Information Literacy @ Your Library!: Sample Research Assignments

Peer Reviewed Journal Article Assignment

Group Assignment

For this assignment, you will research peer-reviewed Journal Articles, dissect the article by categories and present your findings to the class. This will be a group project. The following steps will instruct you on how to complete the assignment.

Step I:

Select a peer-reviewed article focused on student success. Each member of your team will need to have a copy of the journal article.

Step II:

You must read the article completely and take notes. As we have learned in class, taking notes on what you are reading helps you process the material as well as improve your memory and learning.

Step III:

Once the article has been read, you will write the article’s reference citation [author, title, journal, etc.] at the top of the page and follow with your annotation of the source.

Step IV:

Just as we did in class, dissect the information found in each area of the journal article (i.e, Article Citation, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results and Discussion.) The final reflection on the article will include a critical assessment that addresses observations you made from the article, changes you would suggest to the author and lessons learned.

Step V:

Share your findings with your classmates. You will present what your team learned from this article in a small group during class.

Zooming in on Research

Title of the Article:

Abstract

Introduction

What is the purpose of this study? What questions did the researchers seek to answer?

Methodology

Who participated in the study? How many participants? Describe their characteristics for selection. How did the study choose to measure the variables?

Results

List three interesting results from the study.

Discussion

Why is this information important to students? What did you learn from the article? How is this information helpful to you as a student?

Psyc 2306: Human Sexuality

Reflective Thinking Paper Guidelines

Theoretical Framework

Making reflective judgments involves dealing with and attempting to resolve uncertainty, contradiction and ambiguity when reasoning through ill-structured problems. King and Kitchener suggest that, at the highest stages of reflective thinking, people use evidence to justify their beliefs and understand that (a) knowledge must be actively constructed and understood in context; (b) pieces of evidence can be synthesized into “most” defensible and justifiable speculations; and (c) conclusions should remain open to re-evaluation as new evidence surfaces.

Instructions

To develop your ability to make defensible judgments about ill-structured, controversial issues, your assignment is to write a paper that consists of three parts: two positions on one controversial, ill-structured problem, and then a conclusion that states the most defensible position on your controversial issue and the reasons why it is most defensible. Your paper will be written in the style recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA style).

Once you select a topic, you will (a) evaluate relevant information, available explanations, and alternative interpretations and (b) provide solutions that can be rationally defended as most plausible or reasonable.

1. Select one ill-structured issue to research this semester.
2. Write a “pro” position draft paper based on a review of the empirical literature.
3. Write a “con” position draft paper, on the same issue, based on a thorough review on the empirical literature.
4. In the final stage, you will
   1. Write a narrative that explains the main points from each of the two positions you have reviewed and
   2. Write a conclusion in which you provide the most defensible position on the issue you have chosen and the reasons why it is most defensible.  A recommended format for the final paper is provided on the next page.

Some Topics to Consider

• prosecution of women who use (or abuse) drugs during pregnancy
• use of midwives during labor and delivery
• infant circumcision
• sex education in public schools
• sex-segregated classrooms – gender differences
• same sex adoptions
• gay and lesbian parental rights or the effects of lesbian gay parenting
• hormone-replacement therapy for perimenopausal symptoms
• determinants of sexual orientations
• the gay teen
• divorce laws
• covenant marriage and marriage license
• sexual behavior in adolescents and STD’s, pregnancy, and sex education
• conducting sexology research in the United States
• government restrictions on Family Planning Clinics
• foreign aid restrictions to overseas Family Planning Clinics
• Foreign aid restrictions to health issues in foreign countries, e.g. China and Africa
• Mexico City policy
• Global HIV/Aids Initiatives

Recommended Format for the Reflective Thinking Paper

1.   Title page

a.   The title should be general in nature, such as “The Etiology of Human Sexual                                     Orientation: A Review of the Literature.”

b.   Follow APA guidelines exactly.

