ENGL 1502 Research Paper

We live in an age overflowing with sources of information. With so many information sources at our fingertips, knowing
where to start, sorting through it all and finding what we want can be overwhelming! This handout provides answers to the
following research-related questions: Where do I begin? Where should I look for information? What types of sources are
available?
Research: Where do I begin?
Before you begin your research, you should ask yourself some questions. These will help narrow your search parameters.
What kind of information are you looking for?
Do you want facts? Opinions? News reports? Research studies? Analyses? Personal reflections? History?
Where would be a likely place to look?
Which sources are likely to be most useful to you? Libraries? The Internet? Academic periodicals? Newspapers?
Government records?
If, for example, you are searching for information on some current event, a reliable newspaper like the New York
Times will be a useful source. Are you searching for statistics on some aspect of the U.S. population? Then, start with
documents such as United States census reports. Do you want some scholarly interpretations of literature? If so, academic
periodicals and books are likely to have what you’re looking for. Want to know about commercial products? Will those
companies have Web sites with information? Are you searching for local history? Then a county library, government
office, or local newspaper archive is likely to be the most useful.
How much information do you need?
How many sources of information are you looking for? Do you need to view both sides of the issue?
Online vs. Print Publications
An important distinction when doing research is the difference between traditional publications and Internet resources. The
Internet may be the most convenient place to begin your research, but it is not always the best.
Internet Sources: Anything published exclusively online in a variety of digital formats. Material includes: web
pages, PDF documents, ebooks, multimedia.
Traditional Publications: This includes anything that has been published in print form and is widely available
at libraries and bookstores. Material includes: books, textbooks, newspapers, popular and scholarly journals, and
magazines.
With the advent of new technologies, many traditional resources are now available online (including newspaper articles,
magazines, book chapters, and journal articles). Pay careful attention to whether the source you have found is an onlineonly source or if it has a print component as well.
Types of Sources
The amount of information can be overwhelming and confusing. This section provides a list of common types of sources
and what information you can discover from each.
Traditional print sources
Books and Textbooks: Books present a multitude of topics. Because of the time it takes to publish a book, books usually
contain more dated information than will be found in journals and newspapers.
Newspapers: Predominately covering the latest events and trends, newspapers contain very up-to-date information.
Newspapers report both information that is factual in nature and also share opinions. Generally, however, they will not
take a “big picture” approach or contain information about larger trends.
Academic and Trade Journals: Academic and trade journals are where to find the most up-to-date information and
research in industry, business, and academia. Journal articles come in several forms, including literature reviews that
overview current and past research, articles on theories and history, or articles on specific processes or research.
Government Reports and Legal Documents: The government releases information intended for its own use or for public
use. These types of documents can be an excellent source of information. An example of a government report is the U.S.
Census data. Most government reports and legal documents can now be accessed online.
Press Releases and Advertising: Companies and special interest groups produce texts to help persuade readers to act in
some way or inform the public about some new development
Flyers, Pamphlets, Leaflets: While some flyers or pamphlets are created by reputable sources, because of the ease in
which they are created, many less-than-reputable sources also produce these. They are useful for quick reference or very
general information.
Multimedia: Printed material is certainly not the only option for finding research. Also consider media sources such as
radio and television broadcasts, interactive talks, and public meetings.
Internet-only sources
Web sites: Most of the information on the Internet is distributed via Web sites. Web sites vary widely in quality of
information and validity of sources.
Weblogs / Blogs: A rather recent development in Web technology, weblogs or blogs are a type of interactive journal
where writers post and readers respond. They vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources. For example,
many prestigious journalists and public figures may have blogs, which may be more credible of a blog than most.
Message boards, Discussion lists, and Chat rooms: Discussion lists, chat rooms, and message boards exist for all kinds
of disciplines both in and outside of the university. However, plenty of boards exist that are rather unhelpful and poorly
researched.
Multimedia: The Internet has a multitude of multimedia resources including online broadcasts and news, images, audio
files, and interactive Web sites.
Primary Research
Research isn’t limited to published material that can be found on the Internet or at the library. Many topics you choose to
write on may not have an abundance of sources and hence may require a different kind of approach to conducting
research. This approach involves collecting information directly from the world around you and can include interviews,
observations, and surveys; this is called primary research.
If you are working on writing about a problem local to your school or community, you may need to conduct primary
research. You may be able to find secondary sources (such as those found at the library or online) on the more general
topic you are pursuing, but may not find specifics on your school or town. To supplement this lack of sources, you can
collect data on your own.
For example, Briel wants to research a proposed smoking ban in public establishments in Lafayette, Indiana. She begins
by going to the library and then searching online. She finds information related to smoking bans in other cities around the
United States, but only a few limited articles from the local newspaper on the ban proposed in Lafayette. To supplement
this information, she decides to survey twenty local residents to learn what they think of the proposed smoking ban. She
also decides to interview two local business owners to learn how they think the ban may affect their businesses. Finally,
she attends and observes a town hall meeting where the potential ban is discussed.
Many different types of primary research exist. Some common ones used for writing classes include:
 Interviews: A conversation between two or more people in which one person (the interviewer) asks a series of
questions to another person or persons (the interviewee).
 Surveys and questionnaires: A process of gathering specific information from people in a systematic way with
a set series of questions. Survey questions usually have pre-specified or short responses.
 Observations: Careful viewing and documenting of the world around you.
This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/).
Contributors:Dana Lynn Driscoll, Karl Stolley.

ENGL 1502 Research Paper

ENGL 1502 Research Paper Instructions

Research Paper Deadline: Week 8
Background:
Throughout this semester, we’ve focused on applying our critical thinking and argumentative skills on
three general subjects facing America in 2015: the future of food, the hypersexualization of children,
and the evolving definition of “diversity.”
Now it’s time to put all that preliminary exposure and research to use in our research paper.
Assignment Specifics:
The research paper must:
 Land between 2000 and 2500 words
 Employ a variety of rhetorical modes and strategies (rhetorical analysis, Toulmin, arguments of
fact, definition, proposal, and more) to effectively structure the paper and direct the content to
support the thesis
 Integrate 5-8 credible sources
 Avoid reliance on logical fallacies
 Utilize sound appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos
 Appropriately match style and content with audience and occasion
 Include a works cited AND an annotated bibliography (see below)
Prompt:
I encourage you to create your own prompt or “research question.” You will state your research
question in your Research Paper Proposal, and I will let you know if the question is acceptable or needs
additional consideration.
If you would rather respond to an existing prompt or tailor an existing prompt, you may. The following
prompts may be used as they are; they may also be tailored as you like:
What has changed in American society in the past 30 years that has contributed to the
hypersexualization of children? What are the ramifications of this shift in terms of child
development, the objectification of women, and society in general?
How has the definition of “diversity” shifted in America in the past 20 years? What factors are
now considered to evaluate diversity that were not previously considered? How has this
expanded definition impacted specific aspects of American society and culture?
What American habits and policies are contributing to the decline of the environment and the
health of American citizens? Are these trends changing? If so or if not, what is the future of food
in America, and how does that future impact the health of Americans?
Annotated Bibliography
This assignment requires an annotated bibliography which consists of a works cited entry for each
source you cite AND reference in the writing of your paper as well as a brief summary and critique of
each source. (Review this resource for help: http://library.ucf.edu/rosen/annotated.pdf. Make note of
the MLA example at the end of the document; this is the format you will use.)
The annotated bibliography is IN ADDITION to the works cited page.
Questions?
Send me a PM, and I will answer as promptly as possible. 

ENGL 1502 Research Paper