Research Papers Simplified - Laramie County Community College

esearch and then write about cloud imagery in William
Wordsworth’s poem ―The Prelude,‖ then you have to suck it up, bite
the bullet, research, and then write about cloud imagery in William
Wordsworth’s ―The Prelude‖! Most instructors, especially English
instructors, are not this rigid (ha ha).
On the other end of the spectrum, the entire process, including your
choice of the topic, belongs to you. This, too, is quite rare, but some
instructors may believe that the actual experience of writing a
research paper is more important than the topic you select. ―Lucky
you,‖ as they say, if you are this fortunate.
The most common scenario is a combination of both extremes where
you can choose a topic with certain restrictions imposed by your
instructor. For example, your Introduction to Sociology instructor
may allow you to select a research paper topic that stems from a
particular sociological theory covered in class. Your instructor may
even limit your focus to a controversial sociological principle
covered in your textbook.
1. Select a topic that’s interesting to you.
If the topic is your choice, even if it’s your choice within certain
limits set by the instructor, choose a topic that fascinates you. By
the same token, if it’s a topic dictated to you by the instruct or, find
a way to become excited about it.
All of my writing assignments allow students a good deal of freedom
to select their own topics, with certain restrictions, so I always
suggest that students focus on their interests. Especially with the
societal problem research paper for English 1010, I often encourage
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