Right now the idea of writing an independent research paper might sound daunting, but don’t worry! This course breaks down the steps toward that paper into manageable bite-sized pieces
Starting Your Research
Over the next 7 weeks, you will be working toward completing a final paper. Right now the idea of writing an independent research paper might sound daunting, but don’t worry! This course breaks down the steps toward that paper into manageable bite-sized pieces (called “milestones”) each week. Along the way, you will learn the crucial skills of effective searching in the Excelsior College Library; source evaluation, analysis, and attribution; outlining; paraphrasing; and evidence-based argumentative writing.
Begin by reading about all of the Final Project Milestones.
Make sure to read pages 1.9 through 1.13 of the webtext before beginning this assignment.
Next, choose one of the topics from this list (this list also appears in Chapter 1 of your webtext). Each of these topics relates to our course theme of the future of our society as well as to one of Excelsior’s General Education Career Competencies. You will learn more about these competencies in the coming weeks and learn how to articulate your newly acquired skills in these areas to employers through your e-portfolio, where you will submit your completed final project at the end of the term.
This week, your job is to select a topic and do some preliminary thinking about it. Click on the link for your topic choice and read the linked “research starter” article.
While you may have some initial gut reactions or preformed opinions about this topic, consider other ways of thinking about it, even ideas you may think you disagree with at first. When you begin a scholarly research project like this it is crucial to start with an open mind. Trying to remain objective and skeptical allows you to let the sources guide your argument instead of the other way around. If you start with a pre-set opinion, your biases may influence your source selection so that you only choose sources that confirm your point of view.
Note: The topic you choose for this research project should be used ONLY in this class. If you are taking other classes that also require a research paper or presentation, the topic(s) you choose for them should be different from the one you select here. See Excelsior’s Academic Integrity Policy (Links to an external site.) for more information.
Submission Instructions
Now that you have read about your topic a bit and considered multiple perspectives related to it, you are ready to put together your Module 1 assignment.
The following components should appear together in one document in your submission. Use the Milestone 1 Template to assemble your finished product:
1. The topic you selected (it must be one of the choices from the provided list)
2. At least three questions you have about this topic and how it might impact the future of our society. You do not need to have answers to these questions yet, just pose the questions for now. Aim for “why” questions rather than “what”. These are the questions that will drive your research in the next few weeks and help you to find the most useful sources.
3. A short paragraph (approx. 150 words) reflecting on this process. Consider the following as you reflect: Why did you choose this topic? Do you think you have any biases toward a certain perspective on it? How will you try to minimize your own biases as you conduct research? Did you find it difficult to come up with facts and questions about your topic or to think about how this topic relates to the future?
Put all three components into the Milestone 1 Template and submit the finished document to the dropbox by Sunday night of Module 1. Scroll to the top of the page to locate the submission button.
You will receive feedback from your instructor during the first half of Module 2. Make sure to read and utilize that feedback as you work on the next milestone in Module 2.
IND101
Module 2 Course Project – Milestone 2
Evaluate
Brainstorming and Searching for Sources
Last week you chose a final project topic and began the research process. This week you will narrow your focus and find some preliminary sources.
Make sure you read and incorporate your instructor’s feedback on your Milestone 1 submission. You will receive a grade and feedback by Thursday of Module 2 at the latest.
Begin by reading pages 2.11 through 2.13 in the webtext and then begin the steps below.
Step 1: Freewriting
The first step to brainstorming is to harness your brain’s energy around a topic (aka create the “storm”). Many professional writers do this by freewriting about a topic for a set amount of time. This helps exercise your writing muscle and broaden your thinking on your topic. For this exercise, set a timer for 10 minutes. During this time write down anything that comes to mind about your topic. Don’t stop until the timer goes off! You don’t need to worry about proper spelling or sentence structure, just think broadly, pose questions, wonder, consider, and write what you already know about your topic. Think about the facts and questions you posed last week and how your instructor responded to them. You can choose to do this with a pen and paper or on a computer. You don’t need to submit this step with your finished product so feel free to experiment.
