The Investigative Project

Purpose To uncover information and facts about an issue in order to expose concerns or present the need for additional action. Examples of Real Life Topics Expose corruption in government or politics or business Expose poor or unsanitary health practices in restaurants or groceries Present need for changes in laws or advertising Present need for new innovations Show that present practices are failing

NOT AN ARGUMENT? Well…not exactly… But yes. It’s an argument. Findings are reported in as unbiased and objective manner as possible. You want to be taken seriously. Collect FACTS, STATISTICS, OPINIONS, REACTIONS…all information relevant to your issue. Look high and low AND at what has already been done.

It’s a Process Step 1: Decide what needs to be uncovered and if you and your group have the resources to discover the information. Step 2: Decide on roles. Who will do the research? Collect data from a survey? Write up the results? Do the math??? Step 3: Results will need to be interpreted and discussed in an informed manner – in writing – APA style Step 4: Publication

Example Let’s say you want to research how much of Shawnee Forest has been destroyed by logging and if it has impacted the environment at all. Roles: Person A: needs to find out how big the forest is, what kind of animals and plants reside there, and how much logging has been done. Person B: will need to create a questionnaire and interview one or more park rangers and state officials, another will be needed for residents. Person C: will need to work with the above person to collate the statistical data and interpret it. Person(s) D: will need to be the WRITER 

Once You Have Decided on a Topic Make a list: Who? What? Where? When? How? To what extent? DECIDE WHAT INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE DISCOVERED

You Will Need Minimum 5-10 sources (at least two from the Internet) At least one journal article The results of a questionnaire or interview or survey your group has conducted and how your results were collated. Statistical analysis must be present. For a questionnaire or survey, you will need between 25 and 50 people.

Organizing Data Arrange and label your responses- so you can clearly see the groupings Evaluate the quality of your responses- not all are worthwhile or relevant to your topic/issue Evaluate the remaining data. Search for good quotes to use Identify relationships among quotations.

Cont’d Do a statistical analysis of your responses. How many responded? Are there levels of agreement? Disagreement? Determine the order in which you will present. Go from least to most important. For each paragraph, write a topic claim that introduces the topic and generally characterizes the responses

Once individual paragraphs have been written, you then need to add transitional claims either at the beginning or the end of the paragraph. Write a conclusion that characterizes the results of your study.

Sentence Level Issues for the Essay Quote sources accurately- it is unethical to change the wording to suit your needs. You may need to intrude in order to explain (“if she [Mrs. Nickel] would not assign so much work.”) Remember to spell out numbers at the beginning of sentences Be consistent with tense! With interviews, the past tense if preferred since the information is a result of a now ended conversation. READ THE PAPER ALOUD

Writing Paragraphs Do not focus paragraphs on people. Always use a topic sentence. Utilize transitions between paragraphs Identify people fully the first time you make reference to them. Use last names after that- never first names only Be sure to focus attention within paragraphs on the relationships among the ideas. Smith agrees with Jones that Adams disagrees, suggesting that