provide your draft, review sheet, and peer response for the missed assignment- If you have not missed a peer review you do not have to worry about this. ·
Example Research Notes or any additional
brainstorming/free writing ·
Revised Research Paper (10-12 pages + Works
Cited) · Reflective Essay Brief statement (about 1.5-2 pages) explaining what you have learned from English 2, how you’ve changed as a writer, how you have improved, and also areas where you would still like to improve both in your writing process, and in the final product your produce. |
Grading
Criteria:
Papers will be graded based the complexity, clarity, and appropriateness of the
thesis, as well as how it relates to the rest of the paper; the amount and
quality of the evidence; your ability to focus on your topic without straying
or being repetitious; ample development and explanation of ideas over
appropriate page length; acknowledgement and development of
counter-argument/opposed perspective; the organization of the paper including
the introduction and conclusion, the order of paragraphs, the coherency of
paragraphs, and transitions and linking ideas; the proper use of sources including
smooth integration of in-text citations, the work cited, and proper format of
both; a balanced use of sources; an appropriate, formal/academic tone; and
strong syntax and mechanics, including sentence structure, word usage, grammar,
and punctuation.
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Stu Rubric/Guide |
WRITING
SKILLS |
THINKING
SKILLS |
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Paper Structure-organization -introduction/conclusion
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Source
use
-sources indicated
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Support for the claim |
Development of idea -consistent
focus on idea or argument |
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Turning in your portfolio:
Option 1 – The
Option 2 – The
Option 3 – The
Sarah E.
Minegar, 2007-2009