You will select and write about two (potential) research topics for your final paper. Your post should be approximately 300 words in paragraph form, and will address the following questions that we discussed in class:
- What topics have you selected?
- What questions do you have about these topics?
- Where could you find data to answer your questions about these topics?
- What research methods would you use to find that data?
If you have two very different topics, you may find it easier to write a paragraph about each topic separately. On the other hand, if one topic led you to consider another topic, you use a segue to make clear the link between the two topics in your writing. (For example, you could say, “Thinking about X in Topic #1 led me to consider the intersecting roles of X and Y in Topic #2.”)
Think of this post as a “pre-“ or “draft” of a proposal. On a blog your tone can be a little more conversational than the typical academic research proposal or paper, but you still want to be somewhat formal. As you write, you may find it helpful to imagine that you are pitching your topic to an audience.
Read and revise you work—for organization; for spelling, grammar and punctuation; for clarity–before you publish your post! A good practice is to have someone else read it to find out whether they understand what you’ve written, and where you may want to revise.
Here are a few other things to do as you prepare to publish your post:
- Title your post “My Research Topics”
- In a blog post, you don’t have to add info you would usually add to an assignment or paper – no need to add your name, date, or my name to the body of the post
- Under Categories, check “Blog”
- Under Tags, add “Research topics” (Choose from most used tags)
- Make sure the date and timestamp is correct on your post
- Select “Public” to make your post available to all (and searchable online) or “Private” to make your post available only to our class
- I encourage you all to at least share you writing with the class. If, however, you have a strong reason for why you do not want to do this, you can share your post only with me. To do so, select “Password protected,” create a password, and share it with me I encourage you all to comment on each others posts, to provide positive and constructive feedback or information about resources. We did this in class today, and I saw how it helped spark new ideas among you and provided motivation for doing more research!