The art of teaching the research essay

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When I was in high school, I vividly remember research essays involved nights at the local library with piles of books stacked high. I also remember purchasing stacks of colored index cards and packs of highlighters. The modern research paper allows for students wider access to research databases, but the core principles of strong researching methods has withstood the test of time. Here are 5 simple steps to guide your students through the research essay in a coordinated and easy-to-follow way.

1. Narrow the topic and develop a guiding question

Before we get too far into the essay, we have to narrow the topic and establish the driving question that will guide their research.  At the beginning of the project, I have students start with a general idea of the topic they are passionate about and want to explore.
 
Often, my students suggest extremely broad topics that make it nearly impossible to tackle, so I model steps to help narrow the topic.  I have my students work through a 3-step process to narrow their topic (see examples below). They should narrow the focus of their question and generate a researchable question. In order to formulate the question, have students begin asking open-ended questions–questions that begin “to what extent?” 
 
 
Example topic: Athletics
Narrow: School athletics
Narrow again: Government regulation and school sports
Narrow again: Changes in school athletic funding due to recent government rulings
 
Example topic: Endangered species
Narrow: Animals endangered in international waters
Narrow again: Efforts to preserve the Great Blue Whale
Narrow again: Cooperative international efforts to save endangered marine species
 

Developing the guiding question:

In order to help students narrow their topic, I have them first start by asking themselves whether the question could be answered by a simple “yes or no”. If so, they  should expand the question to allow for more depth. For example, the question “Should the government drop the drinking age to 18?” could be rewritten as “What are the pros and cons to keeping the drinking age at 21? 

Another consideration when developing strong questions is whether the question can be answered by a simple Google search.  For example, “How many countries have a drinking age below 21?” can be easily answered, but it doesn’t necessarily provide that the drinking age should be reduced. Instead the question could read, “Why should countries reduce their drinking age to 18?” The question must require a range of research in order to answer it.  

Click here for my FREEBIE Narrowing the Topic Graphic Organizer! 
 
Sample research questions:  Note how each question is impossible to answer with a simple yes or no answer.
● To what extent can violence be used to improve a circumstance/situation?
● To what extent does violence feed on itself?
● To what extent does violence harm those who resort to it?
 

Turning your topic into a researchable and defendable question:

Once students have a narrowed topic, it’s time to frame a question that can be researched and argued within the essay. 

Sample: 

General Topic: Violence in the media

More specific: Violence in video games

More specific: Increasing amount of violent video games

Research question: To what degree do video games promote violent behaviors for people to play those games?

2. Find high quality sources and evidence

Especially with all of the modern research tools that are available, students can often locate far more potential sources for their topic than you will have time to read. The real challenge will be to focus on a reasonable number of quality sources.  The web is full of academic information; they only need to learn how to find it. It is important to know how to evaluate the information you want to cite.
 
Understanding types of sources: As they begin assessing evidence in a text, consider whether you are reading a primary or a secondary source.
 
● Primary sources are original documents such as letters, diaries, legislative bills, laboratory studies, field research reports and eyewitness accounts. This can also include first-person conversations or interviews.
 
● Secondary sources are commentaries on primary sources. Although a primary source is not necessarily more reliable than a secondary source, it has the advantage of being a firsthand account.

Where to find quality research:

Academic search engines. Many schools and libraries subscribe to academic search engines such as EBSCO or Academic Search Premiere or InfoTrac. These search engines filter results so you only get academic sources that you can be sure are appropriate sources.

Googlescholar.com. This search engine, available to anyone, also filters results so you only get academic sources. Not every source listed is available online.

Library. Print sources from your school or public library that you can’t get online are available here. Asking a librarian for help is a great resource.

Internet search. Using a regular search engine such as Google or Yahoo can turn up appropriate sources, but you have to be very careful to make sure your source is appropriate for an academic research paper.

Wikipedia: Yeah or Neigh?
If you ask 10 educators about whether to use Wikipedia in a research paper, you will likely get 10 different answers. Personally, I think Wikipedia has its place to help students define terms, provide a general overview, or even help point them in a direction to understand complex concepts. However, it’s important to help students understand Wikipedia typically provide a synthesis of research, but it does not conduct its own research. However,  the at the bottom of the post, students will find links that could lead students to a good source.
 
