6.2.11.15: The Research Essay

• 6.2.11.15.1: A “Research Essay” or a “Research Project” instead of a “Research Paper”

  Second, while the papers we tend to call “research papers” do indeed include research, most other kinds of college writing require at least some research as well. All of the exercises outlined in Part Two of the book, ” Exercises in the Process of Research” are examples of this: while none of these assignments are “research papers,” all of them involve research in order to make a point.

• 6.2.11.15.2: Getting Ready- Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Research Essay

  It is crucial to consider the teacher’s directions and assignment for your research essay. The teacher’s specific directions will in large part determine what you are required to do to successfully complete your essay, just as they did with the exercises you completed in part two of this book. If you have been given the option to choose your own research topic, the assignment for the research essay itself might be open-ended.

• 6.2.11.15.3: Creating and Revising a Formal Outline

  Frequently, research essay assignments will also require you to include a formal outline, usually before the essay begins following the cover page. Formal outlines are sort of table of contents for your essay: they give the reader a summary of the main points and sub-points of what they are about to read.

• 6.2.11.15.4: The Introduction

  What is appropriate or what works to get the reader’s attention depends on the audience you have in mind for your research essay and the sort of voice or authority you want to have with your essay. Frequently, it is a good idea to include some background material on the issue being discussed or a brief summary of the different sides of an argument.

• 6.2.11.15.5: Background Information (or Helping Your Reader Find a Context)

  In one sense, you’re giving your reader important background information every time you fully introduce and explain a piece of evidence or an argument you are making. But often times, research essays include some background information about the overall topic near the beginning of the essay. Sometimes, this is done briefly as part of the introduction section of the essay; at other times,

• 6.2.11.15.6: Weaving in Evidence to Support Your Point

  Throughout your research essay, you need to include evidence that supports your points. There is no firm rule as to “how much” research you will want or need to include in your research essay. Like so many other things with research writing, it depends on your purpose, the audience, the assignment, and so forth.

• 6.2.11.15.7: Antithetical Arguments and Answers

  Most research essays anticipate and answer antithetical arguments, the ways in which a reader might disagree with your point. Besides demonstrating your knowledge of the different sides of the issue, acknowledging and answering the antithetical arguments in your research essay will go a long way toward convincing some of your readers that the point you are making is correct.

• 6.2.11.15.8: The Conclusion

  As research essays have a beginning, so do they have an ending, generally called a conclusion. While the main purpose of an introduction is to get the reader’s attention and to explain what the essay will be about, the goal of a conclusion is to bring the reader to a satisfying point of closure. In other words, a good conclusion does not merely “end” an essay; it wraps things up.

• 6.2.11.15.9: “Works Cited” or “Reference” Information

  If I were to give you one and only one “firm and definite” rule about research essay writing, it would be that you must have a section following the conclusion of your essay that explains to the reader where the evidence you cite comes from. This information is especially important in academic essays since academic readers are keenly interested in the evidence that supports your point.

• 6.2.11.15.10: A Student Example- “The Corruption Surrounding University Athletics” by Casey K. Copeman

  The assignment that Casey Copeman followed to write this research essay is similar to the assignment described earlier in this chapter: Write a research essay about the working thesis that you have been working on with the previous writing assignments. Your essay should be about ten pages long, it should include ample evidence to support your point, and it should follow MLA style.