3.1 - Assignment Details

Research Report

3-1 Mastering the Research Report Assignment.mp4

Overview

This assignment will lead you through specific steps of the research process so you can investigate and discover more about an issue related to reading, writing, or literacy. With your classmates, you’ll practice this process in a purposeful way that will help you be focused and open-minded.

This assignment is just about the research: focus on your sources first, and resist the urge to take a stance. In the end, you’ll be ready to move onto other argumentative projects, so hold that thought.

As you work through the research process, you will practice critical reading and synthesis skills in a purposeful way. You will gather sources, summarize key points, and compare perspectives, noting both agreements and disagreements among authors. This practice encourages openness: rather than immediately choosing a side, you will learn to evaluate evidence carefully, consider multiple viewpoints, and identify gaps or limitations in existing research. By focusing on these skills now, you prepare yourself to approach future writing assignments with a sharper analytical lens and greater confidence in interpreting complex information.

Collaboration with your classmates will be an important part of this unit. Sharing drafts, discussing sources, and reviewing one another’s thinking allows you to see how different researchers interpret the same topic. Peer interactions provide an opportunity to clarify ideas, challenge assumptions, and refine your own analysis before you commit to a position. These conversations mirror real-world academic and professional research practices, where feedback, dialogue, and debate help refine understanding and strengthen conclusions.

Finally, it is important to remember that this assignment is about research, not argumentation. Resist the urge to take a stance or persuade your reader at this stage. Instead, focus on understanding the issue deeply, documenting reliable evidence, and practicing synthesis. By approaching this unit with curiosity and careful attention, you will end up with a collection of insights, skills, and strategies that will serve as a strong starting point for later argumentative or analytical projects. This structured exploration ensures that when it is time to make an argument, your position is informed, nuanced, and compelling.

Learning Outcomes

These learning outcomes are designed to help you develop essential skills in reading, research, and writing. You will analyze and synthesize sources, integrate your ideas, and use writing as a tool for inquiry, reflection, and exploration. You will also practice organizing, drafting, and revising your work, approaching writing as a deliberate process that strengthens both your thinking and communication skills.

This assignment meets the following WRIT 101 course outcomes:

- Use writing as a means to engage in critical inquiry by exploring ideas, challenging assumptions, and reflecting on and applying the writing process.
- Demonstrate an understanding of research as a process of gathering, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources.
- Integrate their own ideas with those of others.
- Formulate an assertion about a given issue and support that assertion with evidence germane to the issue, position taken, and given audience.
- Read texts thoughtfully, analytically, and critically in preparation for writing tasks.

Assignment Sheet

Research can take many forms in academic writing. The purpose, however, remains the same: to gather sources, summarize, and evaluate them. These notes are a tool for individual researchers to keep track of their own research and thinking; however, when shared within a writing community, it becomes valuable tool for many researchers and allows researchers to more critically approach sources.

Purpose

This project focuses on investigating an issue, continuing your ability to summarize sources and analyze their credibility and relevance. You will choose a current issue related to reading, writing, and literacy that you are most interested in researching, pursue an individual inquiry question, and explore the research that begins to answer your question.

Audience

For this assignment, your primary audience will be yourself. You’re creating a resource, a tool, for your future self. This assignment will eventually be useful to make an argument, though your instructor and your classmates will also benefit from and view your work.

Requirements

Research can take many forms, and this assignment will focus on your process as you explore, collect, and evaluate 4 to 6 sources while remaining neutral. Collecting information from different perspectives is crucial to a thorough investigation, so at least two sources will come from scholarly publications and at least two others will come from a popular publication. Your final report will consist of three sections:

Introduction: In around one paragraph (4-6 sentences), describe your research process, addressing:
- Why did you select this issue?
- What did you know about the issue before you started your research? What personal experience (if any) do you have with the topic or issue?
- Present your inquiry question in the form of a question.
Research: For each source, introduce the source with a complete and accurate citation in MLA. Follow the citation by presenting:
- Article Thesis: Explain the main idea of the text, identifying the purpose and audience.
- Key points: Practice summary by identifying key points of the text, using at least one quote to capture the main ideas. Pay close attention to author tags and in-text citation.
- Evaluate: Explain what makes the source trustworthy, as well as why you may be skeptical about the source.
Discussion of Significance: Review why your research is relevant to your inquiry by showing how it answers the research question. In a few paragraphs, discuss:
- How are the articles similar? In what ways do they work together?
- In what ways are the articles opposing? What discrepancies did you find in your research? Where do these disagreements come from? How can they be explained or resolved?
- What information is missing? How can you better respond to your inquiry question to provide a more complete answer?
- Why is this research important in the discussion about your issue? How could these sources contribute to an argument (e.g. present one position, present multiple sides of an argument, give background information, motivate and encourage action, etc.)?

