Chapter 1

Understanding Expectations: College Research Papers

IN THIS CHAPTER

Answering the what and why of college research papers

Excelling at writing college research papers

Meeting your professor’s research paper demands

Building your research skills for the workplace

The signature activity of an educated person is reading academic materials. The amount you read corresponds with your success as a college student — especially your writing and research success. That belief is supported by self-educated successful readers who bypassed systems of formal education, including Wilbur and Orville Wright, Steve Jobs, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

These high achievers also researched — not in the sense of using databases and peer-reviewed sources — to answer formal research questions, but in a sense of satisfying their curiosities and answering questions such as: How can a self-powered machine fly? How can a pocket-size computer and a phone look like a piece of art? How can a functional building look aesthetically pleasing?

The answers require reading, researching, satisfying curiosities, and asking the right questions — questions that generate more questions than answers.

This chapter serves as your entry point into the world of research papers. Here I describe the research paper and its importance, explain the mindset of a college researcher, examine your professor’s expectations of you as a researcher writer, and identify the research skills you’ll carry into your career.

Looking Closer: The What and Why of College Research Papers

Although legendary innovators and creators obviously didn’t write formal research papers, they did follow a similar research process that included planning, organizing, searching, evaluating, and formulating questions from which they discovered their information.

College research papers are your invitation to participate at the adult dinner table with other researchers. They’re your passcode into the world of academic scholarship that answers the questions why and why not. Also, think of college research papers as your personalized extension of your course in the direction of new topics that you want to explore. Here I explain the what and why of writing research papers.

Recognizing what they’re all about

Research papers are as basic to college life as Thirsty Thursdays. And you can quench your research curiosities similar to your thirst — responsibly.

In today’s world of people sharing opinions based on gut feelings, research papers represent a non-opinionated position from evidence generated by the best experts in the field. As a college student, you represent a culture of people interested in explaining and adding new information to the body of research on a specific topic.

Research writing is scholarly inquiry that results in new information. It begins with developing an argument (see Chapter 7) and ends with drawing conclusions based on the findings, applying them to wider audiences (see Chapter 15).

The academic community accepts information that results from the research process of supporting an argument with reliable peer-reviewed sources and research methods reviewed by your professor and other experts. It’s called scholarship.

Characteristics of successful undergraduate research papers include the following:

• Citing and formatting information following the required documentation style (see Chapter 8 for citing and Chapter 13 for formatting)
• Creating an innovative topic that addresses the assignment question (refer to Chapter 5)
• Reviewing literature on the topic (flip to Chapter 9)
• Integrating reliable evidence (see Chapter 6) into the argument (see Chapter 7)
• Adding to the body of research on the topic (refer to Chapter 16) by drawing conclusions based on the evidence.

Realizing why research papers matter

Research papers are like a six-hour energy drink for your grade. They’re usually weighted a higher point value than other assignments because they require more work. And writing a few successful research papers each semester boasts your GPA — and your academic confidence.

In addition to energizing your grade, here’s a look at the benefits of research papers and why they matter. They

• Broaden your knowledge base: Curious people like you are driven to satisfy curiosities. New knowledge produces new questions to answer and new answers to questions. Research papers broaden and develop new interests.
• Develop your scholarship: Research papers are the primary academic activity of scholars-in-training like you. It’s your apprenticeship for credentialing yourself as an educated person. More than any other academic assignment, research papers show your depth of understanding a topic.
• Focus your expertise: If your research writing reveals patterns of interests, such as an analysis of workplace issues, you may be developing an area of focus for career exploration. Trace your research topics from middle school through college and analyze what they reveal about your interests.
• Develop problem-solving skills: Captain Obvious (whom you meet throughout this book) reminds you that solving problems develops your problem-solving skills. Researching and writing are endless marathons of solving problems. Show me a research paper, and I’ll show you an abyss of problems that need solving.
• Expand career opportunities: Research papers and grad school are a given. A research background also qualifies you for many business careers, including entrepreneurialism. Each paper you write represents an opportunity to explore a new career.
• Show your skills: Research papers demonstrate a variety of academic skills such as synthesizing, analyzing, organizing, summarizing, and paraphrasing. They also show skills such as creating research questions, developing an argument, and drawing conclusions.

A number of studies show that students who write research papers develop the following academic benefits:

• Preparation for the remainder of college and throughout their careers
• Experiences for the workplace and applying for grad school
• Confidence to work independently
• Persistence toward achieving their degrees and other goals
• Logical reasoning to support ideas
• Complex research skills and knowledge of research resources

Writing research papers could easily be identified as the fourth “R” of basic skills and the first “R” of college learning.

Examining first-year college research papers

Your college experience includes a number of firsts:

• Responsibility for your health and wellbeing
• Accountability for your academic success
• Reliance on your own transportation

First-year college also includes your first fully accountable scholarly research paper, which is often your first experience with the scholarship of higher education. First-year college writing courses frequently include essay writing, literature study, and research writing. Because of the importance of research and research-paper writing to college success, the second-semester course is usually dedicated to writing the college research paper.

Your first-year college courses are designed to give you hands-on experience with skills you’ll need for research success throughout your college courses and eventually in the workplace.

A recent survey of college librarians revealed the following research deficiencies among beginning college students:

• Depending on Google for sources
• Lacking the skills to evaluate sources, especially authenticity of sources...