For example, if my topic choice is climate change my freewrite might look something like this:
I chose climate change as my topic. I don’t know much about it; but I know that when people say climate change they really mean warmer temperatures on Earth, sometimes it’s called global warming. I have heard that sea levels are rising and the ocean is getting warmer. This is causing ice caps to melt. What is causing it? The article I read last week talked about greenhouse gases and fossil fuels. Does everyone agree that climate change is happening? I don’t think so. Sometimes you hear on the news that politicians or TV personalities talk about climate change being made up, I’m not sure if that’s true. It seems like when you hear scientists talk about it they’re more certain that it’s a problem. Why does it seem like everyone talks about climate change as a problem but nothing ever actually changes? I think electric cars are a good idea but too expensive for me to buy, I wonder how they can bring them down in price so more people will switch from gas. I saw that movie that Al Gore made about global warming, but I don’t remember what it was called. Are alternative energy sources like wind farms and solar power really enough to make a big change? What are other countries doing? What would it take to end climate change entirely at this point or is that impossible?
The end result might be a mess! It might look nothing like the example above. That’s ok! The purpose of this activity is to get your thoughts out on paper so you can begin to filter and narrow them.
See the Milestone 2 Template for examples of each of the steps below:
Step 2: Making a List
The next step is to use your freewrite paragraph to help narrow your area focus. The topic choices from Module 1 are too broad to cover adequately in a short research paper, so you need to find one subject or idea within that topic. Pull out the important ideas from your paragraph that could be useful directions of focus. Aim for at least 5 different ideas to pull out and list in bullets.
Step 3: Describing Your Topic and Finding Your Keywords
As you’ve been working on this you may find that certain ideas are standing out to you as more intriguing avenues for research. Now, pick one of these ideas and write one to two sentences describing your narrowed topic.
Step 4: Thinking of Synonyms
Next, underline at least 4 phrases or words in your 1-2 sentence description. Then, for each underlined word, come up with at least two synonyms, abbreviations, acronyms, or alternative terms to describe it. You can use a thesaurus (Links to an external site.) to help you with this. This step is crucial to finding useful sources to use in your paper because the sources you’re looking for may not appear if you search for one keyword but will appear with another.
Step 5: Searching the Library
The synonyms now give you a great list of keywords to use to search the Excelsior College Library for sources.
For this stage, we will NOT be using Google or other internet search engines to find sources. It is important to first understand how to effectively use our Excelsior College Library to find appropriate, scholarly sources. While you can find these types of sources through a Google search as well, you often have to search through and distinguish between many inappropriate sources as well. In later weeks, we’ll learn more about assessing the validity of information on the internet.
For now, begin by going to the Library Homepage (Links to an external site.) and using the OneSearch tool. Try several combinations of your keywords and synonyms to see what types of sources come up. Tip: view Library searching tips and tricks (Links to an external site.) and try using search tricks like AND, OR, *, or “ ” to change your results.
Then, find at least 5 sources that are relevant to your topic. They can be books, journal articles, encyclopedia articles, news, and periodicals, etc. These may not end up being the final sources you use for your paper, but they are a good way to get started.
In your list of sources, make sure to include the URL (use the Library’s Permalink button to generate a stable URL (Links to an external site.)), the author (if there is one), the title of the article/book, and date. It does not need to be in proper APA format yet, but you are encouraged to practice this skill since you’ll need to use it later on in the course. * Note: Not all source types require a URL in APA format, but make sure to include one for this assignment so your instructor can view your source if needed.
Resources:
• Milestone 2 Template (Word document)
• Thesaurus (Links to an external site.)
• Library Homepage (Links to an external site.)
• Library searching tips and tricks (Links to an external site.)
• Instructions for Linking to Items in the Library (Links to an external site.)
Submission Instructions
Once you’ve completed the steps above, submit the following in one document to the dropbox by Sunday evening of Module 2. Use the Milestone 2 template to assemble and submit the final product:
1. Your list of at least 5 narrowed ideas on your topic from the free write activity
2. Your 1-2 sentence description of your narrowed topic with at least 4 key terms and phrases underlined
3. At least 2 synonyms for each of the 4 key terms or phrases
4. Five sources on your topic from the Excelsior Library search (including author, title, date, and URL)
Put all four components into the Milestone 2 Template and submit the finished document to the dropbox below by Sunday night of Module 2.
IND101
Module 3 Course Project – Milestone 3
Evaluate
Thesis Statement Draft and Source Evaluation
In Modules 1 and 2 you chose a final project topic and narrowed your focus through the process of brainstorming and finding preliminary sources. Make sure you are reading your instructor’s feedback each week and making improvements before submitting the next Milestone. For example, if your instructor suggested replacing any of the sources you listed in Milestone 2, or refining your narrowed topic of focus, make sure to take that into account before working on Milestone 3.
Now, in Module 3, you will draft a thesis statement and evaluate your sources for relevance and credibility.
Step 1: Thesis Statement Draft
Make sure you have completed pages 3.9 through 3.11 in Chapter 3 on Drafting your Thesis Statement. There, you will learn more about how to create a concise, specific, effective, and relevant thesis statement and then draft it in the webtext, so it is essential that you complete the webtext work before submitting this assignment. Then, copy/paste the thesis statement you drafted in the webtext into the Milestone 3 Template for submission.
Note: Your thesis statement is a working draft; it is ok (and expected!) that as part of the research process your thesis statement will adapt and change over the next few weeks based on your source analysis and your instructor’s feedback.
Step 2: In-Depth Evaluation of 1 Source
Next, make sure you have completed pages 3.12 and 3.13 in Chapter 3 on Evaluating Sources. Pick 1 of your 5 sources and conduct an in-depth evaluation that considers five categories: relevance, authority, currency, objectivity, and verifiability. See the example of how to put this together in the Milestone 3 Template.
Step 3: Narrowing Your List of Sources
An important part of the source evaluation process is to narrow and reconsider your chosen sources. Over the next few weeks, as you refine your thesis statement and continue reading about your topic, you may want to replace some of your sources in order to have the most effective, relevant, and credible sources when it comes time to write your final paper in Module 7.
This week, conduct an informal evaluation of all 5 of your sources for the criteria above (you do not need to submit this) and choose 1 source to omit or replace at this stage. Explain in a few sentences why you are choosing to get rid of this source.
Step 4: Reflection
Next, make sure you have completed page 3.14 in Chapter 3 on reflecting on your writing process. Write a short (~100-150 word) reflection paragraph about this activity at the bottom of your assignment. What did you find difficult about drafting a concise thesis statement? Which of the elements of source evaluation did you find most useful in evaluating your sources? Do you think you will revisit your list of sources and continue to find new sources over the next few weeks? Why or why not? What questions or concerns do you have about the research process at this stage?
Resources:
• Milestone 3 Template
• Library Homepage (Links to an external site.)
• Instructions for Linking to Items in the Library (Links to an external site.)
Submission Instructions
Your final submission should include:
1. Your one-sentence thesis statement (copy/pasted from the webtext template on page 3.11)
2. Your in-depth evaluation of 1 source through five categories
3. The 1 source you will omit and an explanation of why you chose to omit it
4. A short (~100-150 word) reflection on this activity
Put all four components into the Milestone 3 Template and submit the finished document to the dropbox below by Sunday night of Module 3.
IND101
Module 4 Course Project – Milestone 4
Evaluate
Paraphrasing and List of References
In the previous three modules, you found and evaluated your sources for the Final Project. Now, in Module 4, you will practice the skill of paraphrasing to learn how to use a source appropriately as evidence to support your argument, without using its language verbatim. Then, you will practice putting all of your sources into proper APA format for a reference list. APA is the citation style required in all courses at Excelsior College, so learning the details of APA formatting is important for your future academic success.
This assignment will be completed in two steps. Use the Milestone 4 Template to see an example of each step and to submit your own work.
Step 1: Paraphrasing Activity
First, read pages 4.11 through 4.13 of the webtext on paraphrasing and use the following resources to learn more:
• Start by reading more about paraphrasing (Links to an external site.) in the Excelsior OWL
• Then, try the OWL’s paraphrasing activity (Links to an external site.) to make sure you understand what you need to do.
• Read the APA In-Text Citations (Links to an external site.) resources in the Excelsior OWL
Next, pick a key passage from one of your Final Project sources. The passage should be relevant to your topic and thesis statement, something that you will be likely to use as evidence when you write your final paper. The passage you choose should also be at least 5 sentences long. Next, copy/paste this passage into the Template, place it inside quotation marks.
