Fall 2011 ~ Writing 20: Academic Writing on Ocean Acidification MP3: Research Project

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1 Overview and Purpose Fall 2011 ~ Writing 20: Academic Writing on Ocean Acidification MP3: Research Project This project will give you the opportunity to practice the broad genre of research paper a piece of writing centered on an original scholarly question that you have developed from researching previous work. Research papers take different forms in different disciplines; for this assignment, you can choose an area of inquiry within the social sciences or natural sciences. For which ever project you choose, the main objectives for this assignment are to: 1. Develop a research question that fills a knowledge gap and builds on the work of others. 2. Practice using discipline-specific research techniques and tools. 3. Practice writing about original data findings generated by YOU! a. Situate your research question in the context of relevant literature in a way that explains why this project is needed. b. Clearly communicate what you did and what you found. c. Building a clear, cogent argument that states the key implications of your findings and why they are meaningful. 4. Negotiate the benefits and difficulties of collaborative research and writing Rather than structuring the research proposal and paper around a central thesis, as you did for MP1 and MP2, scientific research projects are centered on your research question. The process of developing and addressing this question will vary across disciplines, and so I have created separate handouts for the social science project and the natural sciences project to aid you in the formative stages of your research (download from the blog Wr20_Fall11_socialMP3.pdf handout or the Wr20_Fall_naturalMP3.pdf handout). Part 1: Proposal (written independently) Scientists and other scholars write grant proposals to obtain a share of limited funds. The grant proposal process is competitive; the National Science Foundation (NSF), for example, funds approximately 27% of the project proposals it receives. Thus, crafting a well-written, sexy, worthwhile research proposal is a useful skill one which you may soon find directly applicable, as summer term student opportunities sometimes require short proposals. Your research proposal will be 2-3 single-spaced pages, including figures & tables (which are optional), and references. The scope of this project is less like a full, detailed research proposal and more like a pre-proposal, which is very brief proposal that some grant agencies call for before they invite submissions of full proposals. The goal of a pre-proposal is to use a limited amount of space to sell your research idea to a multi-disciplinary review panel so that they will then invite you to submit a full proposal for funding consideration. Pre-proposals can focus more on key ideas and implications of a proposed project and less on the methodology, although a brief description of methods should indeed be included. The sections of a pre-proposal typically include: Introduction Your audience (the review panel who makes the funding decision) may contain both experts in your field and professionals from a related field who are less familiar with your discipline. You need to provide the appropriate context explaining the problem or issue, referencing literature as necessary. This section should include a clear statement of the question you are proposing to address (can be framed as a question or an objective). Rationale Why is the question important? This may be part of the intro or a separate section. Also, this is usually more specific than the Anticipated Significance section. Hypotheses Are there specific hypotheses that you will test? You may not have enough information to form specific hypotheses, so this section is optional. 1

