This essay focuses on Analytical Parameter of US National Security. Offer a full explanation of the decisions you made in determining the direction of your project. Explain.
Develop and then post a full description of your proposed qualitative research project. Offer a full explanation of the decisions you made in determining the direction of your project. Explain. Post. Then, write a critique of the proposed research project description of one course colleague. Post.
Ideas about purpose, audience and structure that apply to writing essays also apply to research writing; however, a research project asks students to spend more time on the collection of materials and to develop their sense of purpose, audience and structure as their growing knowledge about the subject becomes more complex.
The most important thing for students to remember about completing a research project is that, in the end, most professors are interested in the way students can combine their use of outside sources with their own personal insights about the topic. It should not be a regurgitation of facts and ideas from other sources. It should be the careful integration of those sources with the ideas students have developed as a result of their reading and thinking.
Students certainly do need to use skills of summary and synthesis. As they share with their audience the various ideas they have learned about in their research. Merely summarizing and synthesizing material from others is not research. Instead, the research project should represent a higher level of abstract thinking, one that illustrates an ability to summarize, connect, find patterns, critique, and ultimately take a carefully considered position.
The seven research steps listed here can be integrated into a course schedule so that students have opportunities for feedback at important points in the research process.