Research Paper Final-Z

Topic

You can select ANY topic that you want. Choose something to which you are deeply passionate. Because you have the freedom to choose the way in which to explore your topic, I suggest that you write about something that deeply interests you. That said, however, there are some restrictions and limits. Your topic must be about something where you can access academic resources.

Requirements (Your research paper must):

• Be at least 12 pages of written text
• Contain (at a minimum) the 7 specific sources listed below
• Contain a Works Cited page
• Be written in proper correct MLA format

Research Question

You must be creative and ask an original research question about the topic. As an exle, pretend your research paper topic was steroids. A very poor and dull research question might be, What are the effects of steroid use? A much better research question could be, How has the use of steroids by football players combined with head injuries resulted in liability issues for college and professional football? Here is another exle: Is the death penalty moral? This research question is too opinion-based. A much better research question could be, Has the death penalty worked as a deterrent against murder in the states that employ the death penalty?

Your research question MUST lean towards cause and effect rather than opinion.

Sources

You must cite a MINIMUM of SIX sources throughout your research paper. The minimum criteria for your sources are as follows:

• At least one source must be from the Pierce Library database
• At least one source must be from a credible website, appropriate for academic use (.edu or .gov only)
• Two additional sources may be repeated from any the sources from above, or in combination with the following:
  • A Film
  • A Documentary
  • An Interview
  • A Ted Talk
• At least one source must be from our textbook, Thinking for Yourself
• At least one source must be from our textbook, Outliers: The Story of Success

Thesis

Your thesis must be a single sentence and appear at the end of your introduction. In essence, your thesis is the answer to your research question, a summary of your research findings. In other words, you should not be able to write your thesis until you have completed the research. Do not approach your research question as though you know the answer. Your research should answer your question, thereby forming your thesis. This suggests to the reader, in as much detail as possible, what he or she will read in the following pages, why he or she should read it, and in what order it will be presented. DO NOT leave your readers in suspense or surprise them in the thesis! Concretely tell your readers what they are about to discover.

Research Thesis Exle

Because intelligence is one of the essential traits of a person, knowing the effects that the environment and culture have on it can help schools and parents create a better atmosphere for children to develop their strength of mind. Additionally, finding out why certain cultures and races are smarter than others is not a fact that can help reduce racism in society. Data suggests that kids who grew up in certain cultures have more cognitive ability than others. However, investigating external factors informs that the gap in average I.Q scores can be because I.Q. tests are biased toward certain cultures and languages, and also the personal motivation of the test taker affects I.Q. results; therefore, Gladwell leaves out many essential components that influence an individuals I.Q. score.