2 Methodology Explain the analyses, surveys, or other methods you plan to use to test your hypotheses (if applicable) and address your overall question. Anticipated Significance and Application Try not repeat your specific rationale, but rather discussion the broader significance of the project. Describe a few of the expected outputs of your research. How will these new insights be useful? References Properly document your sources using a generic CSE name-year citation style: The above structure is just one option; another way to organize your proposal is Overview (a very brief presentation of your objective/ question), Background & Rationale, Methodology, Anticipated Results & Benefits, and References. Part 2: Research Paper (written collaboratively) The research paper should be about 8-10 double-space pages, not including tables and figures, which should go on separate pages after the references (one per page). Your paper should have the following sections: Title page Includes a descriptive title and authors names and institutions. Abstract Concise summary of the study (no more than 300 words). It s usually best to write this last! Introduction Provides context for your study by describing previous work relevant to the topic. The introduction clearly presents your research question and objective. It usually moves from broad ( Our overall aim is to toward the end of the first paragraph) to specific ( Specifically, we test three hypotheses near the end of the whole section). Methods Explain how you addressed your research question in enough detail that a reader could repeat your study. You may cite sources in this section to provide background on your study site or mention other studies from which you derived your methods. Results Tell the reader what you found, referencing your figures and tables as necessary. It is usually best to start with the most meaningful or interesting results and end with nonsignificant findings (which are still worth mentioning!). There should be NO citations in this section. You can combine this section with the discussion, if you d like, but if you decide to keep them separate, there should be no interpretation in this section save that for the discussion. Discussion State the key implications of your findings. How and why are they meaningful? Also, what are the caveats and limitations of your study? What are some directions for further research? Acknowledgements Thank your colleagues whose input helped improve your paper. References We will use a generic CSE name-year citation style: Timeline and Assignment Sequence Mon. Nov. 7 Pre-proposal outline or draft due in class for small group workshop. Tues. Nov. 8 Pre-proposal draft due to me via . This draft is not graded, but will enable me to give the class helpful feedback on Wed. Nov. 9 (this will be in lieu of individual feedback). Tues. Nov. 15 Pre-proposal FINAL DRAFT due via before 11:59 pm Fri. Nov. 18 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT (SW8) of a key primary research article is due on the blog by 11:59 pm. Please comment on (or ask a question about) at least one peer s research highlight (a peer not in your group, please) Mon. Nov. 21 NO CLASS instead, you can sign up for optional group or individual conferences with me. 2

3 Wed. Nov. 30 Group paper DRAFT plus a PARAGRAPH REFLECTION (SW9) due via (s.cooke@duke.edu). Mon. Nov. 5 PEER REVIEW (SW10) due (just like for MP2). Fri. Dec. 9 FINAL DRAFT due. Please me your paper before 11:59 pm. Formatting and Submission Guidelines Grading Please use the following naming convention for your file: Lastname_proposal_D1.doc for draft 1 of the proposal; Oneauthorslastname_MP3_D1.doc for the group project. Document should be Microsoft Word (no pdfs or OpenOffice, please), double spaced. Please use Times New Roman 12 pt font this time. For drafts used in any workshops, please number the pages and lines, and put your address at the top. Submit the drafts to me by ing the document as an attachment (s.cooke@duke.edu). I ll send a quick confirmation of receipt for the final draft. MP3 is 30% of your course grade, with the proposal comprising a third and the group paper comprising the other two-thirds. So, you can think of the proposal as counting toward 10% of your final grade and the group paper as counting toward 20% of the grade. Every member of the group will receive the same grade for the research paper. The proposal and group paper will each receive a letter grade that will be weighted just as your MP1 and MP2 letter grades were weighted (e.g., B+ = 88% -- see the syllabus). The detailed goals & grading guidelines are located below. 3

4 Goals and Grading Guidelines for the Proposal To earn a C: To earn a B: To earn an A: The research question of your proposal may be weak or too broad you have not made it seem very novel or compelling. Your background and rationale provide some context and reasoning, but are somewhat vague overall and not as clear as they should be. You may have used sources ineffectively. It does not appear that the methods would address the research question or it is unclear what you intend to do. You have included possible outcomes or applications of the proposed work, but they are not carefully elaborated so as to seem significant. You have somewhat addressed the needs of your targeted readership, but the proposal may lack organization, cohesion, or coherence, making it unclear. You may have used reasonably correct prose and grammar, but your sentences may be overly wordy and not very substantive. Your prose may be too informal or unsophisticated. The research question or objective is clearly stated. You have provided enough context and background so that the reader understands how the question developed. You have effectively used your sources, for the most part. The rationale behind the question is explained, but you could have gone further to make the work appear important. It appears that the overall approach and methods will address the question or test the hypothesis, although some of the methods could have been clearer to a non-specialist reader. Some aspects of your question may have been left unaddressed. The anticipated outcome, possible applications, or implications of the proposed work appear significant. Overall, you attempt to convince the reader of the importance of your work. Your prose may lack some of the clarity and conciseness of an A paper. The research question or objective is clearly stated, supported, and appropriate in scope. You have provided enough context and background information so that the reader easily understands how this question developed. The rationale behind the question is carefully and logically explained. The overall approach and methods are clear, and it appears they will indeed address all aspects of the question or test the hypothesis. The anticipated outcome, possible applications, or implications of the proposed work are significant. Overall, you make a clear, convincing argument of the importance of the work through a research topic that seems novel, substantive, and carefully elaborated. The audience is well-considered, and the style and organization of the proposal reflect this. You have carefully selected and properly cited all of your sources. Your prose is correct, concise, and substantive you have made every word count. (A D means that you have difficulty in writing clear, idiomatic prose or that you seem to have deeply misunderstood the pre-proposal conventions and purpose. An F means that you did not turn in a full or serious response to the assignment.) 4

