Research+Paper

=Research Paper=

The Graduation Project Research Paper is the first component which must be completed. The paper will provide structure for the remainder of your Graduation Project. Use the information below as a guide to help you complete a quality paper.

[ On the driving question ]
Driving questions are also called essential questions, project questions, and umbrella questions. Effective driving questions include the following features:
 * Are open-ended. Driving questions lead to debate and discussion, and therefore, are motivating to students
 * Are objective. Driving questions do not imply whether something is good or bad, better or worse.
 * Focus and drive the project. Students use the question as a springboard to formulate their own questions. All learning and research in the project are geared toward answering the driving question.
 * Focus on key understandings. Generally each project will have about five overarching ideas; the driving question subsumes all of them.
 * Are answerable. With diligence and dedication, students are able to answer the driving question. While it should not be an easy process, it should be manageable.
 * Require research, investigation, and reflection. Driving questions may have yes-or-no answers; however, your students need to support their answers with the research and knowledge they have acquired throughout the project.
 * Call on a student's previous knowledge and help students apply their learning to new situations.
 * Link basic skills and concepts to students' lives and the real world. Students are more motivated and involved when the topic they are studying is relevant to their lives and to the real world.
 * Integrate standards from a variety of disciplines. Interdisciplinary lesson plans promote teamwork among colleagues and encourage students to make connections between disciplines.
 * Encourage multiple approaches to problem solving. Driving questions allow for more than one way to solve a problem and express the solution.

Here are guidelines that will help you write your own questions. If you get stuck, you may reference the questions starters (see below).
 * 1) Review your key understandings and standards. Look for big ideas or concepts.
 * 2) Brainstorm a list of possible open-ended questions that link two of these big ideas or concepts. For example, if you would like students to understand the impact of discrimination on their lives and you would like them to understand the Civil Rights Movement in this country, you can connect these two big ideas by creating a driving question such as, "How does the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s impact my life today?"
 * 3) Review your questions. Can you make the question more succinct? Can you make the question less leading and more exciting for students? Does your question get at the key understandings and standards of your project?
 * 4) Identify your best questions. Which questions do you think would motivate your students the most? Which questions are more closely tied to your key understandings? Are there questions that subsume other questions?
 * 5) Give a list of questions to students to see which questions they find motivating and exciting.

If you get stuck trying to create an effective driving question, here are some starters to get you going. While many of these starters are open-ended, some can be answered with yes or no. In those cases, students need to provide written evidence to support their answers.
 * 1) What makes a good...?
 * 2) What are the ingredients for a successful...?
 * 3) What is the best way to...?
 * 4) Is there a relationship between...and...?
 * 5) What are the advantages and disadvantages of...?
 * 6) What will happen if...?
 * 7) How are...and...different?
 * 8) Is...really important?
 * 9) In what ways did... influence...?
 * 10) What would...be without...?

[ A word about the thesis statement ]
First and foremost, remember that a quality thesis statement does more than simply state your topic; it communicates your opinion or "big idea" about your topic in a way that others could disagree with or debate about. Examples of quality thesis statements include:
 * Athletes have ruined their career by making poor decisions relating to drug use, gambling, and breaking team rules.
 * Habitat For Humanity creates homes for less advantaged families by relying on volunteers, community support, and professional assistance.

=== A paper with a weak thesis (or no thesis at all, or a factual statement attempting to act as a thesis) will wander, lack focus, and be ultimately difficult to understand and unsatisfying for your reader. Avoid these outcomes -- craft your thesis statement carefully! ===

It's also important to understand that as you begin your research, you may not yet have a thesis statement in mind -- in fact, you shouldn't. Your thesis will evolve naturally out of the research process. As you read sources on your topic and learn about it, you will form an opinion, which is the basis of the thesis. Also, don't be afraid to change your thesis during the research process -- keep in mind that you must be able to support it with evidence.

[ On outlining ]

 * The OWL at Purdue has some excellent resources on creating an outline.
 * The UNC Writing Center has a helpful video explanation.
 * As a guide, you can use this example from one of our students.
 * If you need help creating your outline, try using the Outline Maker . **Note:** Do not simply copy and paste the link to your finished outline; this will not work. Click on the "Save Your Outline" link and follow the instructions, then post that document to the "Paper" page of your wiki.

**[ Documents for your reference ]**
 * [[file:cecgraduationproject/Graduation Project Checklist.doc|Graduation Project Checklist]]
 * [[file:cecgraduationproject/Outline Template for Research Paper.doc|Outline Template for Research Paper]]
 * [[file:cecgraduationproject/Using Quotes Appropriately.doc|Using Quotes Appropriately]]

[ On citations and plagiarism ]

 * [[file:CitationsQuickReferenceGuide.pdf|Mr. Smith's Quick Reference Guide to Citations]]
 * Citing Information from UNC Libraries
 * Plagiarism handout from the UNC Writing Center
 * Explanation of in-text citations from the OWL at Purdue
 * MLA style overview slideshow from the OWL at Purdue

[ Useful links ]

 * [|Diana Hacker's Research Paper Site]
 * [|Quotations]
 * [|Writing Reviser] (User name -- cechs 1; Quick Launch number -- 1242)
 * [|Turnitin.com] -- Use this site and your account to upload drafts of your paper during the revision process.