Research paper (Assignment 4) for English Course- University to University Writing. The Assignment 4 instructions are attached. Along with module notes for Unit 4 which may be of use for writing. A sample assignment written by previous student is also attached. My assignment 3 is attached (some elements from this may be useful for assignment 4).
Assignment 4: Research Paper (50 marks, 30%) Instructions In this assignment, you will produce a 1500-word research paper based on the research topic you chose below: The general topic for this assignment is: “The impact of digital technology on education.” Based on the specific topic you are expected to locate this topic in the existing knowledge, identify a knowledge deficit, and make a new claim which will be supported by reasoned argument. Please adhere to the following guidelines for the organization of your research paper. Introduction: Your introduction should sketch the typical rhetorical moves academic writers make as they find a position for themselves: · Describe the existing knowledge on a topic by way of summary and citations from other sources. · Identify the knowledge deficit, i.e., something missing, inadequate, or hidden in the view expressed in the existing knowledge, or something more complicated than that view. · Make a thesis claim that will address the gap (knowledge deficit) in the existing knowledge. You must draw on at least one of the articles in your annotated bibliography (my assignment 3 attached) to examine the existing knowledge, identify a knowledge deficit, and make a thesis claim. Refer to Unit 4, Topic 1 for features of introductions. Body Paragraphs: The body part of your research paper—the main components of your paper—should provide argument and reasoning that justify the thesis claim you have made in the introduction. Each paragraph of your body will need a guiding/topic sentence. A guiding/topic sentence functions as a way for the writer to signal to the reader that the paper is moving to the next section. Guiding/topic sentences should call up key words and phrases from the thesis claim and guide the reader’s interpretations of the details that follow. Body paragraphs are also where you cite sources to provide evidence for your argument. There are three general ways to incorporate sources into your paper: summary, paraphrase, and direct citation. Decisions about which to use when are decided by the emphasis you wish to make on certain points. Summary and paraphrase are used to make more generalized claims, while direct citation is used to discuss details. A balance of all three is typical. The number of body paragraphs for your research paper is best decided as you draft, consult sources again, determine what information you want to present, and decide what you want to emphasize. Refer to Unit 4, Topic 2 for the structure of body paragraphs. Conclusion: Students are often told to restate the thesis in the conclusion of their essay. The goal for the conclusion of a scholarly research paper, however, is not only to summarize the main points you have made in your paper, but also to provide avenues for other writers to create new knowledge from what you have said. You want to refer to your thesis, reminding readers of the main concepts the paper has addressed. But you want to go further than that. Some further gestures you can make in your conclusion include: a statement of the relevance or significance of your argument, an indication of the limitations of your argument, a suggestion of areas for further research, and a presentation of solutions to the problem or a call for action. Imagine your paper as part of a conversation undertaken by people who care about your topic. Your conclusion should include what you feel is most important—what you want your reader to remember most significantly. Refer to Unit 4, Topic 3 for features of conclusions. This assignment does not require you to conduct primary research (surveys, interviews, etc.). You are expected to work with secondary sources (books, articles, government and scholarly websites, etc.). To support your argument in the research paper, you can draw on articles in your annotated bibliography (my assignment 3), other articles on our course reading list that you did not include in your annotated bibliography, or new sources you have found (minimum four and maximum 10 sources). When you draw on new sources outside the course reading list, make sure they are credible scholarly sources. You are expected to construct a title and abstract for your research paper that reflect the focus of your discussion Refer to Unit 4, Topic 4 for help with titles and abstracts. Refer to the APA File Template for formatting. Unit 4: Rhetorical Moves in Scholarly Writing Topic 1: Employing Rhetorical Moves in Scholarly Introductions 2 Introduction 2 Topic 3 How to Define Your Topic 3 Tradition of Inquiry 3 Scholarly Conversation 5 Describing a Knowledge Deficit 6 The Knowledge Deficit (Student Version) 8 Stating a Thesis 10 Features of Scholarly Introductions 12 Topic 2: Incorporating Ideas from Multiple Sources to Support Your Thesis/Position 14 Introduction 14 Methods of Development 14 Topic Statement 14 Management of Voices 15 Citing Sources 17 Outlines for Core Paragraphs 18 Topic 3: Concluding Your Research Paper 18 Introduction 18 Features of Scholarly Conclusions 21 Topic 4: Constructing a Title and Abstract for Your Research Paper 23 Introduction 23 Why Do Titles Matter? 