RESEARCH PAPER

(1) A form of academic writing, usually between five and fifteen pages long, composed by students in colleges and universities. A research paper (also known as a term paper) requires students to locate information about a topic (that is, to conduct research), take a stand on that topic, and provide support (or evidence) for that position in an organized report. (2) A scholarly article that contains the results of original research or an evaluation of research conducted by others. Most scholarly articles must undergo a process of peer review before they can be accepted for publication in an academic journal. What a research paper IS: 1. The research paper synthesizes your discoveries about a topic and your judgment, interpretation, and evaluation of those discoveries. 2. The research paper is a work that shows your originality. 3. The research paper acknowledges all sources you have used. 4. The research paper shows that you are part of a community of scholars. What a research paper IS NOT: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. A summary of an article or a book (or other source material) is NOT a research paper. The ideas of others, repeated uncritically, do NOT make a research paper. A series of quotations, no matter how skilfully put together, does NOT make a research paper. Unsubstantiated personal opinion does NOT constitute a research paper. Copying or accepting another person's work without acknowledging it, whether the work is published or unpublished, professional or amateur, in NOT research. IT IS PLAGIARISM. pp. 2-5, Roth