By far, the type of writing that we encounter, both in secular and academic settings, fall into the category of being “informational/Observatory”. The intent of research writing is different – research writing is usually centered around advancing understanding of a topical problem/issue, and for a “community”. Research writings, therefore, leverage the work of prior research or it opens a discussion around a current topic. In either case, such writings follow a streamlined format that is familiar to researchers. This format, typically, contain components such as: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Future Works, etc. (see example research paper under this week’s Learning Materials section). The purpose of your assignment this week is for you to examine components of a research article and to identify guidelines for conducting critical analyses of published works. The knowledge gain here should be applied when completing your Week 3 research writing assignment. As you complete any writing assignment it is a good idea to proof read your work and use the University Writing Center to help with APA formatting; both will assist in minimizing grammatical errors and improve conducting research writing. Your Assignment:
- Find a research article – mobile technology preferred; but any technology topic is acceptable. A research effort is usually placed in the context of a “business problem” that can be understood in terms of carefully designed research questions; this allows for maximum research, understanding, and participation around resolving the problem.
- Write a three – five (3-5) page paper that evaluates the research article you found – your paper should be: typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. See hand-outs provided on graduate and APA style research papers.
Evaluate criteria – notice what research components (Title, Abstract, Method, etc.) are used in the article you found (see the article ” Guidelines for Evaluating a Research” in this week’s Learning Materials section)
- State the name of the article you found and that is being evaluated and who the author(s) is/are.
- What is this article about – talk about its context (what is the topic; its purpose, and significance to what/whom)?
- What components of a research format are included in this article?
- How does its format contribute to the purpose of the writing; that is, Research?
- Do the author(s) use this format in a way that furthers research – what other component(s), if any, might be helpful to this purpose?
Discuss – general guidelines for research writing (not necessarily in this order):
- What makes research writing different than ordinary information/observation writing?
- Identify and explain major components of a research paper format
- Why use peer-reviewed journals in research?
- Why are keywords used in the Abstract and during the Literature Review process?
- Why use/apply APA basic citation style in these writing assignments?
- Why is academic integrity important (see syllabus)?
Use at least five different quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia, Blogs, Info articles, and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources for research writing. Include a cover page containing: the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference pages do not count toward the page count. Review the Helpful Information provided related to critical thinking and also follow the hand-outs provided in this week’s folder.
