Research Paper Description
Due dates
Your partial research paper for peer review is due Sunday, April 7, 11:59 pm.
Peer feedback for two assigned peers is due Wednesday, April 10, 11:59 pm.
Research paper is due Sunday, April 14, 11:59 pm.
Description
The third assignment for this class is to write a research paper on some particular topic within interpersonal communication of interest to you. This paper is a continuation of the Thesis Proposal in several important ways. First, you should clarify and refine your thesis statement following the feedback you’ve received. Second, you should elaborate (i.e., provide more detail) on the importance of your topic. Third, you should fully develop all the points you included in your outline in sufficient detail. In other words, the Thesis Proposal was the skeleton of your actual paper.
Goals for the Assignment
1) To develop expertise in a sub-topic of interpersonal communication. Writing a research paper on a topic of your choosing allows you to gain expertise in that topic. This course is an introduction to the field of interpersonal communication, so conducting research on a topic of your choice will allow you to delve into a subject area of particular interest to you, which we were unable to focus on during the semester.
2) To strengthen critical thinking and writing skills. Writing a research paper is an opportunity to develop and strengthen your research and writing skills. This project will require you to synthesize quite a bit of research on your topic. You may need to bring together different bodies of literature and articulate how they logically tie together to create a coherent argument and support your thesis statement. Critical thinking and writing skills will be important no matter what career you choose to go into.
3) Incorporate feedback from your previous assignments (i.e., annotated bibliography and thesis proposal). Writing is a process that gets better with time and with feedback. It is important to learn to incorporate suggestions from expert readers (i.e., your grader), and also to give yourself enough time to clarify your ideas and improve your writing on your own. The more you think about and work on your research ideas, the better they will get.
Suggested Structure
1) Begin with the broad significance of your chosen topic (1-2 paragraphs)
2) Clearly state your thesis statement, making sure it logically flows from the paragraphs detailing the importance of your topic. Your thesis should be stated no later than at the end of your first page! Be sure to underline your thesis statement.
3) Provide a brief preview/outline of how you will tackle the thesis statement (recommended).
4) State and develop your supporting arguments, one at a time. Be wise about the order in which you present your arguments! (If there is a counter-argument that is particularly relevant to one of your arguments, consider addressing it in the same section where you present that argument. Just remember that if you choose to refute counter-arguments, it is important that you do so after you’ve laid out your own argument.)
5) If there are obvious counter-arguments to your thesis that you haven’t yet addressed, do that here. Again, remember that if you choose to refute counter-arguments, do so after you’ve laid out your own arguments.
6) Summarize your main points (recommended).
7) Provide a strong conclusion that wraps up the argument in a forceful way and underlines its significance.
Requirements
Length: a minimum of 8 pages and a maximum of 10 pages. Your paper will not be read past the 10th page!
Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins
At least 8 scholarly references cited in APA style in the “References” section at the end of the paper. You should also include in-text citations throughout the paper. The references section should only include references cited in the text.
(Note that eight sources are required, but we encourage you to include more. It’s difficult to write a good research paper with just eight sources!)
Generative AI appendix (see below)
AI Use
What are appropriate uses of AI in this paper?
As before, it is okay to use AI to help you brainstorm, find sources, or edit your grammar/spelling. Unlike in the annotated bibliography, it is okay to have AI write citations for you for the research paper.
What are not appropriate uses of AI in this assignment?
You should not be using AI to come up with your arguments or write any part of the paper for you.
Be very careful about using it to help you find sources! Remember that these tools have been known to fabricate sources, so you should always go find and read the source yourself to confirm that it’s relevant (and real!)
Treat it like a tutor – AI can help you, but you shouldn’t use these tools to do your work for you.
Be sure to include a generative AI appendix that follows the course guidelines.
Grading Details
The first draft is worth 100 points and 15 percent of your overall course grade. The paper will be evaluated based on the following criteria, which are each worth 25 points:
Thesis
Clarity
Narrowness
Relevance to interpersonal communication
Be sure to underline your thesis statement.
Stated relevance and importance of the topic (you need to explicitly state why your topic is relevant to interpersonal communication and why it’s important)
Strength of arguments
Relevance of scholarly research presented in support of the thesis
Credibility of scholarly research
Detailed and coherent presentation of scholarly research
Comprehensiveness of scholarly research (e.g., are you missing something very obvious?)
Persuasiveness and logic of arguments
Structure of paper
Use of section headings and subheadings to organize the paper
Logical organization of ideas (macro and micro-organization)
Use of transitions (e.g., between sections and paragraphs)
Clear introduction, body, and conclusion
Writing
Grammar
Punctuation
APA Style (both in-text citations, headings, and reference list)
Generative AI appendix included
Extra points for writing with flair!
make sure to use scholarly resources get some of them off the UW library database
my research question is The Influence of Instagram on Self-Esteem and Relationship Satisfaction Among Young Adults
or you can write a better one
below will be examples
