Essentials of Writing

Research Assignment

            Each of you has chosen a research subject, connected with a group of researchers with related interests, and begun to research your subject.  Now it is time to narrow into a topic and begin to visualize your completed project.

Project Points

           You will be working toward earning a total of 300 points as you complete the activities to assemble this project.  That is almost 1/3 of your semester’s grade.  So while the Library Activity itself is only worth 100 points, the work that you do toward its completion will allow you to earn points as follows:

Library Activity  100 pts

Your completed project is due on April 7.  Each team member is responsible for writing and contributing 3 body paragraphs to the completed project and working as either

• a Writer for the Introduction

• a Writer for the Conclusion

• an Editor for the Intro and Conclusion

Your grade for this component of the project will be calculated as follows:

• 35 points for your individual paragraphs

• 25 points for the Introduction and Conclusion

• 10 points for development of a strong, clear, meaningful, well-developed thesis

• 15 points for effective project organization and presentation

• 15 points for first submission

Required resources:  Each member must include the following resources within the project:  

• 1 source from each of two Remote Access Databases from PCC’s website

• 1 source from a subject encyclopedia, statistical abstract, or other library reference material

Students may choose to include additional resources including video  tapes, personal interviews, material from books within the circulation collection, articles in periodicals, and appropriate websites.  Regardless of the use of these additional resources, the project’s required resources must be met.

Annotated Summaries  100 points

All students will write an annotated summary for each of the 3 required resources.  Each summary will include the resource’s bibliographic entry, a summary, an annotation, and at least one quote with proper parenthetical documentation.  Students will receive instruction on construction of these summaries in class.

First Submission:  The first submission is due right before spring break.  You might hate me for that now, but you will thank me for it when you are not working on it on your vacation! Note that I do NOT refer to this as a rough draft.  I expect you to have completed several revisions of this work in progress before it is submitted to me.  I will allow you up to four total sets of TLCC tutor extra credit for working on project revision.  Remember, that is 3 points per session.  Ask the tutor to sign your verification form indicating that you were working on a revision focusing on:        

• Organization

• Use of resources

• Strength of Material

• Control of grammar and mechanics

Many groups have found it very useful to visit a TLCC tutor together to get ideas about how to effectively organize the whole paper.  If your group works with a tutor on project organization, each group member who attends will get the three points.  Only ask for one verification form, and ask the tutor to fill in the name of everyone who works in that session on the form.                  

When I read your first submission I will make a duplicate set of notes—one for your team and one for myself.  These notes will include my ideas about your project—its strengths and weaknesses.  I will not be indicating your grammar and mechanics errors or make suggestions for untangling unclear sentences.  You are responsible for reading each other’s papers, working with a tutor, and finding people who like you and will listen to your paper, or better yet, read it to you, to make sure that your work is clear, strong, and correct.                      

Documentation Test  75 pts

I will determine your documentation test score by evaluating the group’s Works Cited page(s) as they exist in the first submission. 

The biggest mistake that I see groups make with their Works Cited pages is waiting until right before the first submission deadline to compile the group’s citation pages.  Start now, and make sure that every team member maintains an updated file of the group’s Works Cited pages.   Do not rely on one member to maintain this copy; things happen to disks; make sure that nothing happens to your Works Cited page.

  The second biggest mistake that I see with Works Cited pages is failure to follow the form.  Make use of your resources.  Refer to your tip sheets and your Holt Handbook MLA section.  Check one another’s work for accuracy.  Remember that the Documentation Test grade comes from the accuracy of the group’s Works Cited pages.

Every member is responsible for ensuring that the project’s resources are accurately cited within the Works Cited pages.

Individuals are each responsible for their own accurate and ethical presentation of their resources within their written paragraphs.

Plagiarism is wrong and will not be tolerated.

Students are held accountable for learning to work with and benefit from the research of professionals.  Students who are unsure of how to properly cite another person’s unique work and ideas have many resources to guide them.  These include: 

• The Holt Handbook

• Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

• The library website links to online citation help

• The library’s tip sheets

• Your teammates

• Librarians

• The TLCC tutors

• Your instructor

So, you shouldn’t have any worries about unintentional plagiarism with all of those resources available to help you figure out how to remain a responsible researcher.

Classwork participation 25 pts

Additionally, your teammates will assign you up to 25 points for your contribution to the overall success of the project.  Refer frequently to the support and task roles suggested by Larry Samovar in the article on collaborative learning to effectively maximize your point-earning potential in this area.

Project Organization 

As you know, successful collaborative projects require that each member performs a meaningful task role.  Each group will need to develop an effective organizational strategy based upon the strengths of its members.  Each group must include the following roles:

• Project Coordinator:  The project coordinator must be a fantastic listener, must be enthusiastic even when the going gets tough, and must be great at inspiring other people with that enthusiasm.  Additionally, the project coordinator must be very organized, must be an excellent communicator, and must be able to work within a deadline.

• Technology Guru:  The tech guru will work with each member to make sure that updated backup files of all member’s work are constantly maintained.  The tech guru will make sure that at least one other group member has an updated copy of the most recent draft of each member’s work.  Again, this is important to do to make sure that no one ends up with lost work because of a malfunctioning or lost disk.  These updating issues are probably most easily dealt with by e-mailing the updated files to one another.  All group members must always have a current file of the group’s Works Cited page.  The technology guru will be responsible for providing access to these updated files. The technology guru must either be proficient with copying and pasting electronic files and with e-mailing files or be willing to work with the Computer Tutors in the TLCC to do accomplish this.  These tasks are not difficult and can be quickly learned by someone who doesn’t know computers well but recognizes the importance of learning to work with them.  Additionally, the tech guru must be very organized, must be level-headed under pressure, and must be able to work well independently.

• Information Coordinator:  The Information Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining organized copies of all the groups’ paperwork.  This includes keeping a copy of every member’s resources.  These copies must be included in the group’s submission packets.  The information coordinator will NOT be responsible for finding the copies of the resources but simply maintaining an organized copy of all resources.  These files should be helpful for other group members, so they must be accessible at every group meeting.  The information coordinator must enjoy working with research and be a very organized and responsible person.  The information coordinator must be an excellent communicator.

• Other Roles.  In groups with more than 1 member, the responsibilities of the members can be sub-divided.  Additional roles can include:
  Research and Organization Specialist
  Resource Assessment Specialist

      See me if your group needs help in assigning roles within larger groups.

Important Dates for Research Project