Research Paper Overview
Research: What it is.
A research paper is the culmination and final product of an involved process
of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and
composition. It is, perhaps, helpful to think of the research paper as a living
thing, which grows and changes as the student explores, interprets, and
evaluates sources related to a specific topic. Primary and secondary sources
are the heart of a research paper, and provide its nourishment; without the
support of and interaction with these sources, the research paper would morph
into a different genre of writing (e.g., an encyclopedic article). The research
paper serves not only to further the field in which it is written, but also to
provide the student with an exceptional opportunity to increase her knowledge in
that field. It is also possible to identify a research paper by what it is
not.
Research: What it is not.
A research paper is not simply an informed summary of a topic by means of
primary and secondary sources. It is neither a book report nor an opinion piece
nor an expository essay consisting solely of one's interpretation of a text nor
an overview of a particular topic. Instead, it is a genre that requires one to
spend time investigating and evaluating sources with the intent to offer
interpretations of the texts, and not unconscious regurgitations of those
sources. The goal of a research paper is not to inform the reader what others
have to say about a topic, but to draw on what others have to say about a topic
and engage the sources in order to thoughtfully offer a unique perspective on
the issue at hand. This is accomplished through two major types of research
papers.
Two major types of research papers.
1. Argumentative research paper:
The argumentative research paper consists of an introduction in which the
writer clearly introduces the topic and informs his audience exactly which
stance he intends to take; this stance is often identified as the thesis statement. An important goal of the
argumentative research paper is persuasion, which means the topic chosen should
be debatable or controversial. For example, it would be difficult for a student
to successfully argue in favor of the following stance.
Cigarette smoking poses medical dangers and may lead to
cancer for both the smoker and those who experience secondhand smoke.
Perhaps 25 years ago this topic would have been debatable; however, today, it
is assumed that smoking cigarettes is, indeed, harmful to one's health. A
better thesis would be the following.
Although it has been proven that cigarette smoking may lead
to sundry health problems in the smoker, the social acceptance of smoking in
public places demonstrates that many still do not consider secondhand smoke as
dangerous to one's health as firsthand smoke.
In this sentence, the writer is not challenging the current accepted stance
that both firsthand and secondhand cigarette smoke is dangerous; rather, she is
positing that the social acceptance of the latter over the former is indicative
of a cultural double-standard of sorts. The student would support this thesis
throughout her paper by means of both primary and secondary sources, with the
intent to persuade her audience that her particular interpretation of the
situation is viable.
2. Analytical research paper:
The analytical research paper often begins with the student asking a question
(a.k.a. a research question) on which he has taken no stance. Such a paper is
often an exercise in exploration and evaluation. For example, perhaps one is
interested in the Old English poem Beowulf. He has read the poem
intently and desires to offer a fresh reading of the poem to the academic
community. His question may be as follows.
How should one interpret the poem Beowulf? ( His research may lead him to the following conclusion.)
Beowulf is a poem whose purpose it was to serve as
an exemplum of heterodoxy for tenth- and eleventh-century monastic
communities.
Though his topic may be debatable and controversial, it is not the student's
intent to persuade the audience that his ideas are right while those of others
are wrong. Instead, his goal is to offer a critical interpretation of primary
and secondary sources throughout the paper--sources that should, ultimately,
buttress his particular analysis of the topic. The following is an example of
what his thesis statement may look like once he has completed his research.
Though Beowulf is often read as a poem that
recounts the heroism and supernatural exploits of the protagonist Beowulf, it
may also be read as a poem that served as an exemplum of heterodoxy for tenth-
and eleventh-century monastic communities found in the Danelaw.
This statement does not negate the traditional readings of Beowulf;
instead, it offers a fresh and detailed reading of the poem that will be
supported by the student's research.
It is typically not until the student has begun the writing process that his
thesis statement begins to take solid form. In fact, the thesis statement in an
analytical paper is often more fluid than the thesis in an argumentative paper.
Such is one of the benefits of approaching the topic without a predetermined
stance.