Formatting

Reports should be 4-6 pages.
Your tone and voice should be appropriate for an academic audience. Your writing should be carefully proofread and grammatically correct.
Your work must be typed in size 12, sans serif font and double spaced, 1” margins, following MLA requirements.

Activity 3.1.a – Analyze the Assignment

When you receive a complex writing prompt, it’s tempting to jump straight into research or drafting. But before you do that, it’s essential to make sure you truly understand what the assignment is asking of you. This activity will guide you step-by-step through reading and analyzing the Research Report assignment sheet so you can confidently explain its goals, expectations, and structure. Think of this as your “assignment map” — once you understand the terrain, you’ll know exactly how to navigate it.

Step 1: Read Carefully and Notice the Details

The first step in understanding any writing assignment is careful reading. Read the Research Report prompt twice. The first time, get a general sense of what the project is about. The second time, slow down and focus on specific directions.

As you read, highlight or underline words and phrases that stand out — especially those that describe what you need to do and why you need to do it. Look for clues in these areas:

Purpose: Why is this project assigned? What is the overall goal of the report?

Audience: Who will read this report, and how does that affect your tone and level of formality?

Requirements: What specific components must your report include?

Formatting: What does the assignment say about word count, MLA style, or structure?

Pay attention to verbs like summarize, evaluate, explain, compare, discuss, describe, and analyze—these words signal the type of thinking and writing your instructor expects.

After reading, write a few sentences in your own words describing what the purpose of this assignment is and what you think you’ll need to produce by the end.

Step 2: Break Down Each Section of the Assignment

Next, focus on the structure of the Research Report. The assignment is organized into three main parts—Introduction, Research, and Discussion of Significance—and each section has a specific role.

The Introduction asks you to explain why you chose your issue, what you already knew about it, and what inquiry question you’re exploring. This section is about your curiosity and motivation—it sets up the focus of your research.

The Research section is where you analyze two different sources. For each one, you’ll give a full MLA citation, summarize the author’s thesis and key points, include at least one short quote, and evaluate how credible and relevant the source is. This part is all about showing that you understand your sources and can think critically about where information comes from.

The Discussion of Significance asks you to think beyond the summaries. Here, you connect your sources, compare their ideas, and consider what they contribute to your understanding of your question. You’ll also reflect on what’s still missing or what new questions your research raises.

Once you’ve reviewed these sections, write a brief summary in your own words of what each section will require from you.

Step 3: Identify What the Assignment Is and Isn’t

Now that you understand the parts, take a step back and clarify the assignment’s purpose. Students sometimes confuse this project with an argument essay or a persuasive paper—but this task is different.

This is an assignment about:

Investigating an open-ended question about reading, writing, or literacy.

Practicing skills of summary, evaluation, and synthesis.

Writing in a neutral and academic tone.

Exploring multiple perspectives without taking a side.

This is not an assignment about:

Arguing for or against a particular viewpoint.

Solving the issue or proposing a fix.

Writing a personal essay or reflection on your experiences alone.

Understanding this distinction helps you stay focused on inquiry—asking good questions and exploring ideas—rather than argument.

Step 4: Make a Checklist for Success

Before you start, it’s helpful to create a quick checklist based directly on the assignment sheet. This will help you stay organized and make sure you meet all requirements. Your checklist might include:

I clearly introduce my topic, background, and inquiry question.

I analyze two sources—one scholarly and one popular—with accurate MLA citations.

Each source includes a summary, quote, and evaluation of credibility and relevance.

My Discussion of Significance explains how the sources connect, differ, and matter to my question.

The report is 750–1,000 words, double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font.

I follow MLA formatting for both in-text citations and the Works Cited page.

Once you’ve written your checklist, keep it handy. You can use it to check your progress while you draft and again before you submit your final version.

Step 5: Write a Short Reflection

Now that you’ve analyzed the assignment, take a few minutes to reflect on what you understand and where you still have questions. Write a short paragraph (5–8 sentences) responding to the following prompts:

What is this assignment asking me to do, in my own words?

What are the main sections of the project, and what belongs in each?

What is the overall goal or purpose of this kind of writing?

How will I know if I’ve fulfilled the expectations of the prompt?

This brief reflection will help confirm that you understand the task before you move forward.

