 Writing
the Multiple-Source Argumentative Essay
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Table of Contents
The Multiple-Source
Essay
Typical Assignments in Research
Paper Development
Organization of the Multiple-Source
Paper
Organization of the Body of the
Paper
The Thesis-Support
Outline
The Exploratory Outline
The Multiple-Source
Essay
While you be assigned to write, from time to
time, short, single-source analyses and evaluations of articles or other
short works, the standard assignment in every academic discipline is the
multiple-source essay, commonly referred to as the "research paper."
The undergraduate "research paper" is assigned
in almost every humanities and social science course in upper division
(junior and senior-level) college course. Almost without exception, these
exercises will involve primarily responses to secondary materials--articles
and other compositions published by scholars in the field. Even at the
masters level, most research is primarily secondary analysis and evaluation
(doctoral studies prepare students to conduct primary--personal--research
within a discipline).
Most undergraduate research paper assignments
will call for analysis and interpretation--reporting what you find and
what the scholars have to say and comparing and contrasting their
meanings or interpretations. Evaluation in these papers, if called for
at all, is suspended until the closing section of the paper (see "evaluation"
as an option in conclusions).
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Typical Assignments in
Research Paper Development
You will be asked to include "research" in various
types of longer, formal essays (papers that follow mandatory outlines).
In each case, "research" will mean surveying and selecting appropriate
secondary sources for use in your paper. These secondary sources may include
books, scholarly articles found in journals, essays published in popular
magazines ("popular" means for "general audience" readership), articles
and commentaries found in other media such as data bases and accessed through
the World Wide Web on the Internet.
The phrase above, "for use in your paper," refers
to how you will actually reference information from these various sources
at the paragraph level in your paper. You will simply allude
to some studies. You will summarize others. You
will certainly paraphrase and actually quote
passages from most of them. (Click on the linked words in the sentences
above to review discussions of each developmental pattern and the patterns
for citations and documentation).
Here are some typical assignments in writing "research
papers":
-
Summarize positions (analyze) of various scholars
on a topic.
-
Compare/contrast (analyze and interpret) positions
of different points of view expressed in published articles.
-
Explain (interpret) the findings of one or more scholars
on a subject.
-
Review (analyze) the contents of an article or articles.
-
Identify (analyze) the various factors related to
an issue.
-
Defend your judgement (evaluate) of a scholar's findings.
-
Defend your position (evaluate) on an issue.
-
Make recommendations (evaluate) for future studies.
Of course, there are many variations and other types
of activities, but the list above will give you a good idea of what to
expect.
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Organization of
the Multiple-Source Paper
Generally, there are two broad outlines for developing
multiple-source papers. They are the "thesis-support" outline
and the "exploratory" outline. Both of these outlines are
illustrated in our course materials. Of the two, the most commonly required
is the "thesis-support" outline.
The Thesis-Support
Outline
The "thesis-support" outline reflects the organizational
pattern with which you are most familiar. It exhibits the typical
"introduction/body/conclusion" that you have been taught since junior high
school. The key to the development of the this paper is the thesis sentence.
While it may be framed either as a broad generality or as a specific statement,
the thesis will usually exhibit one of two forms: a claim or
a catalog.
The Thesis as a "Claim"
The "claim" is a statement of alleged fact. Here's
an example of a thesis as "claim":
International terrorism cannot be contained
through diplomacy alone.
This statement--a position--anticipates the development
of an argumentative (evaluative) paper.
The Thesis as a "Catalog"
A "catalog" is a list. In the case of a thesis,
the catalog literally lists the items or elements to be developed in the
research paper. Here's an example of the thesis as "catalog":
Four primary factors leading to childhood neurosis
include unusual placement in the family, early childhood chronic diseases,
untimely coincidences, and series of disabling events.
Anticipating such a catalog, the sentence above
might be framed as a generalization, something like this:
Four primary factors contribute to childhood
neurosis.
Organization of the Body
of the Paper
for the "Catalog Thesis"
The organization of the body of the paper is
very straightforward: sections of the body will follow the same outline
as the list identified in the thesis statement. Whatever concept was introduced
first in the thesis will be the first to be developed in the body of the
paper, etc.
for the "Claim Thesis"
The organization of the body of the paper will
follow the outline, with some modifications perhaps, of the multi-source
argumentative paper (number 6 in the examples).
The Exploratory
Outline
The "exploratory outline" will usually be initiated
by a "claim thesis" which sets up the subject and its parameters for "exploration"
or analysis, but usually it will avoid rendering any sense of a final position
or verdict, although evaluation and recommendations often follow in the
conclusion of the paper.
Organization of this paper will usually follow
the outline for the multi-source exploratory paper
(number 5 in the examples).
Go to the Research Paper
Instructions
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This page was last modified
on July 9, 2005,
and is maintained by
Dr.
Geoffrey A. Grimes.
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