The Research Paper
worth up to 200 points

mysteries

This paper (5-8 full pages) will be worth up to 200 points; it must be in MLA format and must include an MLA-8 format (information has been provided to you) Works Cited page with at least three sources; at least one of those must be a book.

There are different sorts of research papers. The ones that students often do in elementary and secondary schools are informational; those are called explanatory research papers, and they amount to little more than simple copy/paste fact files, almost like theme-based shopping lists or Wikipedia articles. They do not involve actual thinking, logic, argument. We will not be doing one of those.

The other sort of research paper is called exploratory (which means it explores some significant issue that requires both expansion and proof), and it involves looking at a subject that is more open-ended, often controversial, and taking a side based on the research evidence you uncover.

You will be developing an essay on a subject that is open to investigation or speculation. And there are actually THREE topics (related but still different) you will get to choos from. Much more detail will follow, but for your paper you are going to do one of the following:

1. Research an unexplained/unsolved mysterious phenomenon (like a particular UFO siting or the appearances of the Loch Ness Monster; based on the evidence you research, you must explain that this is not just an imaginary of scientifically-explainable phenomenon but that it is actually real. So you are taking the side that there ACTUALLY WERE alien autopsies in Area 51, for example, and you need the credible evidence to support that argument.

   OR

2. research some unsolved mystery, and based on the evidence you discover, argue what likely actually happened and why,

OR

3. research a popular conspiracy theory and use available evidence to write a convincing argument that the more-accepted popular/historical version of what happend is not actually true; in this case you will support one possible conspiracy based on the evidence you discover.

You will be doing this in a couple of stages. Well before your paper is due, you will be posting a Research Proposal on the class Discussion Board. There I will give you some comments, and once it is good to go, I will send you an APPROVED message. NOTE: sometimes this takes a few tries (that's pretty normal), but this is an important step because it will insure that your paper will be on an acceptable topic and include all of the required elements.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I will not read/score any Research Paper than has not had a Proposal APPROVED. If that makes the paper late, it will incur the normal late penalty, and if it is more than a week late, it will not be accepted (just like any other essay).

the final research project: a sort of check list:

• The finished paper must be at least four full pages to earn any score; shorter papers will be returned for you to revise, and they will be counted as late papers. If you are trying for an "A" or a "B" on this paper, it must be at least six full pages.

• If you include pictures (and I strongly recommend you do; it will help your score), then your paper will need to be longer; pictures do not count as pages of text; they do not count towards your minimum page limits).

• Since this is a research paper, be sure there is sufficient documented secondary source material supporting and illustrating your claims throughout the essay; I prefer direct quotations rather than paraphrasing and/or summary. The last page of the paper will be your Works Cited page, which must be done in standard MLA-8 format (it is the same format taught in English 101, so it should not be at all new to you). The Works Cited page always starts on its own page, and it does not count towards your seven-page (or five-page if you are doing a shorter, "C"-eligible paper) page limit.

• ANY entry on the Works Cited page must be a work you directly quoted in the body of your paper at least once.

OK, that's a straighforward, nuts-n-bolts breakdown of what you need to turn in, but I'm going to guess you might have some further questions, so let's move on to...

faq, tips, hints, further things i am looking for

Sure, you have all done research papers before (or if you have not, don't EVEN tell me about it because they are a requirement for passing English 101. But here are some points you might need to be refreshed and reviewed:

• First, if you did not read the document on How to do a Research Paper, do so now. Really. It's important.

• If you are wondering how you can possibly write eight full pages (not counting the pictures and the WC page), remember that 1/3 to 1/2 of the paper needs to be EVIDENCE--direct quotations (followed by the required parenthetical citations) taken directly from your sources. You are NOT the expert on this topic. You are consulting experts, and their findings are what you will use to make your case.

• Alongside that last point, this paper is in no way about you. There should be no "I think" or "I feel" or "I believe" statements. Be objective. Make the argument based on what you have read in your sources.

• OK and this is also really important (and watch out because I am going to be straightforward and blunt): if you use lousy sources, your results/paper will be lousy. GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). So if you get lazy and use the easiest to find sources with almost no credibility and not text, you will have nothing to quote that makes your case. Try to use all books if possible. If not, go to the academic databases and use meaty, long, detailed articles if possible. Sensationalist/tabloid online articles by ranting non-experts are not going to help you write a convincing argument. I might COMMENT on your sources on your Research Proposal, but this is on you. Pick GOOD sources! NOTE: see the sidebar (pinkish box on the side) for another related thought on this.

• Let's revisit a point above again: your paper is a mixture of your observations, supported by evidence, followed by explanations and transitions. That "evidence" is put in your paper as direct quotations followed by parenthetical citations. If 1/3 to 1/2 of the paper is direct evidence from intereserting/credible sources, then your part of the paper is only 4+ pages, and that's really short for a Research Paper. If you are doing a shorter paper, that boils down to just 3+ pages of your own observations/ideas/conslusions. Use the research judiciously.

• Finally, that being said, make sure that at least 1/2 to 2/3 of the paper IS YOU and your analysis of the material you are presenting. This is your case; you have to argue it.

And, well, maybe that last point was not the FINAL "Finally." Let's soften things a little. REMEMBER you do not have to PROVE BEYOND SHADOW OF A DOUBT that your position is correct. You can't. History either has no idea what happened, or it has accepted a different version of what happeneed. All you need to do is make a "reasonable" case based on credible, researched evidence :)

Final, final, FINAL point? Please try to have some fun with this paper. It's not a stuffy, dusty, academic topic. Pick something exciting to explore and try to solve the mystery :)