2. Review of the literature (The body of your paper begins on page 2)

The goal of this project is to provide an opportunity for you to investigate one ill-structured issue related to human sexuality. To this end, you were required to research and write on a “pro” position and a “con” position on the same issue. Instead of conceptualizing this task as “piecing two separate papers together into one final product,” think of your final paper as a thorough review of the literature that you conducted in two stages.

A thorough “lit” review would include:

a.   an introductory paragraph,

b.   the presentation of opposing pieces of evidence, and

c.   concluding comments, in which you present the most defensible position based on the evidence you have collected.

3.   References listed in APA Style.

As you construct the body of your paper, follow these steps, using APA Style throughout:

A.   Write an introductory paragraph that describes your topic in a few general sentences and the major issues found in your lit review. For example: “In this paper, research concerning the development of human sexual orientation is reviewed. First, the role of environmental factors, such as reinforcement-punishment paradigms, parenting styles, and imitation/modeling, is evaluated.  Second, the potential role of biological factors, including chromosomal composition, prenatal androgen exposure, and brain anatomy, is considered.”  In your introduction, explain that following the lit review, the most plausible and defensible position of the issue will be provided.

B.   I recommend beginning with the position that has the least amount of the compelling support. You should begin this section of your paper with a general (centered) heading (e.g., Potential Environmental Influences on the Development of Human Sexual Orientation).  Present all the evidence that supports this.

C.  Next, present all of the evidence that supports the competing view. You should begin this section of your paper with a general (centered) heading (e.g., Potential Biological Influences on the Development of Human Sexual Orientation). Present all the evidence that supports this position.

D.  Then, in a section titled Conclusions (as a centered heading); very briefly summarize the main points from each position. Then, state the most defensible position on your controversial issue and the reasons why it is most defensible.  For example:  On the basis of recent empirical findings, it is warranted to propose that the development of human sexual orientation may be influenced by biological factors. However, given the need for additional research in this area, firm conclusions are premature at this time.

E.   Finally, on a separate sheet of paper, provide your References using APA Style.  Note: you will be counted off points if you use MLA or another non-scientific formatting style.

Reference

King, P.M., & Kitchener, K.S. (1994). Developing reflective judgment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Assignment 4 is a Comparison Analysis of Two Advertisements.  Find two advertisements for comparison analysis.  The advertisements should be for a similar product, and/or use a similar technique, and/or appeal to an identical audience.  In this essay, students will describe and compare each the advertisement’s presentation and its argument, critique and compare the logic or logical fallacies or both of each, and, most importantly, evaluate the effectiveness of its appeal to its designated audience.  Academic Research is required; minimum 4 sources.

The Assignment will require students to research the psychology of, the marketing techniques of, the user ratings of (etc.) the advertisements. 

Essay #4: Literary Research Essay

In an analytical essay of 4-6 pages, research what literary scholars have written about a work of literature, and then use that research to support your own understanding of the work.  You may even choose to write about more than one work and analyze or compare/contrast a particular aspect of two or more works.  Note that the quality of your sources is particularly important for this assignment and will factor heavily into your grade.  As the semester progresses, we’ll consider some possible paper-topic ideas.  All paper topics must obtain final approval from me first by turning in a research prospectus, and you can request approval at any time during the semester.  Feel free to verbally discuss your topic with me during an office visit prior to committing your idea to the written prospectus.  Outside research (at least FOUR scholarly sources + any additional sources you may wish to use) is also required, so be sure to turn in copies of everything.

The required prospectus (due ____________) should follow these guidelines:

• 1-2 pages in length
• Use MLA style heading
• Include a preliminary/working title
• Provide a coherent and thoughtful working thesis for your essay.
• Explain in detail why your topic is intellectually interesting to you.
• Provide a methodology for how your argument will progress in your paper.

Guidelines for turning in Essay #4

Turn in each essay in a standard-size two-pocket folder.

In the left-hand pocket, include your final draft on top (stapled by itself), then all of your previous drafts, outlines, notes, and any other prewriting (stapled or not).  I do require at least one rough draft and at least one example of prewriting in addition to your final draft.