Step 6: Optional – Talk It Out

If possible, discuss your understanding with a classmate or small group. Compare how each of you interpreted the directions. Ask questions like:

Did we describe the assignment the same way?

Are there any parts we’re still uncertain about?

What might we ask the instructor to clarify before we begin?

Talking through your interpretation often reveals small but important differences in understanding—and clarifying them early will save time later.

Final Reminder: This activity isn’t about starting your research or finding sources yet—it’s about understanding the assignment prompt itself. Once you can confidently explain the task in your own words, you’ll be ready to move on to choosing a topic and beginning the research process with a clear sense of purpose and direction.

Grading Rubric

This rubric explains how your Research Report will be evaluated based on our course learning outcomes. Rather than focusing only on completion of assignment parts, the rubric measures how effectively you demonstrate critical inquiry, research and source analysis, integration of ideas, evidence-based thinking, and analytical reading. Use it as a guide while drafting and revising to ensure your work reflects mastery of these core writing skills.

A - Advanced

Critical Inquiry & Reflection: Introduction demonstrates thoughtful reflection on the research process. Explains personal interest, prior knowledge, and curiosity. Inquiry question is clear, focused, and shows deep engagement.
Research & Source Analysis: Sources are accurately cited in MLA format. Summaries show deep comprehension of thesis, purpose, and key points. At least one well-chosen quote per source is correctly integrated. Evaluation of credibility is insightful and specific. Sources are highly relevant to the inquiry question.
Integration of Ideas: Discussion connects research findings to the writer’s own insights. Synthesizes similarities, contrasts, and missing perspectives across sources. Explains why research matters and how it could inform a larger argument.
Assertion & Evidence: Research is clearly linked to a developing assertion or perspective. Sources are analyzed for their relevance and used effectively to support potential arguments.
Analytical Reading: Demonstrates careful, analytical reading. Accurately represents sources’ ideas, purpose, and audience, and interprets them thoughtfully in discussion.

B - Proficient

Critical Inquiry & Reflection: Introduction addresses research process, personal interest, and inquiry question with some reflection. Depth or specificity may be limited.
Research & Source Analysis: Sources cited correctly with minor MLA errors. Summaries capture most main ideas; includes at least one quote per source. Evaluation identifies credibility and relevance, though reasoning may be general.
Integration of Ideas: Discussion shows some synthesis of sources and writer’s ideas. Connections and contrasts are clear but may not be fully developed. Relevance to inquiry question is addressed but may lack depth.
Assertion & Evidence: Research is connected to an emerging assertion. Evidence supports ideas, though integration may be uneven.
Analytical Reading: Demonstrates general analytical reading of texts. Most ideas and purpose are accurately represented, though subtle nuances may be overlooked.

C - Developing

Critical Inquiry & Reflection: Introduction briefly explains topic and inquiry question. Reflection on research process is limited or superficial.
Research & Source Analysis: Citations contain frequent MLA errors. Summaries identify general ideas but may miss key points. Quotes may be missing or poorly integrated. Evaluation is minimal.
Integration of Ideas: Discussion shows basic integration of sources and writer’s ideas, but connections are underdeveloped. Relevance to inquiry question is weak.
Assertion & Evidence: Evidence is inconsistently linked to a developing assertion. Analysis is minimal.
Analytical Reading: Shows limited analytical reading. Main ideas are generally captured, but critical interpretation is lacking.

D - Emerging

Critical Inquiry & Reflection: Introduction is minimal or unclear. Little reflection or understanding of research purpose.
Research & Source Analysis: Sources cited poorly or missing essential information. Summaries are inaccurate or incomplete. Evaluations are extremely limited or absent.
Integration of Ideas: Discussion shows little integration of sources and personal ideas. Connections and synthesis are largely absent.
Assertion & Evidence: Evidence does not clearly support an assertion or perspective.
Analytical Reading: Analytical reading is weak. Sources are misrepresented or misunderstood.

F - Beginning

Critical Inquiry & Reflection: Introduction fails to identify topic, purpose, or inquiry question. No reflection evident.
Research & Source Analysis: Sources are missing or cited incorrectly. Summaries show major misunderstanding or lack of engagement. No evaluation present.
Integration of Ideas: No integration of sources with writer’s ideas.
Assertion & Evidence: Evidence is absent or irrelevant; no connection to an assertion or perspective.
Analytical Reading: No evidence of critical reading or comprehension of texts.

Attributions

This chapter contains materials from:

First Year Composition by Leslie Davis and Kiley Miller; produced and distributed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA) by Colorado State University.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse