BITE-SIZE ESSAYS

By: Simone Feigenbaum

Like many students, I'm a procrastinator. The thought of having to write a paper often ends up seeming like a Herculean task, so I avoid it until the last minute, and need to do everything at once, which just reinforces my avoidance of it. 

What I have found, though, is that breaking the paper up into smaller, easier to digest tasks can greatly ease the process. 

This is how I break down projects for a research paper:

Step one: Research

This is my favorite part. Find an aspect of the topic that interests you, and look into it. The library research desk can be a great help with this part. Make sure you keep track of the things you've read and what you've learned from them. It will make the following steps far easier.

Step two: Find a question

Now that you've done some research into your topic, what questions do you have? What did you find most interesting? That's your topic.

Step three: Outlining

When you were in high school, your teachers probably taught you how to make a basic outline, and you probably ignored them. I did too. But they do help. They don't need to follow any specific format; play around and find what works best for you. I usually decide what I want to talk about in each paragraph, and write down my support for each point, along with where I found the information to make citations easier. My outlines are handwritten: informal, messy, and covered in arrows from moving points around. Yours may be typewritten with neat bullet points. It's up to you.

Step three: Write the essay!

Look at your outline: it's basically your complete essay. Follow your own instructions, and add an introduction and a conclusion. 

That's it! You're done! Proofread, write your bibliography, turn it in, and get yourself a treat! You've earned it! 

Undergraduate Research Proposal Writing

By Madison Chapman

American University is working towards becoming a stronger research university by tapping into its undergraduate population. Even before figuring out a major, students often express an interest in contributing to a professor’s research project or starting their own research initiative for experience. Such opportunities allow students to explore the world of academia while gaining valuable experience which can look impressive on resumes, graduate school applications, and applications for competitive graduate school scholarships (e.g. Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright Awards). Currently, few students know of an annual competitive opportunity through the Vice Provost Office which enables undergraduate students to head up their own research endeavors. The AU Summer Scholars & Artists Fellowship Award is offered to eight students across the university who submit exemplary proposals for research projects to be conducted over an eight week period during the summer. The $4000 award can be put towards any related expenses, and the project does not have to be conducted on/near AU’s campus as long as the student is in regular contact with their sponsoring faculty mentor.

So how exactly do you write a research proposal if you have never done research before? As one of this past year’s Summer Scholar Award winners, I want to share a few tips for crafting an effective proposal.

·       Think ahead! The strongest research projects (regardless of discipline) stem from projects started in advanced classes within your major. Talk to your professors about how you could expand or extend work on a topic that interests you.

·       Start early! Once you know what you want to do, work with your designated mentor, academic advisor or even another professor to perfect your draft proposal. The experts in your field will know the proper phrasing and keywords necessary for research proposals.

·       Ask yourself why this topic is important! Make sure your research project is tackling a subject which interests you while also addressing something significant and timely to your discipline.

·       Know the scholarly conversation! You are entering an academic dialogue when you begin a research endeavor. Work with professors to discover the literature in your field most relevant to your subject. Before you start original research, you should gain a thorough understanding of how your work fits into the field as a whole. 

·       Have a methodology! Whether you have a scientific project requiring specific technology or you are conducting a humanities project, you need to know exactly how you are going to try to answer your research question(s). Your proposal is not just to articulate what you want to research and why, but also serves to validate that you are capable of carrying out the project successfully.

·       Be mindful of scope! The selection panel will reward ambition only within limits. As scholars-in-the-making, you should be aware of how specific your topic needs to be in order to be manageable. While many people (such as myself) expand their summer projects into independent studies and/or capstones, you need to know what you can accomplish just within those eight weeks.

·       Stay positive! Although I have mentioned a lot of qualifications for your proposal, try to sound confident and passionate. Remember, you are only competing with other undergraduate students. No one can claim to have vast research experience so don’t try to sound like an expert yet. At this point in your academic career, you are only responsible for having genuine interest and motivation. Good luck!

Teacher’s Pet Peeve: Follow the Instructions!

by Michael Moreno 

Have you ever had a professor write on your essay that you failed to answer the assignment prompt? Have you read a syllabus with an essay question that just didn't seem to make sense? You can avoid these frustrations in the future by (a) reading the instructions carefully and often and (b) asking questions if you don’t fully understand the assignment.

Teachers craft essay prompts to elicit certain types of responses. You might, for example, be asked to write a researched argument. That means you need to have both research and an argument. In other words, your argument should be based upon your research. You can’t just write a research paper about the topic. You have to analyze that research, come up with a position based upon the research, and lay out your case for that argument using the research.

Once you begin writing, you should revisit the essay prompt multiple times to be sure you are achieving the objectives. If you think what you’ve written isn’t directly meeting those objectives, go back and revise.

If you just don’t understand what your teacher is getting at, do not be afraid to ask questions. He/she might very well word the assignment in a new way that makes complete sense to you. And, he/she will very much appreciate that you didn’t just stick your head in the sand and turn in something that is way off the mark.When in doubt, ask for clarification!

Research Papers: the When and How

By Meridian Ganz-Ratzat

Many spring semester classes culminate in a final research paper. While it's tempting to put off starting for another few months, beginning now can keep you stress free later. To help you (and myself!) budget your time and handle those papers with ease, I've broken down a timeline for brainstorming, research, outline, drafting, and editing:

2-3 Months Away (Now): Start brainstorming on your topic. If you have a prompt, read it through a couple times. Even if you don't, start writing down anything about the class (or related topics) that interest you. The best place to start is with something that you're passionate about. Once you've located an area you're interested in, start doing some casual research and thinking about what your research question will be.

1 Month Away: Now's the time to delve into your research. At this point you should have a topic and a solid idea of your research question. The library's catalog and databases are the best places to start researching. If you're having trouble finding a good research question, come to the Writing Center! Or if you're struggling to find good sources, try looking at the databases by subject or talking to one of the librarians at the research desk.

3 Weeks Away: After you've got a good handle on your research, start thinking about how to organize your essay. Remember that every essay is an argument. Develop your argument step-by-step by thinking about what information your reader needs to know first and building from there.

2 Weeks Away: Write the first draft of your essay. By making yourself sit down and write a draft, you can get your ideas out of your head. Don't worry if it doesn't sound perfect! You've given yourself somewhere to start. If you're having trouble with writer's block, check out our blog archive. A lot of our consultants have written blogs about how to get started on papers.

1 Week Away: This is the perfect time for big picture edits. Before you start worrying about grammar and other small errors, address the big picture issues: your thesis, organization, flow, and clarity. These larger issues can be hard to fix on your own. Ask a friend you trust to give you feedback or bring your draft into the Writing Center!

2 Days Away: Read through your essay for a last polish. Now you can relax, watch an episode of your favorite TV show, and let everyone else stress out.

Remember, this is just one way of writing a research paper. Everyone has their own process. If this structure isn't working for you, come into the Writing Center and we'll help you find what does work!

Teacher’s Pet Peeve: Follow the Instructions!

by Michael Moreno

Have you ever had a professor write on your essay that you failed to answer the assignment prompt? Have you read a syllabus with an essay question that just didn't seem to make sense? You can avoid these frustrations in the future by (a) reading the instructions carefully and often and (b) asking questions if you don’t fully understand the assignment.

Teachers craft essay prompts to elicit certain types of responses. You might, for example, be asked to write a researched argument. That means you need to have both research and an argument. In other words, your argument should be based upon your research. You can’t just write a research paper about the topic. You have to analyze that research, come up with a position based upon the research, and lay out your case for that argument using the research.

Once you begin writing, you should revisit the essay prompt multiple times to be sure you are achieving the objectives. If you think what you’ve written isn’t directly meeting those objectives, go back and revise.

If you just don’t understand what your teacher is getting at, do not be afraid to ask questions. He/she might very well word the assignment in a new way that makes complete sense to you. And, he/she will very much appreciate that you didn’t just stick your head in the sand and turn in something that is way off the mark. When in doubt, ask for clarification!

Wikipedia: Understanding the Black Sheep of Internet Research

by Ida Rosenthal

Around the country, students doing research are struggling to understand how to properly use Wikipedia, a website composed of user-generated content about almost every topic imaginable. With no doubt, Wikipedia can be a great tool for learning basic information, but not everything on Wikipedia is accurate, comprehensive, and unbiased. After all, content can be edited by anyone—even someone who just heard about a topic for the first time yesterday!

It’s no surprise then that most academic institutions don’t accept Wikipedia as a source for research papers. However, there are certain instances in which it is acceptable to use the website.