A research paper is the culmination and final product of an involved process
of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and
composition. It is, perhaps, helpful to think of the research paper as a living
thing, which grows and changes as the student explores, interprets, and
evaluates sources related to a specific topic. Primary and secondary sources
are the heart of a research paper, and provide its nourishment; without the
support of and interaction with these sources, the research paper would morph
into a different genre of writing (e.g., an encyclopedic article). The research
paper serves not only to further the field in which it is written, but also to
provide the student with an exceptional opportunity to increase her knowledge in
that field. It is also possible to identify a research paper by what it is
not.
Research: What it is not.
A research paper is not simply an informed summary of a topic by means of
primary and secondary sources. It is neither a book report nor an opinion piece
nor an expository essay consisting solely of one's interpretation of a text nor
an overview of a particular topic. Instead, it is a genre that requires one to
spend time investigating and evaluating sources with the intent to offer
interpretations of the texts, and not unconscious regurgitations of those
sources. The goal of a research paper is not to inform the reader what others
have to say about a topic, but to draw on what others have to say about a topic
and engage the sources in order to thoughtfully offer a unique perspective on
the issue at hand. This is accomplished through two major types of research
papers.
Two major types of research papers.
1. Argumentative research paper:
The argumentative research paper consists of an introduction in which the
writer clearly introduces the topic and informs his audience exactly which
stance he intends to take; this stance is often identified as the thesis statement. An important goal of the
argumentative research paper is persuasion, which means the topic chosen should
be debatable or controversial. For example, it would be difficult for a student
to successfully argue in favor of the following stance.
Cigarette smoking poses medical dangers and may lead to
cancer for both the smoker and those who experience secondhand smoke.
Perhaps 25 years ago this topic would have been debatable; however, today, it
is assumed that smoking cigarettes is, indeed, harmful to one's health. A
better thesis would be the following.
Although it has been proven that cigarette smoking may lead
to sundry health problems in the smoker, the social acceptance of smoking in
public places demonstrates that many still do not consider secondhand smoke as
dangerous to one's health as firsthand smoke.
In this sentence, the writer is not challenging the current accepted stance
that both firsthand and secondhand cigarette smoke is dangerous; rather, she is
positing that the social acceptance of the latter over the former is indicative
of a cultural double-standard of sorts. The student would support this thesis
throughout her paper by means of both primary and secondary sources, with the
intent to persuade her audience that her particular interpretation of the
situation is viable.
2. Analytical research paper:
The analytical research paper often begins with the student asking a question
(a.k.a. a research question) on which he has taken no stance. Such a paper is
often an exercise in exploration and evaluation. For example, perhaps one is
interested in the Old English poem Beowulf. He has read the poem
intently and desires to offer a fresh reading of the poem to the academic
community. His question may be as follows.
How should one interpret the poem Beowulf? ( His research may lead him to the following conclusion.)
Beowulf is a poem whose purpose it was to serve as
an exemplum of heterodoxy for tenth- and eleventh-century monastic
communities.
Though his topic may be debatable and controversial, it is not the student's
intent to persuade the audience that his ideas are right while those of others
are wrong. Instead, his goal is to offer a critical interpretation of primary
and secondary sources throughout the paper--sources that should, ultimately,
buttress his particular analysis of the topic. The following is an example of
what his thesis statement may look like once he has completed his research.
Though Beowulf is often read as a poem that
recounts the heroism and supernatural exploits of the protagonist Beowulf, it
may also be read as a poem that served as an exemplum of heterodoxy for tenth-
and eleventh-century monastic communities found in the Danelaw.
This statement does not negate the traditional readings of Beowulf;
instead, it offers a fresh and detailed reading of the poem that will be
supported by the student's research.
It is typically not until the student has begun the writing process that his
thesis statement begins to take solid form. In fact, the thesis statement in an
analytical paper is often more fluid than the thesis in an argumentative paper.
Such is one of the benefits of approaching the topic without a predetermined
stance.