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Research Paper
Overview
Write a research paper using evidence to support a thesis that addresses
your research question examining a current issue or event in the news from
the perspective of your field of study. The audience is people who are
generally educated but do not have extensive knowledge of your field or
topic.
Grading
This assignment is worth 350 points (35%) of your final course grade.
Earning the maximum possible score on this assignment will require
students to:
Step 1: complete all assigned components, use and cite eight sources, and
answer reflection questions (earning up to 100% of the possible points)
Please note that there is no “step 2” (revise and resubmit option) for this
assignment. Completion of the “initial submission” using and citing eight
sources will earn you up to 100% of the possible points. The Research Paper
Revisions and Expanded Reflection is to be submitted and graded as a
separate assignment.
To see required components and associated points in the assignment rubric,
please view this assignment through the Assignments area of the classroom
and scroll to the bottom.
Due Dates
The deadline for submission of this assignment is the end of Unit 6
(Tuesday, 11:59 PM Eastern). The Research Paper Revisions and Expanded
Reflection is to be submitted and graded as a separate assignment.
Connection to other Course Assignments
• The Issue Exploration assignment helped you develop a topic
for the Research Paper First Draft.
• The Annotated Bibliography assignment helped you identify
sources and plan how to use them.
• In the Revised Research Paper and Expanded Reflection, you
will incorporate feedback on this first draft and reflect on the
experience of completing the research paper.
As you complete the tasks required for this assignment, you will be working
toward several of the course outcomes:
• Use research to write a paper that will inform or persuade an
audience (Course outcomes 3 and 4)
• Form unified, coherent, and well-supported paragraphs in
support of the thesis statement (Course outcome 4)
• Select sources, use them to inform and support your writing,
and document them in APA style (Course outcomes 2 and 5)
• Demonstrate accurate grammar and mechanics in writing
(Course outcome 5)
• Participate in the process of receiving feedback and revising
your writing (Course outcome 3)
Step 1: Submission (earn up to 100% of the possible points for the
assignment)
Your submission should include all of the following components:
Sources
To earn the maximum possible points on this assignment, use and cite at
least eight sources.
At least three of these must be from scholarly journals, and all sources
should be selected based on reliability, currency, and level of
information/analysis. The UMGC library will be very useful in helping you
find appropriate sources. You can, but do not have to, include all of the
sources from your annotated bibliography.
Note that it is possible to earn a B on this assignment by using only six
sources, including three scholarly journal articles. To earn an A will require
an additional two sources.
Consider the following in incorporating your sources:
• Sources are meant to help you build your argument, not to define
the paper’s organization. Therefore, it is usually not helpful to have
an entire paragraph focused on a single source or to focus on a
source in a paragraph’s topic sentence.
• To weave sources into your own writing, avoid dropping quotes
into your paper without an introduction or transition in your own
words. An example of a transition into a quote is underlined in the
following: This idea is corroborated by Snyder (2019) who explains
that “community-based interventions have to be adequately funded”
(p. 10).
• It may also be helpful to follow a quote with a comment on its
significance to the paper’s ideas.
Content and Organization
This paper is the culmination of your research project, in which you are
examining a current issue or event in the news from the perspective of your
field of study. Before drafting your paper, you will have chosen a topic,
developed a research question, and identified several potential sources in an
annotated bibliography. You should write on the same topic for this paper,
unless your professor has asked you to make changes to your topic.
As you write your paper, be sure to include the following:
• an introductory paragraph that includes your thesis statement. The
introduction is meant to engage your readers and orient them to
the topic, and the thesis statement should clearly state your
position or central claim to be supported in the body of your paper.
• any definition of terms or background information that your reader
is likely to need to understand your paper
• focused body paragraphs that begin with topic sentences and use
transitions as needed. This is where you will support the thesis
using arguments and evidence. Use the sentence outline you
developed in class to guide you.
• a concluding paragraph that reiterates the thesis, summarizes key
points of the paper, and leaves the reader with the “So what?”
• an APA reference list that includes all of the sources cited in the
text of the paper, in alphabetical order
Research is a key element of this paper. Take care to support your claims
with research throughout the paper. Include APA in-text citations whenever
you use sources, whether through quote, paraphrase, or summary.
Language Choices
• As a writer, you are free to decide how you use language, keeping
the following in mind:
• style: your language choices should result in a consistent
writing style that is purposeful and aligned with your goals
• readability: your language choices should ensure that your
ideas are clear and easy to follow
• When composing your assignment, think about the conventions for
academic writing, including:
• punctuation: this includes things such as recommended use
of commas, colons, and apostrophes.
• word-level accuracy: this includes things such as
capitalization, spelling, word-tense, and usage.
• sentence-level accuracy: this includes things such as
sentence boundaries, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun-
antecedent agreement.
• Take time to review your language choices after you’ve drafted
your assignment. Think about your goals for the style of this
writing and your own writing habits (like using “text-speak,”
omitting capitalization, or writing sentence fragments). Revise as
necessary to accomplish your style and readability goals.
• Reading your writing aloud is a helpful technique when reviewing
your language choices for style and readability.
This paper calls for an academic style, which most frequently involves third
person point of view. Second person “you” is seldom used in academic
writing. First person “I” is best restricted to discussions of your personal
experience or involvement with the research topic or your role of as the
researcher. Not all research papers will will include these discussions. First
person statements of opinion (“I believe,” “I would say,” etc.) may weaken
your claims. Instead, state your position without these phrases, and provide
evidence.
Length and Format
This paper should be at least 2000 words, including references.
Incorporate these elements of APA style:
• Use one-inch margins.
• Double space.
• Use a consistent, easy-to-read font between 10-point and 12-
point.
• Include a title page with the title of your paper, your name, and the
name of your school.
Reflection Questions
The reflection questions are to be answered separately. Post these in the
“comments” box when submitting your assignment. Be sure to address all
four questions.
a. Aside from simply meeting the requirements, what were your
personal goals for this assignment? State at least two goals and
answer in a short paragraph of at least three sentences. Goals
may be of any sort: specific areas of writing, organization, time
management, etc.
b. When reviewing your language choices, what choices did you
make to approach your goals for staying within or moving
beyond conventions for academic writing? Did you have any
difficulty incorporating direct quotes? How did the Grammar
Lab this week impact your use of direct quotes?
c. What parts of your work on this assignment are you most proud
of?
d. What challenged you in this assignment and/or where do you
need additional support from your instructor?
- Overview
- Step 1: Submission (earn up to 100% of the possible points for the assignment)