Here are general rules of thumb for when and how to conduct research using Wikipedia:

1. Brainstorming: If you just started working on a project, then Wikipedia may be a good place to gain a broad overview of the topic. Although you shouldn’t rely Wikipedia as a source, you can use the website as a launching pad for more specific research.

2. Recalling basic facts: Can’t remember what year the Declaration of Independence was signed? Wikipedia can help, but it shouldn’t be the only source you use to find this information. Once you see that the Declaration was signed in 1776, look to more scholarly sources to have that fact confirmed.

3. Using Wikipedia’s sources: At the bottom of each Wikipedia entry is a list of sources used to compile the Wiki article. This is important because these sources are often put together by journalists, scholars or government agencies, making them much more credible than the Wikipedia article itself.

Thus, Wikipedia isn’t an inherently bad resource, it just shouldn’t be used as the foundation for any research project.

Still confused about whether you can use Wikipedia in your next project? Call the Writing Center, schedule an appointment, and one of our wonderful writing consultants will talk with you about the pros and cons of using Wikipedia in your specific project.

Tips for Conducting Interviews for a Research Project

by Melissa Wyse

Last week, we talked about the benefits of using an interview as a research source.  We also talked about how to select an interview subject.  (You can check out that blog post here.)  Now we’re back with some tips to help you though the interview process.

Before the interview:

1. Start early.  Your interview subject probably has a busy schedule.  So contact him or her well in advance of your paper’s due date.

2. Do some preliminary research before the interview.  Learn about your topic, and if you’re interviewing someone well-known, learn about him or her, too.  If your interview subject has been interviewed before, read or watch his or her previous interviews.

3. Prepare a list of questions before the interview.

During the interview:

1. You'll probably find that you move among your interview questions, sometimes asking them in order, sometimes adding in a follow-up question, and sometimes skipping a question altogether because your interview subject already addressed that topic.

2. Remember, after the interview is over, you’re going to want to be able to quote or paraphrase accurately.  If possible, tape record your interview.  You also may want to take some notes during the interview itself—just make sure you look up from your notebook now and then so you can make eye contact.  

3. Be polite. You can ask your interview subject intelligent and thought-provoking questions, but do so politely, and with an aim of understanding their perspective.  Your genuine desire to understand will help your interview subjects trust and open up to you.

After the interview:

1. Immediately after the interview is over, make very detailed notes.  Do this in the car or on the Metro ride home, or even at the nearest coffee shop.  But do it immediately, while the conversation is still fresh in your mind.  Even if you’ve tape recorded and taken some rough notes during the interview, it’s always a good idea to take detailed notes after it’s over.

2. Remember to send your interview subject a thank you note.

Using Interviews as a Research Source

by Melissa Wyse

Have you ever hit a point in a research project where you simply couldn’t find the kind of source you needed?  You’d sifted through the online databases, spent more than your fair share of hours combing through the stacks in the library, and yet somehow there didn’t seem to be any sources with the particular information or perspective you wanted to include in your paper.

Consider using an interview as a source.  It can be one of the most fruitful and rewarding sources around, and yet many student scholars forget that interviewing is even an option.

Not only are interviews a valid source in academic writing, but there are a lot of benefits to using them in your research projects.  Conducting an interview allows you to tailor your questions to your working thesis.  Unlike reading books and articles, you’ll also have the opportunity to ask your interview subject follow-up questions to clarify or learn more about particular aspects of your topic.  And you’ll have brand new source material to work from—information, ideas, and perspectives that other scholars haven’t already written about.  This original source material may help you to make a unique contribution to the academic conversation.

You might consider interviewing a scholar or another expert on your topic.  Writing about US-China relations?  Interview a scholar in the field, or the head of a foreign relations think tank, or even someone from the ambassador’s office for either country.

You also might consider interviewing someone with first-hand experience in the area you’re writing about.  For example, if you’re writing a paper about the ethical and economic imperatives that driving the bidding process in the construction industry, by all means interview a contractor to get some first-hand insights into the process and his or her perspective on it.  Writing a paper about charter schools?  Interview a charter school teacher or student, parent or principal.  Get their perspective on your research question.

In selecting an interview source, there are a few considerations you should bear in mind.  Choosing to interview a friend or family member may be appropriate in some instances, but there are some serious drawbacks: you may not be able to write as objectively about someone you know, and even if you are able to do so, your readers may worry that your writing is biased, which undermines your argument. 