In the right-hand pocket, include copies of all of your secondary sources, arranged in alphabetical order (the same order as noted on your Works Cited list), and stapled separately.  Papers without complete copies of all cited sources will not be accepted.  If one of your secondary sources happens to be from a book, then you must make photocopies of the relevant page(s).  You must highlight passages that you quote directly, and place brackets around passages that you paraphrase in your essay.

(The following information is adapted from Dr. David L. White’s webpage on literary research papers.)

Choosing a Topic

Pick an idea, theme, character, conflict, image, symbol, or tone that you see running through the work you have read (or, if you want to compare or contrast similar elements between two works, you can do that too). Work with one of these elements and then proceed to narrow down the topic to a manageable focus. Always, always, narrow down your topic, narrower than you think you need.  Even in a short story such as Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” you can’t cover every aspect of the short story in a 4-6 page paper; however, you can focus on one particular topic such as the main character’s inner conflict, biblical symbolism in the story, or the idea of what a coming of age story usually entails (to name a few ideas).

First, re-read the work you wish to write about, even if you only skim some parts of the work and re-read other parts in depth. After you have read the work, review the questions the follow the literary work at the end for ideas. Literally jot the answers down on a sheet of paper to get yourself started thinking AND WRITING about the chunk of the work you will be dealing with.  These are simply thought-starters; do not try to slavishly “answer the question.”  These are not necessarily things that should appear in your final paper; again, they are thought-starters.

Thesis and Introduction

With any luck, you’ll have a good idea of a thesis sentence.  Begin with the thesis, and don’t worry about having a complete introductory paragraph if you find introductions to be difficult.  The intro can come later.

·         A thesis TELLS something about the idea/theme/character/etc. you will be working with in the paper.

·         A thesis TELLS your opinion about the idea/theme/character/etc. you will be working with in the paper.

·         A thesis TELLS a very narrow opinion about the idea/theme/character/etc. you will be working with in the paper and tells EXACTLY the main you want to get across in the paper about the idea/theme/character/etc.

·         A thesis TELLS an arguable opinion--that is, people may disagree with your opinion; the more people that will disagree with your opinion (at least at the start of their reading of your paper), the better (usually).

·         A thesis TELLS the reader a blueprint--it lays out the main idea of the paper and tells the reader where he or she will be taken by you in the paper.

·         A thesis TELLS your explicitly stated (not implied or suggested) opinion.

·         A thesis TELLS its idea (usually) in the LAST sentence of the introduction.

Sometimes your thesis changes on you as you write. That is, you may find yourself changing your mind about the idea/theme/character, etcetera while you are in the midst of writing the paper. That is fine. (Sometimes it is uncomfortable to you as a writer, but as long as you go back and make changes in your draft to reflect your changed thinking, all is well.)

Incorporating the Critics
 

Make sure that your paper is your own.  Use the research you do to support YOUR ideas.  Don’t let another person speak for you.  This is a real challenge for nearly 100% of all writers of research papers, so if you have questions or need assistance be sure to use tutoring resources.

Remember that a scholarly source is a source from a peer-reviewed/peer-edited research journal (accessed through the library databases) or a scholarly book written on a subject.  Scholarly sources do not include newsstand magazines, newspapers, personal websites, etc.

THE I-SEARCH PAPER

THE ASSIGNMENT is to research the information you need to live the rest of your life well.  Most students who have success on this assignment do a career I-Search, researching the information they need to be successful at whatever career they have chosen, or are thinking of choosing.

THE REQUIREMENTS for this assignment are:

• Organize your essay into the 4 subsections as indicated in the “Writing the Paper” section below, and include the subheadings.
• You must interview at least two experts.  At least one of those interviews must be with a stranger, and at least one interview must be in person.  Include both interviews in tour paper.
• You must incorporate a minimum 2 non-internet secondary sources into your essay.  Remember to turn in copies of your sources with your final draft.
• Consult the syllabus for due dates.