Then, below your quoted passage, paraphrase the material in your own words and then include an in-text citation of the source at the end of your paragraph. Your paraphrase should be at least 2-3 sentences.
Paraphrasing is more than just replacing individual words here and there. Be careful about relying on the thesaurus. The goal is to put the idea fully in your own words by changing the structure, voice, and significantly changing the wording in order to differentiate it from the original. If you find this difficult to do with the source in front of you, try reading the source and then putting it out of sight. Then reword it from memory and your understanding of the passage. Understanding correct paraphrasing is important because if you paraphrase incorrectly by only replacing words sporadically or keeping the original wording without putting it inside quotes, it is considered a form of academic dishonesty.
Step 2: Reference List in APA Format
Next, read page 4.14 of the webtext and use the following resources to learn more:
• Start by reading and viewing the resources on APA References (Links to an external site.) in the Excelsior OWL
• Review the Intro to APA Citations (Links to an external site.) tip sheet from the Excelsior Library
• Then, try the OWL’s APA Activity (Links to an external site.) to make sure you understand the basics of APA formatting
• Tip: Autogenerated citations are not always correct! Library sources often include automatically generated citations in multiple style formats. Read the Library’s warning (Links to an external site.)about this tool, it is not always correct! Double-check your citation against the rules above to make sure it’s correct before submitting it.
Next, you will create a reference list for your Final Project using your 4 sources. Each source must be in proper APA format (pay close attention to the details like italics, commas, periods, and capitalization). In addition, make sure to properly format the reference list itself (pay close attention to your spacing, indentation, and alphabetization). No detail is too small for this exercise!
Resources:
• Milestone 4 Template (Word document)
• Paraphrasing (Links to an external site.)
• OWL’s paraphrasing activity (Links to an external site.)
• APA In-Text Citation (Links to an external site.)
• APA References (Links to an external site.)
• Intro to APA Citations (Links to an external site.)
• Library warning about autogenerated citations (Links to an external site.)
• APA Activity (Links to an external site.)
• Library Homepage (Links to an external site.)
Submission Instructions
Your final submission should include:
1. A key passage from one of your sources, inside quotation marks.
2. Your paraphrase of the quotation with a properly formatted APA style in-text citation at the end of the paragraph.
3. A list of references for your 4 sources in proper APA format.
Put all three components into the Milestone 4 Template and submit the finished document to the dropbox by Sunday night of Module 4.
IND101
Module 5 Course Project – Milestone 5
Evaluate
Introduction and Outline (for Peer Reviewer)
In the last four modules, you have completed important steps toward building your final research paper and received feedback from your instructor to help you make changes and improve. Feedback is essential to the writing process; the more eyes on your work, the better it can become. So this week, you will submit your Milestone 5 assignment so that both your instructor and a peer reviewer can give you their feedback in Module 6. In turn, you will also review another student’s work in Module 6.
Begin by reading pages 5.8 through 5.11 in the webtext and then compile the submission components below in the Milestone 5 Template.
Step 1: Introduction Paragraph
For this assignment, you will draft the introduction for your final paper. First, review the following resources on creating an effective introduction: Excelsior OWL–Introduction paragraphs (Links to an external site.) and UNC Chapel Hill-Introductions. (Links to an external site.)
Your introduction paragraph should be approximately 150-200 words. It should:
1. Grab the reader’s attention with an opening “hook” – this may be an interesting example, a quotation, an anecdote, or a question related to your topic
2. Include your thesis statement as the last sentence of the introduction and underline it to make it clear to your reader. It’s expected that your thesis statement has changed and improved since you last submitted it in Milestone 3 based on your instructor’s feedback.
3. Since you are drafting content that will become part of your final project, which is a formal academic writing assignment, you should avoid informal language (i.e. slang) and first-person pronouns (i.e. “I”, “me”, “my”)
Step 2: Outline
Once you have drafted your introduction paragraph, below it in the same document you will compose an outline of the body paragraphs and conclusion of your paper. First, review the following resource on outlines: Excelsior OWL–Traditional Outlining (Links to an external site.).
Your outline should include at least 3 body paragraphs supporting your thesis statement, 1 body paragraph to refute opposing perspectives, and a conclusion that reiterates your thesis statement. Each body paragraph should include 1-2 supporting details with the source or sources you plan to use as evidence for that detail. This way you will determine if you have enough evidence for your points, which will make it much easier to draft your full paper in the coming weeks or find additional sources if necessary.
