1 Module 3 Hypotheses Matakuliah: G1112, Scientific Writing I Tahun: 2006 Versi: v 1.0 rev 1

2 What’s inside 1.thesis statement 2.research question.

3 Thesis Statement Thesis statement is used for the argumentative Paper Some defining features of a thesis : For most student work, it's a one- or two- sentence statement that explicitly outlines the purpose or point of your paper. A thesis is to a paper what a topic sentence is to a paragraph It should point toward the development or course of argument the reader can expect your argument to take, but does not have to specifically include 'three supporting points' as you may have once learned Because the rest of the paper will support or back up your thesis, a thesis is normally placed at or near the end of the introductory paragraph. It is an assertion that a reasonable person could disagree with if you only gave the thesis and no other evidence. It is not a fact or casual observation; it must beg to be proved. And someone should be able to theoretically argue against it (how successfully will depend of course on how persuasive you are)

4 Thesis Statement (cont) It takes a side on a topic rather than simply announcing that the paper is about a topic (the title should have already told your reader your topic). Don't tell a reader about something; tell them what about something. Answer the questions "how?" or "why?" It is sufficiently narrow and specific that your supporting points are necessary and sufficient, not arbitrary; paper length and number of supporting points are good guides here It argues one main point and doesn't squeeze three different theses for three different papers into one sentence Most importantly, it passes The "So What?" Test

5 The “So What Test” Whenever you plan on writing a research paper, there is an extremely important point that you must constantly keep in the forefront of your mind--even English teachers frequently mention it as something students fail to do time and time again. What is it? To be sure to choose a topic worth arguing about or exploring. This means to construct a thesis statement or research question about a problem that is still debated, controversial, up in the air. What this means is that during the topic-formulating stage and again now, always keep asking "SO WHAT?", "WHO CARES?" or to paraphrase the famous Canadian journalist Barbara Frum: "Tell me something new about something I care about." That will automatically make your paper significant and interesting both for you to write and the reader to study.

6 Research Question Research Question is required for analytical research There isn't as much to say about research questions as thesis statements because the former are much more straightforward. A research question is needed because your broad topic, given out in the assignment or devised on your own, is too abstract to give you any focus for your upcoming research. The key is refining.

7 RESEARCH QUESTION RESEARCH QUESTION EVALUATION 1.Does the question deal with a topic or issue that interests me enough to spark my own thoughts and opinions? 2.Is the question easily and fully researchable? 3.What type of information do I need to answer the research question? e.g., The research question, "What impact has deregulation had on commercial airline safety?," will obviously require certain types of information: –statistics on airline crashes before and after –statistics on other safety problems before and after –information about maintenance practices before and after –information about government safety requirements before and after 4.Is the scope of this information reasonable? (e.g., can I really research 30 on-line writing programs developed over a span of 10 years?) 5.Given the type and scope of the information that I need, is my question too broad, too narrow, or o.k.? 6.What sources will have the type of information that I need to answer the research question (journals, books, internet resources, government documents, people)? 7.Can I access these sources? 8.Given my answers to the above questions, do I have a good quality research question that I actually will be able to answer by doing research?

8 Examples The Context (Occasion): Imagine that you've been asked to write a research paper for a Communications course on the Personal Impact of Modern Media Technologies. You get a choice on what kind of paper to write. You weren't given a sheet of thesis statements or questions, but you've been to all the classes and, well, have just lived long enough to know that radio is a modern medium that would definitely have personal impacts. After some brainstorming about your personal experiences and a bit of refining and preliminary research, you've decided to write a paper on the impact music-listening has on students' grades. That's your refined topic. Now if you were a real researcher, you could set up an empirical study and actually test this, but that's not the type of research paper we're talking about here; not you personally doing the research, but finding out what others have to say on the matter and using it intelligently for your own purposes.

9 Examples If it's for an argumentative paper After some thought about your opinions on the issue (maybe combined with some preliminary research), you've come up with a tentative thesis statement like this: "Contrary to popular, parental, and librarian opinion, 'quiet study time' does not in fact enhance but instead impairs students' productivity. Listening to music while studying is in fact a beneficial activity to add to a study regime for better grades because of the way music motivates students and keeps them alert" or something like that. The wording doesn't really matter at this point, just the fact that you have transformed your topic into that second provocative, declarative sentence.

10 Examples If it's for an analytical paper To transform your topic into a research question for this example, all you have to do is stick an interrogative pronoun at the beginning and tack a question mark at the end; in other words, MAKE IT A QUESTION! Your research question would be something like "What is the ultimate effect of music-listening while studying on grades?" The paper will then go on to analyze and explore the range of answers. If your question is refined enough, this simple tactic works quite well.

11 How to create a thesis THESIS = TOPIC + SPECIFIC ASSERTION 1.Started with a medium "radio" as our initial topic 2.Refined it to "music-listening" (as opposed to talk shows, commercials, contests, etc.) 3.Further refined it to "music-listening while studying" as opposed to other contexts where people would listen to radio music 4.For assertion, we looked at the title of the course and reasoned that a good term paper would likely look at the personal impact of our topic on something else 5.After some thought and observation, that something else turned out to be "student grades“ 6.The specific assertion was THE NATURE OF THAT IMPACT (which we felt was a positive one in our sample thesis statement: music- listening while studying enhances academic performance)

12 How to create a thesis (Cont) What is a gut feeling you get when you think at or look at your topic? "I could never get through studying without music on!" Why do you think you feel like that? "If I didn't have music, I'd fall asleep or get bored. Music keeps me motivated, engaged, and alert." What qualifications or conditions might be needed to make your response more objective and specific, especially for skeptics? "Oh yeah, I listen to instrumentals; I should probably mention that. The tempo of the music is probably important or I would fall asleep. And volume matters And what I'm studying might matter too" Is there any other information you will need to include that's critical to the comprehension of your idea? "I may need to include some definitions. And I should definitely point to the fact that mine is opposite to popular opinion."

13 How to create a Research Question Research Question The best technique for coming up with a research question is to do a lot of brainstorming that keeps breaking up your topic into subunits and/or specific conditions--all by repeatedly asking yourself questions. The journalist's 5Ws can be helpful here. Below is the imaginary evolution of our sample research question. As you read it, think of it as a kind of inventive "dialogue" you might have had with yourself once you'd chosen radio as your medium: Is it the medium itself I'd like to look at?--light, portable, easily worn close to the ears (maybe I could look at the effect of walkmans on hearing) Or am I more interested in the content of radio? So what are the different parts of a radio program? (music, news, commercials, contests, sports broadcasting, talk shows (what is it like to hear a sport but not see it? how does it change the spectator experience?)

14 How to create a Research Question (cont) Hmmm. I don't like sports--what about music? Where do people listen to radio music? Jogging (walkmans)? (Do they run farther because of it?) In the car? (Does it ever contribute to accidents?) At the dentist's office, at work?(Are people more satisfied at their jobs?) At home? Where at home? In the bedroom? Who listens to it? I do! Who am I? A student!! That's it! When do I listen to music? When I study! (Does that impact my grades?) Just keep asking yourself questions about words and other questions. There are half a dozen possible research questions embedded in the note-taking exercise above. Finding one that interests you can't be too hard.