GETTING STARTED:

1. Once you have got a topic, start talking to people—in class, at home, everywhere.  You’ll be surprised at the help you can get—tips, names, addresses, phone numbers of experts, whatever.
2. Find experts or authorities.  Ask them where to locate the most useful books, magazines, newspapers, films, tapes, or other experts on your topic.
3. Look at and listen to this information and these ideas.  Write down what may be useful to you.  You might find it helpful to get a notepad to carry around.  You’ll get ideas at the most unexpected times.
4. Before you interview people who know a lot about your topic, think about the best way to approach the experts—through another person who knows them, directly, by telephone or letter?  Find out what their lives are like.  When would they be most apt to have the time and the inclination to talk to you?  Do you need an introduction of some sort?  If so, get it.
5. If you are largely ignorant on the topic that you’re going to ask them about, the interviewees may resent you taking up their time; they’ll probably get less than you do from the exchange.  Know something of the topic before you talk to them.

Don’t:

• “I’m sorry to bother you.  I know you’re a very busy person, and don’t have time to talk to little people like me . . . .”  If that’s true, why are you talking to them?
• “Because I’m assigned to do it” won’t do as an answer this time because now you’re investigating something you need to know.

Experts are usually busy or they wouldn’t have become experts.  Often they enjoy helping others because they get a chance to talk about what they love; but they don’t like to waste time, and one of the best ways to do that is talk about wasting time.

Do:

• Be prepared.
• Be professional.
• Be confident.

Write a follow-up note, thanking the expert for the interview.

6. If you’re worried that experts might not be able to spare you time, begin by asking them where you might look for information and advice on your topic.  Then if they don’t want to talk at length with you, or haven’t time, they can refer you to other sources.  Don’t let the notion of authority frighten you.  We forget sometimes that we are all authorities on something.
7. Test the statements of experts against those of other experts.  Actually, we’re all constantly evaluating experts in our lives.  We try to find out how right they’ve been in the past.  If as children we asked Johnny how to build a tree house, we did so because we had heard he was the principle builder of one in the lot next door.  We asked other kids if he was good at it.  What’s his reputation?  You should do the same in your I-Search. Consider whether the expert is rated highly by his or her peers.  Does he or she publish in reputable publications?  What company or institution does he or she work for? Does one thing the expert says seem to uphold another?
8. Consult both primary sources, such as people who talk directly to you about what they’re doing, or objects and events you observe on your own, and secondary sources, such as books, magazines, or people who tell you about what other have done.  Remember that experts are persons who know a lot about a subject—they need not hold an official position or be a certain age.  Your roommate may be the best authority on skiing in your area.

INTERVIEWING:

Interviewing is a basic human act of communication, like telling a story.

• A bad detective says to a woman suspected of murdering her husband: “So you heard steps in the hallway? And you took the gun out of the dresser drawer? And when he opened the door, you shot him?”
• A good detective says to the woman: “Tell me what happened that night, the events leading up to the shooting.”

The bad detective has asked a question that elicits only a yes or no response and is accusatory.  These kinds of questions should be used sparingly because they close off the flow of the experience that you what from your subject.  The good detective’s question puts the woman at ease; at the very least, he is allowing her to tell her story.  These kinds of questions are called open-ended and they are what you should strive for.

Examples of open-ended questions:

• Tell me something about _____?
• How did you get started in _____?
• How do you feel about _____?
• Could you tell me a little something about yourself?  Your background?
• What do you mean by _____?

Recording the interview:

There’s no right or wrong way to do this.  Some interviewers use a tape recorder, while others rely on only a pen and paper.  The subject of your I-Search may determine whether or not you need a recorder.  If there’s likely to be technical jargon or a lot of detail, a recorder may be essential.  If you use a recorder, you must ask the person being recorded for permission to do so.

If you do not tape the interview, try to follow some basic rules.

Don’t panic if you’re not getting everything written down.

It’s more important to listen than it is to record what’s said.

Listen for the things that count for you and those are the things that will count for your readers.

