Even the best student among us inwardly groans at the assignment:
Research Paper. 7-10 pages. Cite references (and there must be many). Come up with amazing thesis and tons of supporting evidence. Write your paper clearly, cohesively, concisely, although with little (read: no) help or advice from Professor. Grading will be subjective, of course.
Believe it or not, there is more to be gained from completing a large writing assignment besides a grade. Allow me to share with you a list of the "bennies" of writing The Research Paper.
1) Becoming a mini-expert on the field you are researching.
After sifting through numerous books, articles, and websites, if you have done it right you will know much more than the average person about your subject.
2) Enjoyment of the subject
Hopefully you have had some say in what you are researching, and it will be a subject that interests you. If that be the case, then you have just dug deeper into something you enjoy, and that in itself is a reward.
3) Sense of satisfaction
Seriously, it's akin to completing a marathon. You did it! It is done! You have a sense of accomplishment that builds your self-esteem.
4) Ability to share your subject with others and "spread the love"
If there's an opportunity (and many Professors offer this opp in their classes) you can give a presentation on your paper, sharing all your hard work with other students. There are also student conferences where researches can display their work and give talks.
5) Get published or use your paper in other ways
You can enter an essay contest, use it as an essay for a scholarship, or attempt to be published. Turning in your essay for grading doesn't have to be the end!!
The idea for this blog came from a conversation I had with my husband yesterday. I had hit a rut in the writing process and was giving myself a pep talk. It worked! I am studiously working on my (once-forgotten) paper, and making decent progress.
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