1. Why do students need to know how to conduct research and write research-based reports?
Responses from Higher Education: If students plan to attend college or seek further education after high school, they will need to know how to conduct a research project and produce a final product that will guarantee success in any given class. Many classes in college require research-based writing skills to be demonstrated due to inquiry-based and project-based learning.
Responses from Ohio’s ELA State Standards: Effective research presents an answer to a question, demonstrates understanding of an inquiry, and properly cites information from multiple sources. Students need to be able to conduct research in order to both build and present their knowledge in a focused, detailed, organized, and sequenced way to clearly communicate ideas to a reader or listener. The final product of any research project should demonstrate ethical use of sources that are valid and reliable in order to avoid plagiarism and guarantee accuracy.

2. Important Terminology:
Basic Terminology:
Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Terminology:
Claim: an arguable statement or assertion of something as fact. Claims are open to challenge.
Reason: a basis for belief in a claim. This can take the form of a statement offered in explanation or justification.
Objection: an argument offered in disagreement referring to a claim.
Evidence: the body of facts or information indicating whether a reason or objection (regarding a claim) is true or valid. AKA: Proof!
Relevance: the relation, connection, or bearing in regards to the matter at hand (e.g.: a claim, a reason, an objection, or the evidence).
Explanation: the act of telling why something is relevant (e.g.: why is the reason or objection or evidence relevant to the claim?).
Credibility: the quality of being believable or worthy or trust (AKA the answer to the question “is it trustworthy” in regards to evidence).
Judgment: the ability to make a decision or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and/or wisely.
Evaluation: to judge the value of something (e.g.: a claim, evidence given, etc.) in a careful and thoughtful manner. This involves analysis of reasons, objections, evidence, relevance, and credibility. It is based on one’s judgment.

3. Writing a Research Paper
Learning Targets
Focus research around a problem to be solved or a central question to be answered.
Choose reliable sources of information to solve the problem or answer the question.
Determine if the problem or question needs to be narrowed or broadened based on the quality and quantity of reliable information available.
Examine sources for credibility: who wrote it, when, and why?
Assess the usefulness of a source to determine if it best answers the research question.
Avoid plagiarism by paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting responsibly by using a standard format for citation (MLA) to create a works cited page for sources and include in-text (parenthetical) citations.
Determine textual evidence that supports the research being conducted, and support claims and counterclaims by pointing out the strengths and limitations of both with textual evidence found in sources.
Compose a clear and logical piece of writing that demonstrates understanding of the persuasive writing style, including an introduction, supporting details with transitions that create cohesion and clarify relationships between ideas, and provide a concluding statement that supports the overall argument.
Conducting Research
Writing a Research Paper

4. Research Paper Assignment
In this research paper, you will analyze the various aspects of a problem needing solved or question needing answered.
Next, you will identify the best solution to the problem or answer to the question.
Finally, you will support this solution or answer with valid and reliable evidence from research.
Your final draft will be scored using a formal writing rubric.
Completion of this research writing project is REQUIRED for course credit.

5. Step One: Identify a problem or question that: Hint: interests you,
is broad enough to allow you to find reliable sources of information, and
is narrow enough in scope for your to keep focused on the specific problem/solution or question/answer.
Hint:
Two students may choose to collaborate on one problem or question, each supporting one or the other solution or answer.

6. Step Two:
Compose a thesis statement (main idea statement) based on your chosen problem/solution or question/answer.
Analyze the key words and/or phrases to focus your research (this will help you decide if your topic is too broad, too narrow, or just right).
Identify synonyms for key words or phrases to help you in the research process (this is especially helpful with search engines and database searches).

7. Step Three: Begin your research using any/all of the following tools:
Research databases
NEWSELA
Reliable Websites (.org, .edu, .gov, .com, etc.)
Books
Encyclopedias (online, via databases, and in print)
Periodicals (magazines & newspapers online & in print)
Journal articles (scholarly journals are mainly found via INFOhio but also may be available online & in print)
Interviews with experts on the topic
This may take the form of YouTube Videos of experts sharing their educated opinions, their research findings, and other facts/statistics/etc. that may be of value to your search. Keep in mind that experts have credible field experience and/or educational degrees in the field of study.

8. Step Four:
Select 3 or more sources of information based on how reliable, credible, valid, and timely they are:
Who wrote or created them?
If a source was written or created by someone or a group of people who is/are not experts in the field/topic, it should not be used.
When were they written or created?
If a source was written or created more than 5 years ago (or even more than 1-2 years ago for very current problems), it should not be used.
Why were they written or created?
If a source was written or created out of spite, anger, hatred, or prejudice, it should not be used.
Where were they written or created?
If a source was written or created outside of the location affected by the problem, it should not be used.
How focused on your topic are they?
If a source is only minimally useful because it isn’t fully focused on your topic, it should not be used.

9. Step Five:
Compose an MLA style Works Cited page identifying your research sources [author or editor, title of the article or title of the page on a website, title of the periodical or website in/on which the article was published or posted, publication/copyright date or date of posting or revision, affiliated organization hosting or maintaining the website, date of access, URL—link (if a website), and form of access (Print, Web, PDF, Video, etc.)].
Refer to Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) for help.
Identify how each source will be cited within the text of your paper (in parentheses).
Microsoft Word’s Reference Tab can help with this!

10. Step Six:
Gather evidence in the form of source summaries, paraphrased passages, statistics, facts, expert opinions, and valuable quotations.
Remember to cite (parenthetically) all source information even when you are not directly quoting the source.
If the ideas came from somewhere other than your own mind, and if the ideas are not common knowledge (e.g.: definition of a word or a well- known and unchanging fact that can be found in any encyclopedia), they must be cited to avoid plagiarism!
Refer to Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) for help.

11. Step Seven:
Organize your research evidence and decide if you need to find more information.
Outline your paper using the evidence collected.
Judge the overall support for reasons and objections regarding the possible solutions to the problem or answers to the question in order to evaluate them and select which one you will support.
Revise your working thesis statement to reflect your solution / answer selection.
Compose the first draft of your research paper, making sure to follow your outline; focus on your thesis statement; introduce, transition, and conclude effectively; cite sources used within the text of your draft; and include your works cited page.

12. Step Eight (Final Step):
Proofread, edit, and revise the draft of your research paper.
Use self and peer proofreading, editing, and revision strategies.
Ask your teacher for help when needed.
Use what you know about proper punctuation, spelling, word usage, grammar, sentence structure, etc. to further revise your paper.
Schedule a conference with the teacher if you need individual help.
Submit a final draft of your research paper once all steps have been completed.