Wrangling the Research Paper, Part Two: Juggling Sources

The use of several sources can be overwhelming.   To help students cut their sources down to a manageable size, try offering them this method:

1.       Open to a clean page in their notebook.

2.      Divide that page into three columns, two wide and one narrow.

3.      Label the first “quote/paraphrase and source”.  Label the second “response”.  Label the narrow one “section”.

4.      Students should go through their sources one at a time, pulling out direct quotes or paraphrases that they think they will likely use.   Record these in the first column, along with the source.

5.      Next to these quotes/paraphrases in the second column, write out their thoughts and response. 

6.      In the third column, make a guess as to which section of the paper this quote/paraphrase might fit.

7.      If a student comes up with 12-15 of these, and takes a look in the third column, it becomes very clear which quotes go together, and which areas of the paper have a lot of evidence and which do not.

This method attempts not only to cut sources down to size, but also to help organize sections of the paper.  It is time-consuming, but a useful practice.  

quote/paraphrase and source	response	section
“the children were nestled all snug in their beds”  (Moore 6)	In this part of the poem, Moore sets the tension between the quiet sleeping children and the action about to happen, the interior space and the exterior, the difference between…	Part 2
“when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter/I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter (Moore 7)	Moore breaks the silence of the poem and provides unmistakable evidence of Santa’s existence…	Part 3
Etc.

Wrangling the Research Paper

It’s research paper time again, which means lots of students with lots of stress.   Many students have not taken advantage of the step-by-step writing process that their instructors have provided, nor have they taken seriously the need to spend considerable time finding and culling through sources.   So here they are with the barest skeleton of an idea in hand with a lengthy paper due the next day.   One thing we can do is to help students take apart the assignment to look at the various pieces.  Most research papers ask students to select an issue with two sides.   Here are some steps to help students break down this large assignment into chunks.

·        Help formulate a clear research question:  “Should Harry Potter be banned from public schools?”   “Was the moon landing real or a hoax?”  “Should women in the Navy be allowed on submarines?”   Help students write in the frame of the assignment.

·        Help formulate and write down a clear position in answer to their question—this position is, of course, their thesis.    Emphasize the focus on following this answer only.

·        Help the student list points on both sides of the argument.

·        Help get students started on places to find research—start with the databases.  For most research papers, the Comprehensive selection is a good one with several good databases inside—MasterFile Premier, Gold, Opposing Viewpoints, etc.   

·        Provide the MLA tip sheet.

Students are shocked to realize that this assignment requires several hours of work between researching and writing.   Unfortunately, we are in the position to be the bearers of bad news sometimes.   Please remember that we are not here to be miracle workers, even if that is what the students want.  We can only do our best given the constraints of time that students present us with.   Just be gently honest and help students get to a place where they can take a next step, whatever that most logical step may be.     The last two weeks of the semester are usually quite stressful, but we always get through it.     (Check out the Office Yoga book for additional help.)

What's the Big Picture?

A lot of times students will come in with a variation on the theme of “can you just look this over?”   For many students, having perfect sentences and no grammar or mechanical errors is the definition of a strong piece of writing.   It’s our job, though, to help students with a much bigger picture.   When a student comes in, please have him or her read the entire document aloud, or read it yourself either aloud or silently.   Keep the pen in the student's hands.   Start with “higher order concerns”—how is the content?  thesis or topic sentence(s)? order, organization? is the writing meeting the assignment?  Once you have addressed these, then move on to “lower order concerns”—transitions, grammar, mechanics.    If students are following a true process, some of those sentences they were worried about at the start might not even be present in the writing after a session that moves in the direction described above.  This is not to advocate a dismissal of lower order concerns—they are important to the writing.  But often there are bigger issues than a fragment or comma splice.  Please get in the habit of addressing these first. 

Writing in the Frame: Compare/Contrast

In the 1940’s, Academy-award winning actress Katharine Hepburn caused a scandal when she walked through a hotel lobby because she was wearing slacks.   Seven decades later, women’s scandal-causing fashions are not news.  Hems reach higher, necklines lower, fabrics more sheer than plain air.   Women’s acceptable fashions have changed, but what do the fashions reveal?   Have women been liberated by their fashion choices, showing off bodies of every size and shape, or are current fashions just a 21^st century form of objectification?

The compare/contrast essay is more than just a tennis match of back and forth points of comparison.  There has to be a larger purpose to the comparing; in other words, what does the comparison reveal?  For Basic Writing, students must simply show a larger purpose for the comparison.  For Composition I, students must show a relationship to culture.   Setting up the several points of comparison is the easy part.  Finding out that “so what” answer is the key to the assignment and not a key that is easily located.  What is the student writing about?  What point does the student want to make?  What has the student noticed while comparing?  Asking lots of questions to get students to locate their “so what” is one way to help.