Touchstone 1.2: Write a Research Question, Thesis, and Outline
ASSIGNMENT: Following the Topic Selection Guidelines below, choose an argumentative topic to research. This will be your topic throughout the entire course (excluding Touchstone 3.1), so the activities required for this assignment will provide the foundation for your future Touchstones. The topic for an argumentative research paper must be an arguable topic, meaning that it involves a stance that advocates for a concrete course of action and at least three supporting reasons which are defensible with credible sources. Additionally, it must take a stance that someone could hypothetically disagree with. You will need to take a firm position on the topic and use evidence and logic to support the position. Touchstone 1.2 includes a research question, a working thesis, a detailed outline, and a reflection on this pre-writing process.
Sample Touchstone 1.2
In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI.
A. Topic Selection Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: You may choose any topic you wish as long as the stance is arguable and the supporting reasons are defensible with evidence. Your topic should be current, appropriate for an academic context and should have a focus suitable for a 6-8 page essay.
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the Touchstone.
EXAMPLE THESIS STATEMENTS (off-limits):
1. Rather than ending at age eighteen, compulsory education in the United States should be lifelong in order to improve civic engagement, teach new skills, and stave off cognitive decline, thus extending life expectancies.
2. Local governments, businesses, and property owners should replace conventional grass lawns with clover lawns in order to create habitat for pollinators, save water, and reduce maintenance, which will also lower carbon emissions.
3. Colleges and universities should prioritize academic freedom for students because sensitive discussions on difficult topics are necessary for students to learn, confidence in their own expertise is essential to teachers being effective, and students should be prepared to be exposed to many different opinions.
B. Research Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines. Refer to the Sample Touchstone for additional guidance on structure, formatting, and citation.
1. Research Question and Working Thesis
Keep in mind: The research question and working thesis are the driving force behind your research and eventual argument.
❒ Your research question should be a single sentence, framed as a question.
❒ Your working thesis should be a single focused sentence, framed as an actionable statement that takes a clear position on the research question and includes three main supporting points for holding that position.
❒ Include your research question followed by your working thesis.
2. Detailed Outline
Keep in mind: Your detailed outline provides a map of the argumentative research essay that you will write in Touchstone 3.2, including your key claims and the sources that support them. You might not have all seven required sources yet, and that is fine, but at least three are required. (As a heads up, the next unit will focus on sources and will require them all to be credible and mostly peer-reviewed.) The outline is a way to organize your essay and determine which areas (e.g. your sub-points) will require researched evidence as support.
❒ Headings: one for each paragraph with a brief label of the paragraph’s controlling idea(s).
❒ An introduction, at least five body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
❒ Introduction includes your working thesis.
❒ Body paragraphs should each have their own unique title and key points.
❒ At least one body paragraph is devoted to addressing counterarguments.
❒ Conclusion includes notes on your final thoughts.
❒ Subheadings: two to five for each paragraph, below each heading, indicating key points that support the controlling idea
❒ Sources: one to three for each paragraph, as relevant, indicating the support for the key points. Do not over-rely on any single source.
❒ For each source, include the author’s name and the idea or information relevant to your argument (e.g. “Lappé (2017) on mono-cropping corn/soy and production”). Link with a website if it is available.
3. Reflection
❒ Have you displayed a clear understanding of the research activities?
❒ Have you answered all reflection questions including specific and concrete examples that provide thoughtful insight in all responses?
❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?
C. Reflection Questions
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.
Learning to conduct research is important because it is a skill you will use both in academia and in your professional life. It improves critical thinking and empowers you to find information for yourself. Consider the process of researching as a whole. What was the most challenging aspect of the process for you? (2-3 sentences)
The working thesis statement is a proposed answer to your research question. It should clearly identify an arguable topic and take a position on one side of that topic. Analyze the effectiveness of your working thesis statement. (3-4 sentences)
A detailed outline is an effective tool for laying out the progression of an argument. It allows you to consider the arrangement and organization of your ideas, as well as choose places to incorporate outside source materials. Review your detailed outline and summarize the argument you’ve presented. (3-4 sentences)
You will use the same topic on three of the remaining Touchstones in this course. What kind of feedback would be helpful for you? What are specific questions you might have as you go deeper into the research process? (2-3 sentences)
D. Rubric
Advanced (100%) Proficient (85%) Acceptable (75%) Needs Improvement (50%) Non-Performance (0%)
Research Question
Pose a meaningful research question on an arguable topic. (20%)
Constructs a precise and focused research question relative to a current an arguable topic. Constructs a focused research question relative to an arguable topic. Constructs a research question relative to an arguable topic; however it is somewhat too broad or too narrow for the assignment. Constructs a research question; however, the question is too broad or too narrow for the assignment and/or it is not arguable. Does not construct a research question, or constructs a research question that does not meet any of the rubric criteria.
Working Thesis
Propose a focused working thesis. (20%)
Includes a working thesis that takes a well-articulated, clear, specific position on one side of an issue. Includes a working thesis that takes a clear, specific position on one side of an issue. Includes a working thesis that takes a clear position on one side of an issue; however it lacks specificity. Includes a working thesis; however, it lacks specificity and does not take a clear position. Does not include a working thesis, or includes a thesis that does not take a position.
Detailed Outline
Present a detailed outline that includes coherent headings, subheadings, and source placement notes. (30%)
Outline is thoroughly developed and clearly labeled with effective notes, such that the reader can easily see how the essay will build its argument; all necessary elements of the outline are present. Outline is well-developed and labeled with sufficient notes, such that the reader can get a sense of how the essay will build its argument; all necessary elements of the outline are present. Outline is primarily well-developed and labeled with sufficient notes, such that the reader can get an overall sense of how the essay will build its argument; however, a few necessary elements may be unclear or missing. Outline is not fully developed and/or labeling and notes are often unclear, such that the reader cannot easily get a sense of how the essay will build its argument; several necessary elements of the outline are unclear or missing. Outline is not developed and/or labeling and notes are unclear or absent, such that the reader is unable to see how the essay will build its argument; most necessary elements of the outline are unclear or missing.
Style
Establish a consistent, informative tone and make thoughtful stylistic choices. (10%)
Demonstrates thoughtful and effective word choices, avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a wide variety of sentence structures. Demonstrates effective word choices, primarily avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a variety of sentence structures. Demonstrates generally effective style choices, but may include occasional redundancies, imprecise language, poor word choice, and/or repetitive sentence structures. Frequently includes poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures. Consistently demonstrates poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures.
Conventions
Follow conventions for standard written English. (10%)
There are only a few, if any, negligible errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage. There are occasional minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage. There are some significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage. There are frequent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage. There are consistent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage.
Reflection
Answer reflection questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. (10%)
Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; consistently includes specific and concrete examples that provide thoughtful insight, following or exceeding response length guidelines. Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes multiple specific and concrete examples that provide thoughtful insight, following response length guidelines. Primarily demonstrates thoughtful reflection, but some responses are lacking in detail or insight; primarily follows response length guidelines. Shows limited reflection; the majority of responses are lacking in detail or insight, with some questions left unanswered or falling short of response length guidelines. No reflection responses are present.
E. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:
Double-space the outline and use one-inch margins.
Use a readable 12-point font.
All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
Composition must be original and written for this assignment.
Use of generative chatbot artificial intelligence tools (ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Bard) in place of original writing is strictly prohibited for this assignment.
Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.
Submission must include your research question, working thesis, outline, and reflection questions.
Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
Acceptable file formats include .doc and .docx.