5 Here is the table that will accompany your graded proposal: Name: Assignment: MP3 proposal Comments Engage How well do you represent your topic? Is it clear that you understand your topic and the literature you cite? Is your research question logically built upon previous work? Articulate How well do you frame your research question or objective? How well do you develop it? Situate Have you written your proposal with the expectations and concerns of your intended readers in mind? Have you used appropriate and effective document design, structure, and citation? Style How clear, concise, and correct is your prose? Is it substantive? Is it overly wordy? Grade: 5

6 Goals and Grading Guidelines for the Group Research Paper To earn a C: To earn a B: To earn an A: The research question or objective may be weak or too broad you have not made it seem very novel or compelling. Or, your question or objective may not be clear. Your background provides some context and reasoning, but is somewhat vague. Methods are somewhat clear, but not detailed enough for a reader to repeat your study. Presentation of your results, including figures and tables, could have been clearer. You have discussed implications of the study, but they are not carefully elaborated so as to seem significant. You may not have addressed limitations of your study. You have somewhat addressed the needs of your targeted readership, but the paper may lack organization, cohesion, or coherence, making it unclear. You may have used reasonably correct prose and grammar, but your sentences may be overly wordy and not very substantive. Your prose may be too informal or unsophisticated. The research question or objective is clearly stated. You have provided enough context and background information so that the reader understands how this question developed Your methods are clear and mostly detailed enough for a reader to repeat your study. Some aspects of your question may have been left unaddressed. Presentation of your results, including figures and tables, is mostly clear and effective. You have discussed both the meaningful implications and limitations of the proposed work. You have suggested directions for future research. Overall, you attempt to convince the reader of the importance of your work. You have mostly adhered to the conventions of a scientific research paper, although some aspects of the structure, targeted audience, style and tone, and formatting could have been improved. Your prose may lack some of the clarity and conciseness of an A paper. The research question or objective is clearly stated, supported, and appropriate in scope. You have provided enough context and background information so that the reader easily understands how this question developed. The methods are clear and detailed enough for a reader to repeat your study. Presentation of your results, including figures and tables, is clear and effective. Your discussion is a cohesive narrative that makes a clear, convincing argument of the importance of the study while also acknowledging limitations and suggesting directions for future work. You have adhered to the conventions of a scientific paper in terms of organization and structure, targeted audience, style and tone, and formatting. You have carefully selected and properly cited all of your sources. Your prose is correct, concise, and substantive you have made every word count. (A D means that you have difficulty in writing clear, idiomatic prose or that you seem to have deeply misunderstood the assignment. An F means that you did not turn in a full or serious response to the assignment.) 6

7 Here is the table that will accompany your graded paper: Names: Assignment: MP3 group paper Comments Engage How well do you represent your research question? Is it clear that you understand your topic and the literature you cite? Is your research question logically built upon previous work? Articulate How well do you frame your research question or objective? How well do you interpret your results? Situate Have you written your paper with the expectations of your intended readers in mind? Have you adhered to the conventions of a research paper? Style How clear, concise, and correct is your prose? Is it substantive? Is it overly wordy? Grade: 7