Comm 112 Wk 1

Research Process Questionnaire

1. What is research and its purpose in academic writing? What qualifies as effective research?

Research is the gathering of information from credible sources in order to learn, discuss, or write about a specific topic. The purpose of research in academic writing is to ensure that there are both supporting and disproving facts for the topic to strengthen the opinion of the paper and to address any differing opinions. Another reason research is important to academic writing is to discover what is already known and find what can be learned from others. In order for research to qualify as effective research it must come from a reliable source such as a news journal, relate to the research topic, and shows what was learned through the research process.

2. Explain basic research terminology and the various directions of research.

Research has certain terms that are important to understand because it will help improve the quality of writing. In order to write effectively in a research paper understanding these basic terms is important. These terms are evaluate, interpret, and define. To evaluate means to set a clear guideline to judge information and explain how it fits in with the topic. To interpret requires answering the question, “what does it mean”. Interpretation can be a literal example or a symbolic one. Definition in research writing is used to mean showing how a subject fits into the required category and in the cases of scientific papers, an explanation of any scientific terms and methods.

Research writing also has a set of terms used to describe the various directions of research. These terms are proposal, causal argument, comparison, precedence, and implications. A proposal in research writing is a request for action on any given topic. In a proposal the writer must explain the topic, show why it must be changed, and address any opposing views. A proposal can be used to predict consequences. A causal...