Introduction To Date You Have Learned The Basics Of Research

Introductionto Date You Have Learned The Basics Of Research Written

Introduction To date, you have learned the basics of research, written a research question, and a hypothesis. This week, the lesson focuses on improving your general writing skills so that you are prepared to write clearly and correctly. Once you have learned the basics of good writing, it just takes practice to refine and improve your skills. This week we will start with the basics, and learn how to write a good sentence, and then paragraph, short paper, and an article review. Writing with Intelligence In graduate programs, you are required to communicate your ideas through writing and your ability to write effectively is a gradable portion of most assignments.

Fortunately, every person can learn to write more effectively and correctly, so think of every assignment as an opportunity to practice and hone your skills!! The following are some basic guidelines for writing with intelligence: · Say what you mean . Clarity is the most important element of writing effectively. Choose your words and phrases carefully to ensure that you communicate exactly what you mean, not some vague approximation of your idea. This requires understanding what you are trying to say first, and may take several tries. · Keep your focus . Too often, students try to write everything they know about a given subject whether it is directly relevant, or answers the question that is being asked. · Write with structure. We learned in high school English class how to write a paragraph but for many of us, our professions dictate that we write in incomplete sentences and truncated paragraphs. In academic work, you will re-learn these basic techniques. First, write the topic sentence that states the thesis of the paragraph. Then follow it with 3 – 4 supporting sentences. Each paragraph you write should follow that model. · Use transitions to move from one line of thought to another. Transitions recap the thought from the previous section and shift the direction of thought. · Review and practice basic punctuation and grammar . At the conclusion of a section or paper, recap and summarize what you’re written so your points are clear in the reader’s mind. The specific task to learn this week is how to write a short 1-page article review. This sort of product is usually limited to 4-5 paragraphs and must express all elements of the research topic and conclusion within the piece.

Compressing knowledge into a short coherent written assignment requires that the writer follow these steps: · Have a plan . Having made notes from reading and re-reading the article you are going to review, the writer can make an outline or jot down the main points that capture the argument of the article. · Follow a format. Decide what the format will be. For a 1- page review, the most common format is a 4- paragraph format which includes an opening paragraph that sets out the thesis and provides a sketch of the argument. Paragraphs 2 and 3 lay out the main supporting points. Paragraph 4 provides the conclusion and a few supporting sentences. · Edit, Edit, Edit. Be merciless. If a word is not critical, cut it out. It is surprising how difficult it is to write a simple 1- page review of an article, but this is an important learning tool to writing with clarity and precision. Understanding the Assignment Article Review Reading an Article to Review It Choose your article carefully. It cannot be so complex that you cannot possibly review it in a page. Interest in the topic and the article will help you write a better review, so take some time to choose an article whose topic and scholarly approach genuinely interest you. · Read actively and critically. Don't read just to discover the author's main point or to mine some facts. · Engage with the text, marking important points and underlining passages as you go along. · Focus first on summary and analysis. · Then read, making notes as you go. Begin to evaluate, comparing other arguments against the author’s, emphasizing what’s new and important in the article. Decide whether the author achieved his goal in writing the article. INTRODUCTION Writing the Introduction The Introduction provides an overview of the article and your general thesis. It will be an overarching explanation of the general points of the article that you will provide in a brief summary, followed by 2-3 sentences that support the thesis of your introduction. The introduction may also contain brief background information about the topic, your stand, or about the criteria you will use for evaluation. These elements work together to provide a "springboard" into your review. This section provides an overview of the topic that you are writing about, a concise synopsis of the issues, and why the topic presents a “puzzle†that prompts your research questions, which you will include. This section will be 1-2 pages. This section can be preceded by an epigraph that creates interest in the topic. Ensure that you follow proper format for epigraphs!! OVERVIEW Writing the Body of the Review Organize the body of your review according to a logical plan. Here is the best option for a short paper: · Summarize and evaluate the major points you have chosen from the article in logical sequence, moving from point to point to point. Here again, you must use a topic sentence for each paragraph to identify the point you plan to summarize or evaluate. · Include in this section a synopsis of the writer’s argument and evidence. Did they support their argument or not? Summarize the strong points of the article and then provide a balanced summary of the weaknesses of the argument. Was the tone convincing? · Keep your opinions distinct and cite your sources. Keep the summary portions of your discussion concise, remembering that your task as a reviewer is to re-see the author's work, not to re-tell it. And, importantly, if you quote directly from the article, use quotation marks and citation. Review of the Literature: All research projects include a literature review to set out for the reader what knowledge exists on the subject under study and helps the researcher develop the research strategy to use in the study. The literature review sets the research question in context by explaining what others have found in researching the same or similar subjects. The literature review is not an annotated bibliography, and is not a “laundry list†or “stacking†of articles as you find them. A good literature review is a thoughtful study of what has been written, a summary of the arguments that exist (whether you agree with them or not), arranged thematically. At the end of the summary, there should still be gaps in the literature that you intend to fill with your research. It is written in narrative format and can be from 3-7 pages depending on the scope and length of the paper. Methodology and Research Strategy: This section provides the reader with a description of how you are planning to conduct research. It explains what research approach you have chosen, and where you will seek data to test your hypothesis. It describes any special considerations and defines any limitations and terms specific to this project, if necessary. This section can be brief or more complicated, depending on the project, written in 1-5 pages. Findings and Analysis: This section provides the results of your research and the analytical arguments that you will make as a result of your findings. In a quantitative project, this section would provide the results of the data collection and an analysis of what it illustrates in empirical terms. This section should also provide the evidence that proves (or disproves) the hypothesis. This section could be 1-5 pages depending on the length of the paper and scope of the project. CONCLUSION Write the conclusion The conclusion states your overall critical evaluation after having discussed the major points the author makes, examines how the author supports arguments, and evaluates the quality or effectiveness of specific aspects of the article in the body of the paper. Now you must make an evaluation of the work as a whole, determining such things as whether or not the author achieves the stated or implied purpose and if the work makes a significant contribution to an existing body of knowledge. And you only have 2-3 sentences to do that. Your final sentence should contain the most important final comment you wish to make about the article and it should convey a sense of “closureâ€. This section will contain the concluding analytical arguments based on what research has revealed to answer the research question. Like any conclusion, it should provide a synopsis of the project, the strategy, and the results and what they add to the body of knowledge. This section should also offer suggestions for avenues of future research for other scholars, as all knowledge is evolutionary. This section can be 1-5 pages depending on the scope of the project. Proof as you EDIT, EDIT, EDIT See the APUS Library Writing Center for great resources. Please note that you may need to sign into the APUS library for access. References: This section will contain all references, cited in APA format and alphabetically arranged. APUS Writing Center Elements of the Research Paper Finally, this week’s Lesson Notes will define the basic elements of research papers. This is a much more extensive process than the critical review. Understand that professors may have slightly different terms for sections, depending on the type and subject matter of the course, but basically you can define a graduate level research paper by these basic elements: Introduction Review of the Literature Methodology and Research Strategy Findings and Analysis Conclusions References THIS COURSE IS DESIGNED TO HAVE YOU WRITE SECTIONS OF YOUR RESEARCH PAPER AS WEEKLY EXERCISES, SO YOU WILL HAVE CREATED A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE FINAL PAPER AS YOU GO ALONG!!