Consider, instead, interviewing someone you don’t know personally.  And aim high.  You’d be surprised by the people who are willing to meet with you.  Many important people, including politicians, scholars, and CEOs, have a soft spot for students working on research projects.  Send these important people an e-mail—and mention that you’re a college student.  You never know who will say “yes” to an interview.

Next week, we’ll be back with some helpful tips on how to conduct an interview.  Stay tuned!

QUICK TIP: Google is Great, but Google Scholar is Even Better

by Ida Rosenthal

Have you ever had difficulty finding legitimate sources for research projects?

Google Scholar provides a simple way to search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts, and court opinions from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites.

Google Scholar aims to rank documents the way researchers do, weighing the text of each document, where it was published, who it was written by, and how often and how recently it has been cited in other works.

In other words, Google wants to make scholarly information more easily available, and you should take them up on their offer! We promise it will make the research process much more efficient.

Cool Writing Assignments... Do They Exist?

By Matthew Decker

Can there really be a “cool” writing assignment?  Do you think your professor could accomplish such an impossible feat? 

The truth is that cool writing assignments are more common than one would think.  Regardless of your subject of study, chances are you will receive an assignment that asks you to be creative—papers that give you the freedom to research what you like, incorporate ideas not traditionally discussed in your classroom, and produce a work that is completely your own.

Unfortunately, students have the tendency to get overwhelmed by these open-ended paper projects.  Here’s an example:

Elizabeth just received the prompt for her next research paper in her American Lit course.  The prompt asked her to relate a prominent theme from one of the books she read in class (let’s say Moby-Dick) to a contemporary work of American fiction, film, or visual art.  The paper should be 4-6 pages long, demonstrate a well-developed thesis, and make a unique claim about the text and the chosen contemporary work.

This is Elizabeth’s initial reaction to the essay prompt:

OMG!  I hate my professor for giving me this stupid paper!  How can I relate that impossible book to the modern world!?  I don’t know what to do.  There aren’t any white whales in the 20^th century!  Gahhhhh!

Before you freak out like Elizabeth, do some research!  This paper has the potential to be fantastic, and if you give yourself the time to do a little library exploring, you will definitely find a constructive way to start your paper. 

Later in the day, Elizabeth revisited her essay assignment after grabbing a bite to eat in the dining hall.  Having the time to think about the assignment a little more before her next class, she began to play with the interesting topics she might explore in her paper.  Instead of giving into her initial panic, she did some brainstorming, and found herself thinking:

Hmmm, this is interesting.  I wonder how I can relate Moby Dick to another contemporary work?  I know I like art—maybe I can relate Melville’s view of nature to a work of modern landscape or seascape art.  I know I can find a modern seascape painting that captures nature’s effect on the mind.

Try to narrow your research to a topic you know you’re interested in and run with it.  Go to the library and check out the latest edition of ARTnews or American Art Review and find that seascape painting. 

Embrace the freedom your professor has given you in this assignment and don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by possibilities.  Make this paper your own!

Here are some quick tips for you to follow in the cool, open-ended essay process:

1.)    Don’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel.  Open-ended essay assignments are purposely broad because your professor wants to see how you can take an all-encompassing prompt and fashion it into a specific and arguable paper topic.

2.)    Focus your paper.  Don’t try to write about Moby-Dick in its entirety because that is an impossible task.  Instead, explore a particular passage from the text—its imagery, symbolism, language, thematic components—and make one of those aspects central to your paper. 

3.)    Ask yourself questions.  Why do I think the imagery in Herman Melville’s novel captures a feeling of the sublime?  How does a particular seascape painting evoke that same sense of awe and inspiration in the viewer?  Why is this research important to my field of study? 

4.)    Make the paper your own.  Open-ended essay assignments are your chance to be as wild and crazy as you can possibly be in a college essay—take advantage of it.  Depending on your subject of study, you have the possibility to make intriguing claims about your topic and its relationship to modern technological innovations, Ancient Egyptian pottery, contemporary tattoo art, and even the seascapes of J.M.W. Turner.  

5.)    Run with it! 

At first glance, the open-ended essay can be a daunting task.  It asks you to demonstrate your capability as an original thinker and researcher, and it offers very little hand-holding in that process.  However, you should feel honored to have such a writing opportunity.  This is your chance to shine as a knowledgeable participant in your field of academic study, as well as to create a work that is entirely the result of your unique perspective and ideas.  Make sure you run with it!