WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS WORKING THROUG WRITING PROCESS Shi

WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS --WORKING THROUG WRITING PROCESS Shi Jian (Stan) stanlyshi@gmail. com April, 2007

l Write a paper that explores the former Berlin Wall as a symbol; l What are you curious about? Find a problem, question, or issue that piques your interest and that requires research; l Defend the contributions to American society of a famous but controversial person, such as Martin Luther King.

l To write “researched” essays that require you to go beyond what you know and think to incorporate ideas by others. l To access the internet, to check out book from the library, and perhaps to interview some people. l As a facilitator, one who pulls together and makes sense of divergent views.

l Research as an engaging, sometimes exciting pursuit on several fronts—your personal knowledge, ideas gleaned from sources, and research in the field.

l Why Do Research? Research teaches methods of discovery: to discover what you already know about a complex topic and what others can teach you. The discovery process will usually include reading, motivating you to venture into the field for observation and experimentation. You may not arrive at any final answers or solutions, but you will come to understand the different views on a subject.

Research teaches investigative skills: a research project requires you to investigate a subject, grasp the essentials of it, and disclose your findings. How to find reliable sources? Research teaches critical thinking: when wading through the evidence on the subject, learn to discriminate between useful information and unfounded or illconceived comments.

Research teaches logic: like a judge in the courtroom, the research paper asks for your perceptive judgment about the issues surrounding a specific topic. Your decisions about the issues, in effect, will be based upon the wisdom gained from research about the topic. Your paper and our readers will rely on our logical response to your reading, observation.

Research teaches the basic ingredients of argument: a research paper requires you to make a claim and support it with reasons and evidence.

A thesis is not a self-expressive activity, since a scholar does not write to express himself. He writes to contribute to a scholarly dialogue already under way, and one where his contribution will inevitably be viewed as part of a larger whole, … (George Watson, Writing a Thesis. Sichuan University Press, 2003. P. 7. )

Gathering material: Analyzing the topic: defining and redefining Choosing good strategy Using proper methods/tools Building a bibliography

Methods for discovering material “Snow-balling”—追溯法 Reference tools— 具法 A combination of both

Question: What reference tools are available at Sichuan University Library?

The academic journals Questions to condifer l Three examples l Why check the journals l

Question: How to perform a journal-survey? An attempt at an answer: • What should be the scope? • What categories should be used? • What aspects of the journals/articles should receive our attention? • Should we read the entire article? When? • What is the purpose of the survey? • Where else should we look? What other questions should be asked?

THANKS !