English 100 The Research Paper Fall, 1998
One of the most common misconceptions about research is that it is something we do on subjects about which we know absolutely nothing. Actually, this rarely happens; instead, we most often do research on a topic we are familiar with in some ways, but about which we wish to know much more. Research, then, should be
understood as an extension of present knowledge.
To reinforce this basic principle we will complete a research paper project in this course which builds upon already completed work--the in-class paper you write today, Tuesday, November 10. We will go to the library having already delineated our "present knowledge" (the in-class essay) in a search for additional information (research).
This approach to research has a second dividend: it makes clear what material in a research paper needs to be acknowledged, through documentation, as deriving from the work of others. That is, it makes plagiarism--the failure to attribute information to appropriate sources--almost impossible. If what is in the in-class essay represents your present knowledge, almost everything that is added later must come from research and therefore will require acknowledgement. Such documentation will ensure against unintentional plagiarism. The principles observed in conducting
this research project can be carried forward into any later research assignments you face, as a student or as a graduate, insuring a logical method of developing a topic and of avoiding unintentional plagiarism. Here is our schedule for the project:
Between November 10 and November 12: Review this assignment description. Begin consulting sources only after you understand the guidelines for library work.
November 12: A session in the library to find out more about locating sources and to ask questions about the assignment.
November 17: We will discuss the ways in which new material found through research can be integrated with the in-class essay in an expanded format. Bring the Longwood Style Manual. Anyone who has had trouble finding material in the library should ask for assistance.
November 19: A minimum of five note cards must be brought to class on this day or you will be sent to the library. We will use the note cards and the in-class essay to outline a longer paper. The material from the note cards will be added to the original essay (which will also be revised in the process).
November 24: Bring a draft of the research paper project to class where we will review the correct form for documentation. Bring the Longwood Style Manual to resolve questions. You may turn the paper in on that day or on December 1.
The following directions govern the research and taking of notes on this project. Read these directions carefully.
1. All library research must be done in the Longwood library. No books, however, will be checked out of the library. The amount of material you can use is specifically limited, so you will not need the sources themselves, only time enough to look through them for appropriate information.
2. You may use only 10 3x5-inch note cards in this project. This is to encourage you to copy down only information specifically related to the original, in-class essay. Quality, not quantity is the object of this assignment.
3. Put all notes from each source on only one note card, so that no single source in the end dominates your final paper. (There are no separate bibliography cards; put all bibliographical information on the note card.)
4. One card will be devoted to what is called common knowledge on your topic (information that is so frequently cited by authorities writing on your subject that no acknowledgement is needed). Thus, you will have in the end no more than 9 different sources (one per note card).
5. You need to have the following different kinds of sources: one (and only one) ready reference work; at least one book; at least one magazine, periodical, or newspaper article; at least one internet source.
6. You must have at least five different sources. (A book or other work which contains more than one article or essay is still considered only one source.)
7. Each card for each source must have the bibliographical information appropriate to that kind of source, as explained in the Longwood Style Manual. Pay special attention to material found through computer services.
8. Notes on the note cards can only be of two kinds and must be clearly labeled: direct quotations (which appear within quotation marks and are the exact words in the exact order as the original with nothing left out); and summarized material (which does not appear in quotation marks but is clearly marked in the margin as "summary"). Each entry on each card must include the exact single page number(s) on which it was found in the source.
Note: The most common excuse for incomplete work is that no material could be found on the topic. This excuse will not be accepted: you are required to find the best available information, even if it is not what you had hoped to find. For example, if your topic is the happiness you found from building log cabins, and you go to the library looking for a book entitled The Joys of Log Cabin Building, but do not find it, you may not stop there. You must broaden the range of your search and take what you can find--information on log cabins in general, on building traditional frame houses, on constructions of other structures, whatever is there. There is information in print or on the Web that will add to your original essay. You must develop the flexibility to find it and fit it into your expanding research paper. You must also begin your search in the library early enough after class on November 10 so that, even if something comes up at the last minute and you are unable to continue work in the library, you will already have enough accomplished that you can go forward.