A
scholarly research paper is based upon your own formulation of a research
topic, identification of relevant sources in the academic literature (books and
journals), careful combing of the information in those sources, and your own
thoughtful presentation of the information learned and the conclusions you have
reached.
Copying
from published literature, the Web or other students’ papers is
PLAGIARISM. This
is the cardinal sin of American
academia, a sin that is punished in this life.
A
good research paper demonstrates the writer’s originality, resourcefulness and
creativity. Merely cutting and pasting information together does not produce a
good research paper.
You
can choose any topic of interest to you as long as it involves a topic related
to speech or language and includes consideration of a culture other than your
own. Your research must draw upon at least 6 sources. Web sites and popular
magazine articles may be used but at least 4
of the 6 sources must be academic
journals (many of which are now online) or books. I would encourage you to
include interviews as a source of data.
The
paper must be typed double spaced with standard 1” margins on both sides as well as top and bottom. Include a title page
and number the pages. The narrative of the paper, not including the
bibliography, should be about 10 pages.
You can follow any standard format for bibliographic references, eg APA, ASA, MLA.
Hand
in a one paragraph description of your topic and a list of 3 promising sources
on Friday, July 2.
Paper
is due by August 6.
A
very important part of your research is careful reading and evaluation of your
sources. That process will be reflected in the paper but I am also requiring an
annotated bibliography that will allow you to comment on the literature that
you consulted.
Write
one or two paragraphs on each source. Indicate how much of the source you used
for your paper. Include at least some of the following points:
Overall
description of the topics covered
Author’s
purpose in writing the work
The
audience the work was intended for
The
method of obtaining data
The
author’s principal conclusions
Your
estimation of whether the conclusions are justified
How
this work compares to others you consulted
How
this work contributed to your paper