Part One: Purposes of Research Writing
1. Research teaches methods of discovery -- reading, interviewing, and experimentation
2. Research teaches investigation skills -- evaluating sources on the internet, in the library, and in the field
3. Research teaches logic � decisions about the issues and wisdom gained
4. Research teaches the basic elements of argument � using evidence to support a viewpoint.
Part Two: Preliminary Evaluation of a Topic
1. Identify special problems or issues that are worthy of extended research
2. There are three main aspects of a preliminary topic or inquiry:
(1) the topic is well-focused and limited
(2) the topic raises an issue or presents a problem worthy of examination
(3) the topic invites research from outside sources
3. Topics that are too broad (too much information, not focused), too narrow (not researchable, doesn�t raise an issue), or opinionated (not researchable) must be avoided.
Examples:
Water pollution (too broad)
Causes and cures for drinking water pollution (acceptable)
Apples are good for you (too narrow, doesn�t raise an issue)
The benefits and rewards of eating a strict vegetarian diet (acceptable)
Racism (too broad)
Racial pride is not racial prejudice (acceptable)
Country music is for hicks (opinionated)
ACTIVITY #1: Judge the following topics as too broad, too narrow, opinionated, or acceptable.
1. the AIDS controversy
2. religious bias in Secondary Education classes
3. immunization
4. John Steinbeck�s short stories
5. fishing as therapy for mentally ill children
6. abortion is murder
7. buying a car
8. the history of toilet paper
9. Hate
10. fishing at the ocean
Part Three: Purpose
1. Research papers accomplish different tasks: (1) to explain and define; (2) to analyze the specific issues; (3) to persuade the audience.
2. Each paper must have a specific purpose. The thesis statement will state the author�s purpose and guide the rest of the paper.
Part Four: Audience
1. Academic readers will have certain expectations, based upon the focus of your work, so adjust your topic and purpose to the people who will read your paper. Examples:
1. Readers of a paper on social issues (working mothers, overcrowded prisons, unemployment rates) will expect analysis that points toward a social theory or answer.
2. Readers of an academic interpretation of a novel will expect to read literary theories.
3. Readers of a business report on outdoor advertising will expect statistical evidence that will defend a general proposition.
ACTIVITY #2: Read each of the topics below. Under each topic is a set of questions about the audience. Determine how the audience and purpose might differ under different circumstances.
1. John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men
A group of literary scholars?
Members of a historical society?
A group of high school seniors?
2. Software for computers
Potential purchasers?
Fellow students who are designing programs?
Professional computer programmers?
3. Shoplifting and/or industrial theft
Persons in middle-management who will read your essay?
Social workers who will read your report on local conditions in Indiana County?
Professional sociologists who will read your essay in the Journal of Sociology?
Part Five: The Preliminary Thesis Statement
1. The preliminary thesis statement is intended to guide you through your research, it. It could change by the time you finalize your paper.
2. The thesis statement expresses a theory that you hope to support with your evidence and arguments. It is a declarative statement that states the topic, establishes the purpose, and provides a sense of direction.
3. Your thesis statement will guide your research and paper. Without a proper purpose and direction, you don�t have a paper.
4.
ACTIVITY #3: Evaluate and Revise if Needed:
1. The poetry of Robert Frost exhibits a fascination with images of darkness.
2. What is the big deal with air bags on the passenger side of automobiles?
3. Violence is part of our society.
4. The purpose of this paper is to tell about water quality and how pollution affects it.
5. The pushy behavior of some old folks is the subject of this paper.