The Research Paper:

Getting Started

What is a research paper?

Sources Your opinion

What is a research paper?

No sources No credibilityNo documentation Plagiarism

What is a research paper?

Good sources Good paper

GI GO

Trash or treasure?

What is a research paper?

CSI effect is realnot proven

makes juries smarter lets guilty go free

How do I start?

What are they talking about?

What’s been said?What can I add?

Who’s talking?

What are they talking about?

Who’s talking?

I’ve done a controlled study

Cole & Dioso, as cited in Tyler, T. R. (2006, March 2). Viewing CSI and the threshold of guilt: Managing truth and justice in reality and fiction. The Yale Law Journal, 115, 1050-1072. Retrieved June 8, 2008, from http://www.yalelawjournal.org/pdf/115-5/Tyler.pdf

No study has found aCSI effect

CSI made me a better juror.

What about the personal?

Diaries Autobiographies Reflections SurveysJournals Love letters Letters to editor Research papersPoems Capstone projectLetters to vent Thesis

Dissertation

Express Feeling Share Information

Personal Academic

What I feel or think What is knownWhat is true for me What is generally true

What about the personal?The obvious may change.

Suicide bombers must be crazy.

“What utter nonsense,” saysanthropologist

Scott Atran(2003, p. 21).

What about the personal?

Suicide bombers must be crazy.

Studies finding them sane include

Mersari, Hassan, Krueger, and

CIA (Atran, 2003).

Atran, S. (2003, October). The surprises of suicide terrorism. Discover, 24(10), 21-22.

The evidence may favor the other side.

What about the personal?

Limited experience vs. Expertise

My cousin hadADHD as a kid, but he outgrew it.

So kids with ADHD

don’t needmedication.

Symptoms persistinto adulthood

in 15 to 20 percent of cases.

(“The Course,” 2002).

The course of ADHD. (2002). RetrievedJune 8, 2008, from ADHDinfo Web site: http://adhdinfo.com/schoolpersonnel/courseofADHD.jsp

Sponsoredby Novartis

What about the personal?

Your bias vs. Objective results

Coming to classregularly will help

your grade.

Those who attendclass 95% of the time

are significantlylikely to earn an

A or B grade.(Snell & Meikes, 1995).

Snell, J., & Meikes, S. (1995). Student attendance and academic achievement: A research note. Journal of Instructional Psychology 22(2). Retrieved April 12, 2004, from Academic Search Elite database.

What do I think now?

Sources Your informed opinion

Do I agree?

Can I trust my sources?

Is this complete?

What can I add?

Prosecutors Say:Juries want

too much evidence

I say:Thesis

Defenders Say:Juries understand

our case better

Review the evidence and take a stand.

What can I add?

I say:Addiction therapy

is/is not a solution.

Anorexia, ecstasy activate same brain paths.

Approach the problem from a new angle.

Could addiction therapy help anorexics?

What can I add?

I say:The role of inflammation

in cancer….

Karin: cutting into tumors can lead

to cancer spread.

Notice a trend.

Others linked inflammation to

cancer.

What can I add?

Sunderland says:Reject Supernanny….

Children’s brainsare being studied.

Disagree, or prove an expert wrong.

Crying causescascade ofchemicals.

What can I add?

I say:Teach teens to weigh

consequences…

Teens’ frontal lobes aren’t

fully developed.

Develop a new application.

Their decision making is too

logical.

What can I add?

I say:Bicycle patrols are/are

not effective….

Clive policeadd bicycle

patrols.

Evaluate a professional practice.

What are the pros/cons?

What can I add?

I say:This is the truth….

Most peoplebelieve that….

Debunk a myth.

The evidenceshows that…

Originality = Critical thinking

Which is best? Why do things

happen this way? What would make

things better?

C or lower

Crit

ical

thin

king

Bloom’s taxonomy

Conversation: What can I add?

• Answer a question—Do shows like CSI affect the way jurors react

to evidence?—Is the CSI effect good or bad?—Is the CSI effect real?—What is the best treatment for ADHD?

• Sort out conflicting opinions• Prove a myth (or an expert) wrong• Suggest a new approach or application• Update information

Conversation: Assignments

Explore professional literature.Form a tentative opinion.Find evidence for and against your opinion.Refine your opinion.Write your paper.

THEY

SAY

I

SAY

Kuhlthau’s Model of Research

StageInitiationSelectionExplorationFormulationCollectionPresentation

Taskwhat do I do?what’s my topic?what’s out there?what do I think?what will I use?how will I share

what I learn?

Feelingsuncertaintyoptimismconfusionclarityconfidencesatisfaction

(or not)

Remember the writing process?It’s recursive

Plan Get ideas

Draft Get them on paper

Revise Make them better

Publish Share with others

Research can be Billy trail

Family Circus

Goal

Billy’s path

A research flowchart

Then there’s serendipity…

Look up schedule for Criminal Minds. Find profiler quiz.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/criminal_minds/games.shtml Wonder: can profilers be as fast and

accurate as Gideon’s team? Do some reading. Stumble over CSI effect….

How do I get started?

1. Find a topic.

2. Read about it.3. Ask

—Can I find enough information?—Will this hold my interest?

4. Explore other topics.

5. Choose the best.

What’s the “best” topic?

• Arguable• Discussable• Adds something

to the conversation

What’s a starting place?

• http://word-crafter.net/CompII/ FindingaTopic.html

• magazines in your field or series (Opposing Viewpoints)

• an instructor, librarian, or expert in an interesting field

•your favorite news site