ENG 1020: Investigating/Explaining: Academic Research Paper
In The New Science of Learning by Terry Doyle & Todd Zakrajsek, the authors argue that the singular goal of their text is to aid you (a college student) in better understanding "how you can learn how to learn in harmony with your brain."
GENERAL PURPOSE
Your task in this assignment is to compose an informative piece of writing meant to educate the reader and provide a general overview of current research related to the mind (or brain) and/or the mind/body connection.
This will allow you to easily integrate all of the sources that you have found for your annotations thus far this term into a paper clearly focused on one general topic while providing you an opportunity to discuss several specific areas of your choosing that are related to that bigger, more general subject area.
A general outline for a paper may look something like this one:
Introduction:
The lead-in: Your intro should begin with a lead-in that catches your reader's attention and encourages them to read further. Think of the examples of Yvette Vickers, the former Playboy bunny, from the article, "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?" What was the most shocking, surprising, or interesting fact you found in your own research? Somehow develop this into a lead-in. This is really the only space in your research paper that allows you an opportunity to be a little creative. Click here for some good examples.
The thesis statement: This is one sentence that clearly conveys the central message and general purpose of your paper (see the general purpose above in red font).
Preview your main points: Preview the main points of your paper by providing a map for your reader of the direction your paper will lead them. These should come from the topic sentences of the body of your paper.
The "so what"statement: This is your opportunity to directly explain to your reader why your topic is so important and how it is directly relevant to their lives. Like the lead-in, it is also an opportunity to encourage them to read further. It is your chance to make them understand why reading your paper is worth their investment of time and effort.
The Body
This is the area of your paper where you will provide all of the details related to the thesis in your intro.
Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that illustrates something about your thesis statement. Keep in mind that the topic sentence previews the entire content of a paragraph.
This is the section of your paper where you will present several specific areas of your choosing in an effort to educate your audience about current research into the mind (or brain) and/or the mind/body connection.
This is where you can provide details related to your specific research question you developed in class as well as other areas of research (the effects of sleep on learning, how exercise affects learning, how nutrition affects learning, among others).
This section of the essay is where you will also relate the examples from your research partner's life.
The Conclusion
The final paragraph of your essay should summarize the main points of the body (see your topic sentences), and you must also restate your thesis here. It should have the same meaning as the thesis statement from your intro, but use different language to communicate that idea. You must also provide another "so what" statement. Like the "so what" statement from your intro, this is your opportunity to directly explain to your reader why your topic is so important and how it is directly relevant to their lives. This is the final thought that you will provide, so make it one that hits home the central idea of your paper.
Other General Requirements
Keep in mind that this is a journalistic informative piece only, NOT an
argumentative essay. Present the information that you have found and suggest possible connections between your sources (this is where you are directly adding your own academic voice).
The information for your formal research paper must come from a library or library databases. YOU MAY NOT USE WORLD WIDE WEB SOURCES .
You must use a min. of 5to 7 academic & scholarly sources in your paper.
One of these can be the text by Doyle & Zakrajsek.
While you are required to use personal examples of the members of your own research group that was assigned to you in class, you should not discuss any of your own experiences in the paper.
This assignment is designed for you to learn to explore complex issues and difficult, abstract, or unusual ideas and in the process discover and learn something about yourself and the world. As a writer you have a responsibility to your readers to make these difficult concepts concrete and understandable. While writing, try to avoid vague generalizations. Instead, provide examples (from your research and your research partner's experiences) that are convincing, most likely to interest your readers, and those that will best explain your thesis.
AUDIENCE (Who is my reader?)
When you begin writing, assume that you are writing this essay for publication in an academic journal. Your audience is made up of scholars, academics, professors, experts in their fields, and the highly-educated.
This means your sources must be academic, scholarly, and These may be taken from books, academic journals, magazines, and newspapers.
Because your purpose is to educate (and not argue), all times, your tone should be fair and balanced and you should avoid argumentative language. To do this, you will need to use both qualifers and author tags/signal phrase (see class notes).
This is a formal academic essay. Do not use contractions, informal language or slang, or the first person (“I”).
A Neutral, Unbiased Voice
Format
Your essay should have a title. It should also be typed, double spaced, with one-inch margins all around, Times New Roman Font, & 12 pt. Your paper should be 5 FULL PAGES up to 7 FULL pages and have a works cited page. Refer to OWL at Purdue for questions about MLA format and citations.
NOTE: YOU MUST SHOW YOUR WRITING PROCESS. REMEMBER, NO PROCESS, NO GRADE.
Final Draft, evaluated on the following criteria:
Total Possible Points: 80/
Focus (22 points): Does essay have a clear purpose? Focus on a main idea and clearly identifiable thesis? Are reader’s expectations set and then met? Ideas, examples, and reasons developed in the body of the paper are clearly related to the main focus?
Development (22 points): Are supporting examples, showing details, and data rich and relevant to the main idea? Are the writer’s assertions immediately followed by supporting evidence? Appropriate research supports the writer’s main idea or thesis? The writer shows how or why evidence is relevant to main idea or claim?
Organization (22 points): Do ideas and paragraphs proceed in logical and apparent sequence or pattern? Does writer use sufficient audience cues to let the reader know what has been discussed, what is being discussed, or what will be discussed? Does writer use attention-getting title and lead-in, essay map, summary and forecasting statements, paragraph hooks, transitional words and phrases? Do effective conclusions guide the reader from beginning to end?
Style (7 points): Is language clear direct and readable? Are sentences clear, concise, and easily read by intended audience? Is word choice appropriate for audience? Do sentences reveal and sustain appropriate voice and tone?
Mechanics (7 points): Are there obvious errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Are there patterns of error?
NO 1ST DRAFT ON DUE DATE (-7 POINTS)
NO PEER CRITIQUE (-7 POINTS)
NO REFLECTION (-7 POINTS)
NO PROCESS OR PROPER CITATION OF SOURCES=NO GRADE
Grading scale:
A 72-80
B 64-71
C 56-63
D 48-55
F 0-47