Follow the format in the Milestone 5 Template to make sure your outline includes the necessary components.
Step 3: Reference List
Since you are including source information in your outline, you need to include a list of references at the end for all of your sources. This should be formatted in APA style, just as you did last week for Milestone 4. If your instructor offered corrections and feedback on your Milestone 4 references, make sure to make those changes before submitting Milestone 5.
Resources:
• Milestone 5 Template (Word document)
• Excelsior OWL – Introduction paragraphs (Links to an external site.)
• Excelsior OWL – Traditional Outlining (Links to an external site.)
• Library Homepage (Links to an external site.) (Excelsior Library)
• UNC Chapel Hill – Introductions (Links to an external site.)
Submission Instructions
Your final submission should include:
1. Your introduction paragraph with your underlined thesis statement as the last sentence.
2. Your outline with sources for each of your supporting details.
3. A list of references in APA style at the end of the document.
Put all of these components into one document using the Milestone 5 Template and submit it to the dropbox by Sunday of Module 5.
IND101
Module 7 Course Project – Milestone 7
Evaluate
Final Project
Over the last six modules, you built toward this culminating moment: the submission of your final project. This week you will be drafting a research paper of 3-5 pages (approximately 750-1250 words) that builds on your previous Milestone work. Use the Final Project Template for an example of how to create and format your final paper.
Begin by reading pages 7.8-7.13 in the webtext before beginning this assignment.
Step 1: Reflect on Previous Milestone Feedback and Make Adjustments
Each week after you submitted a Milestone assignment, your instructor provided you with feedback, often including suggestions for improvement. Take stock of that feedback and incorporate it. This might mean adjusting the wording of your thesis statement, replacing a source, fixing errors in your APA formatting, rewriting your introduction, or rethinking your organization of paragraphs. Make sure to use your peer’s feedback on Milestone 5 as well – what suggestions did they have to improve your introduction and outline? Did they understand your argument and if not, how can you communicate it more clearly?
Step 2: Use Your Outline to Draft Your Paper
Using your Milestone 5 outline, begin to flesh out each of your body paragraphs by adding evidence from your sources that support your thesis (along with proper in-text citations for ideas or quotes from your sources). Make sure to include transitions between paragraphs and wrap up your paper with a conclusion paragraph that reiterates your thesis argument and offers some concluding thoughts.
Step 3: Review and Edit Your Work
Once you have a full draft written, make sure to re-read it carefully with an eye on the details like spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence clarity, and word choice. Go back to the Writing Refresher section of the course for help with any weak areas of your writing. Try reading it aloud to catch errors you might otherwise miss in print.
Step 4: Submit to the Canvas Dropbox and Review Your Turnitin Report. Make Changes If Needed and Resubmit.
As you learned in Module 4, Excelsior uses Turnitin in the Canvas dropbox as a learning tool for students. Plan to submit to the dropbox a few days early if you can so you have time to review your Turnitin report and similarity score. If your score comes back high, revise your content to make sure you are using original writing, citing ideas from others, and properly putting the exact words of others in quotation marks.
Note: you can resubmit to the dropbox up until the due date for this assignment, which is Sunday night at 11:59 pm ET of Module 7. After that due date has passed, your most recent submission is considered final.
Resources
• Final Project Template (Word document)
• Writing Refresher
Submission Instructions:
Submit a completed 3-5 page (approx. 750-1250 words) research paper on your topic choice made in Module 1 that incorporates your work from Milestones 1-6. Use the Final Project Template for an example of how to create and format your final paper.
It should include:
• At least 4 references
• A title page and reference page in APA style
• In-text citations in APA format
• An introductory paragraph with your clear, one-sentence thesis statement (this should NOT be underlined at this point)
• Body paragraphs that use information from the sources as evidence to prove the thesis statement
• A conclusion paragraph that offers final thoughts and reiterates the thesis statement
• Proper spelling, syntax, and grammar
• Improvements based on your instructor’s feedback on your previous milestone work (i.e. to the thesis statement, introduction, organization, use of sources, APA style, etc.)
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