Getting Started with Your Research Paper

Before getting started finding information sources on your topic, you need to review your assignment.  Are you supposed to use peer reviewed articles? Magazine articles? Books? Blogs or social media posts?  After determining the types of sources you are required to use for your research it helps to understand what type of content can be found in different information types. 

As you search for sources on your research topic it is important to return to the assignment description to ensure you are using the types of sources that are required by the assignment.  The following is just an example of a list of required sources for a student's research paper:

Go over your own assignment and ask your instructor for clarification if you are not sure what types of sources you can use for your paper.  

Watch this brief 3 minute video on the information cycle to better understand how information is created and distributed.   

Academic writing requires that you build arguments using multiple texts. To do this you will need to describe the relationships between these different texts. The concepts and language described below can help describe relationships between texts. They are particularly useful if you are synthesizing a set of texts, or putting them in “conversation” with each other. You can also use these verbs to describe the contribution you want to make when advancing your own argument. 

When a source advances, develops, expands, or take further some element of an existing argument, we say that the source “extends” an argument. 

● Extending an argument involves presenting additional evidence or reasons that are in line with the original argument but go beyond it. 

Some verbs you might use to describe the way a source extends a text include: “Gives additional evidence, develops, elaborates, expands, extrapolates, teases out, advances, takes further, provides additional evidence/support, supplements, etc.” 

When a source presents evidence, arguments or claims that are at odds with an author’s position, we say that one text “complicates” another. 

● Complicating an author’s argument is not quite the same as disagreeing with it, although disagreement may be involved. 

● It usually involves suggesting that an author has not dealt with the full complexity of an issue, has failed to consider relevant evidence, or that there is a gap, shortcoming or limitation in an author’s account. 

● Complicating an argument may involve exposing problems, contradictions, or presenting counterexamples and counterarguments that challenge some part of the argument. 

Some verbs you might use to describe the way a source complicates a text include: “Challenges, contradicts, disagrees, locates problems with, identifies shortcomings, notes that X fails to account for, notes that X ignores A, suggests that X’s account is exaggerated, is vulnerable to counterarguments/counterexamples, rests on several highly questionable assumptions.” 

When a source presents evidence/claims that suggest an author’s argument goes too far, is too strong, or overgeneralizes, we say it “qualifies” the author’s argument. When a source limits the scope or extent of claims in an argument, we say that the source qualifies the argument. 

Example of unqualified argument: All video games incite violence and should be banned. 55

Qualified argument: Miller asserts that certain extreme video games may desensitize impressionable young people to violence and advocates a ban on these types of games. However, Jenkins points to evidence from MIT demonstrating that most games are innocent fun and may even teach useful skills. Nevertheless, he acknowledges Miller’s concerns and suggests that only games that realistically simulate murder should be banned. In addition, he limits the ban to children under the age of 14. Thus, Jenkins qualifies Miller’s claims. 

Challenge: when a source directly contradicts or challenges an author’s position. This is similar to a direct refutation (see section on rebuttals) and involves directly challenging an opposing view, pointing to serious weaknesses and shortcomings, and demonstrating that the argument ought to be rejected. 

When a source provides examples, additional evidence, cases or arguments that help explain a position we say that the source illustrates an argument. 

● Illustrating an argument means to present additional examples that illustrate or support a claim or argument. The illustration may not be explicitly mentioned by the original author. 

Some verbs you might use to describe the way a source clarifies or illustrates a text include: illuminates, exemplifies, explicates, confirms, supports, etc.