Don’t be embarrassed to ask the person to repeat something that you don’t understand or didn’t hear.  Simply say, “Will you repeat that?” or “I’m not sure I understand what you just said.”

PUTTING THE INTERVIEW IN YOUR I-SEARCH PAPER:

A good interview is usually not a word-for-word report of what two people said to each other, but rather a composite in which the interviewer studies his or her notes, chooses the best pieces, and puts them together to form a picture that makes sense to the writer and the readers.

Straight question-and answer format is generally not as effective, but depending on the subject of the I-Search, it may be what you choose.  Even then, you will want to edit the transcript.  If you record everything that was said, your readers may not be able to hear the airplanes because of the wind.  You will have to have used a tape recorder if you choose this method. 

The Power of Story:

The most fundamental mode of human communication is story telling.

Don’t lecture your readers; just tell them the story of your quest. 

The story form allows you to organize a mass of details and make them clear and logical to the reader.

It keeps the reader reading because it is interesting and suspenseful.  The reader discovers the knowledge you discovered in the same sequence that you did.

If this is a story…

• All stories begin with characters—you are the narrator (and perhaps the protagonist).
• Those characters will speak to each other, so you will have dialogue.
• They will do something because you did something (searched), so you will have a plot.
• All quests have beginnings, middles, and ends.  This means your story will have structure.  But remember not all stories are told in strict chronological order—remember flashbacks from high school lit. class?  Work within the four part structure outlined in the “Writing the Paper” section on page 1.  Be creative!!!
• The characters in your story will interact with each other and because you have something at stake here, you will encounter difficulties on your journey (otherwise there would be no journey).  This means you will have conflict.
• There will be a point when you find out what you wanted to know, so your story will have a climax.
• You will make a decision about what you have learned, so your story will have meaning, a theme.
• You will have a reader, so you will need to make the story interesting by using significant details.  Don’t bore the reader with insignificant details or irrelevant information (although you will no doubt collect plenty of both as you search).
• Remember, if you are dishonest, your reader will know it.

I-SEARCH EDITING:

Ask yourself:

• Did I start with a question that I had to have answered for my life?
• Are the content and purpose of my paper clear?
• Are there wasted words in my paper? 
• Have I avoided passive voice?
• Does every word count?
• Have I avoided passive voice?
• Does every word count?
• Have I used a combination of scene and summary?  Narrative and dialogue?
• Have I followed the conventions of dialogue used in the narrative essay?
• Have I reported my interview (s) efficiently?
• Have I shown rather than told?  Don’t show and tell at the same time.  If a person says “Go to hell!” we don’t need to be told that he was angry (we don’t need the dialogue tag, “he said angrily”).
• Is my paper presented in the prescribed format?
• Have I included a “Works Cited” page and are my sources appropriately cited?
• Have I followed the conventions of written English?

Most often interviews are presented in a narrative-and-dialogue story format.  Just be sure that you combine the two and use appropriate forms of punctuation or it will be too difficult for the reader to follow (or too boring) and he will quit reading.  Consider the following example from a 1978 magazine article.

Watching the detonation of an atomic bomb from a trench only three miles from “ground zero” in 1952 made William Leslie of Delton a wary veteran of the military.

Leslie, 47, considers himself no hero.  “I was a guinea pig,” he said.  “And I’ve kept it pent up all these years.”

Leslie, who works at Brown Co.’s Parchment plant as a maintenance man, is one of 300,000 people the U.S. Department of Defense wants to locate to gather information about the effects of early atomic blasts on participants [. . .].

“Then we had to go to a place called a decontamination area—this is what really tore me up.  It was an open canvas tent and I thought we would be given fresh clothes and a shower, but we were given a broom and told to sweep each other off.  At the end of the line there was a guy with a Geiger counter.  If you had too much radiation on you they sent you back for more sweeping.

“What could we do about it?  We were told to do something and we did it.” he said.

In retrospect, Leslie wishes a request be put in for Korean duty had been accepted: “I volunteered for Far East duty.  I was never put on the list.  One of the reasons they said was that I had a rare blood type AB negative.”