23 Characteristics of a Good Research Title 24 Constructing an Abstract for Your Research Paper 26 Topic 1: Employing Rhetorical Moves in Scholarly Introductions Introduction One of the biggest challenges that students face is how to write a scholarly introduction to their research paper. Introductions take time, and we want to give them the time they deserve. At the outset of the discussion, let’s emphasize the distinction between the kind of attention-getting introductions that we encounter in five-paragraph essays, and the more formal, knowledge-making introductions that we encounter in academic writing. In five-paragraph essays, introductions are often determined by a number of elements of the social situation in the high school context, including the need for students to do well on standardized, system-wide essay-writing exams that can be quickly graded. For example, think of the advice high school students are routinely given for writing introductions for five-paragraph essays: begin with a generalization or a quote, tell a story, or describe something interesting, so as to capture the attention of the reader, then narrow down the topic and end the paragraph with a thesis statement. On the other hand, introductions of academic papers are knowledge-making in the sense that they are concerned with the conditions under which knowledge is produced; in turn, scholarly introductions are more formal and less flamboyant than introductions of five-paragraph essays. Since introductions serve quite different purposes in research writing in the scholarly context, it is particularly important to consider how the scholarly situation shapes the beginnings of research essays. Now, let’s examine some important features in scholarly introductions. Topic When we say “topic” here, we refer to a specific angle on the general topic you have been given for Assignment 4. The general topic for this assignment is: “The impact of digital technology.” You will need to significantly narrow down the topic to a specific focus that interests you. For example, you can explore the impact of digital technology on education, on political participation, on interpersonal communication, or on business strategies. You could also focus on the impact of digital media on different aspects of our well-being, i.e., social, psychological, physical, occupational, etc. You should make your specific topic clear to your reader in the introduction. If your topic is vague or too general, you will lose your reader in the introduction and are unlikely to get them back. Finding a topic for your research paper is probably the most challenging step you can come across while preparing for your paper. Even though your instructor has assigned you a range of topics to choose from, you may still feel exhausted and “lost” by the breadth of choice. Your topic must be narrow and focused enough to be meaningful, yet broad enough for you to find adequate information. For a scholarly research paper, you also want to ask yourself whether your topic is relevant to academic concerns and thus worthy of scholarly attention. So, as soon as you start thinking about your topic, you have initiated the process of research. How to Define Your Topic In this part of Topic 1, we will work in depth with the process of coming up with a specific research topic. This approach can be used across the humanities and social sciences, in different courses. Use the steps that follow to guide you through the process of selecting a research topic. Tradition of Inquiry Now that you have figured out a topic for your research paper, you want to explain the existing knowledge on the topic. Recent research into academic writing has shown that one of the moves writers typically make in the introduction is to confirm that they are carrying on a tradition of inquiry. As researchers, academic writers are under an obligation to situate their own work in relation to other voices in the research community. Thus, early on in a paper, academics often refer to previous studies that bear some relationship to the current investigation. That is, explain how your work and argument fits into the larger scholarly conversation. This is a feature in the scholarly introduction that most students are not familiar with, perhaps because students do not feel comfortable considering themselves part of the research community. However, it is important to describe the existing knowledge on the topic in the introduction, because your work must be put into the context of the larger research conversation. You are not the first one discussing the topic. You are not the only one discussing the topic. The introduction explains how your paper fits into this conversation and contributes to scholarship on the topic. Assignment 4 asks you to draw on at least one of the articles in your annotated bibliography to examine the tradition of inquiry or existing knowledge on your topic. So, your annotated bibliography would be a good starting place for you to consider what information you want to include in your introduction to show your reader that previous research has been done on your topic. Presenting a tradition of inquiry or existing knowledge calls on the summary skills of the writer. Citations from other sources show that a particular topic has been discussed in published research, which proves that it is relevant and important. Let’s look at some examples from the articles on our course reading list. Example 1 Hide Commentators on education are arguing that a new generation of learners is entering our educational institutions, one which has grown up with information and communication technology (ICT) as an integral part of their everyday lives. It is claimed these young people’s use of ICTs differentiates them from previous generations of students and from their teachers, and that the differences are so significant that the nature of education itself must fundamentally change to accommodate the skills and interests of these ‘digital natives’ (Prensky, 2001a). (Bennett, Maton, & Kervin, 2008) Example 2 Hide Researchers are challenged to understand the radical shifts in how today’s college students use information and communication technologies (ICTs) in