Tips for finding good resources: 
● The best sources are peer reviewed. This means that an article was written by an expert in the field, and reviewed for accuracy by other experts. You will find peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals.
 
● Consider where the information is coming from. Is it from a respected magazine or newspaper? Is it from a journal or reference book? Avoid blogs, personal websites, or work that has not been reviewed or edited.
 
● A source should not have an agenda or bias. Avoid sources trying to sell a product or promote a certain idea.
 
● Websites that end in .edu or .gov are more likely to be good sources than .com, .net and .org .
 
For more tips on researching and evaluating quality sources, check out my full Research Essay Teaching Pack!

3. Organizing and Outlining 

This is where my high school color-coded index cards came in handy. I remember arranging my cards into neat lines by topic and moving them around like a game of cards. Now, students likely have links, copy/pasted snippets, or other random pieces and parts of digital research floating around. Before we start any writing, I ask my students to create an outline or help them organize their content and provide some clear direction.

An outline organizes information in complimentary ways because it shows:

1. The progression from the introduction/beginning through a   conclusion/end in support of your overarching thesis.

2.  The relationships between topics and subtopics, main points and supporting evidence, abstract ideas and concrete details.

3. The ultimate purpose of an outline is to help you write or present ideas in an organized manner that your audience can follow.

To begin an outline, students need to start with a thesis statement.  The thesis statement will be the guide
throughout the process of writing your essay.  From the thesis statement, they can begin writing the topic sentences for the body paragraphs in the outline.

The topic sentences need to agree with the main idea or subpoints in the thesis statement; otherwise, the essay could be confusing. 

Using an outline graphic organizer or template helps students arrange their main points in a logical order and identify which research they discovered to support each point. 

For more help outlining ideas, graphic organizers, and a claim statement checklist, check out my full Research Essay Teaching Pack!

MLA Documentation
In text citations

4. Citing sources using MLA Citation 

Before students begin writing their essay, I introduce the idea of MLA citation so they accurately embed their evidence within their body paragraphs. For most students, this is the most tedious and complicated part of the writing process.

My research essay teaching pack introduces students to MLA format, in-text citations, basic quotation, attribution, and MLA citation rules. This step-by-step slideshow makes it easy for students to understand how to apply MLA rules to their own writing.

 This 14-slide deck includes the following topics:

  • Formatting for MLA
  • Quotes 101
  • Identifying a speaker
  • In-text parenthetical citations
  • Punctuation rules
  • Short and long quotations
  • Partial quotations (how to use an ellipsis)
  • Adding to quotations (how to brackets)
  • Unusual circumstances: no author and websites
  • Works cited page guidelines
  • 2021 updates

If you are looking for more MLA documentation resources, check out some additional ideas from my fellow bloggers at  the Secondary English Coffee Shop:

5. Editing for clarity

Once the essay is complete, I make sure to build in time for self and peer editing using guided PowerPoints and worksheets. Through a series of yes/no questions and open ended questions, students are encouraged to do a deep dive into their essay to look for accuracy with MLA citations, grammar, mechanics, and overall content. 

While some students may want to rush this last step, I think it’s critical to embed time in my class to teach students how to not only be their own editors, but how to help others navigate the editing process. 

My Research Essay Teaching Pack includes both a self editing PowerPoints and peer editing PowerPoint with guided questions for reflection. It also includes 2 printable editing worksheets and a Basic Comma handout!

Buy Yours Now!

Research Essay Unit Plan
Low prep, Easy-to-Use

Check out the following research and writing resources from my fellow teacher colleagues:

Tips for teaching MLA Citations & Research Skills by The Secondary English Coffee Shop

MLA Citation Guide Mini-Book by The Classroom Sparrow

Research Magazine by Room 213

Research Project–Real Life Utopias by Nouvelle ELA

MLA Format Escape Room Activity by The Daring English Teacher

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