Professors. K.G. Aiken, G. Machlis, and G. Williams; Mentor Mitchell Odom
CRN
32765/32766,
Core 127/177
Mon/Wed,
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm,
TLC 023/041
Research Paper Assignment: Preparing the Draft
Purpose
The purposes of this assignment are to gain experience in developing a draft for
a research paper and to develop a draft version of this semester's research
paper. The draft should be based on the
outline developed earlier this semester. As a reminder, the research
question must deal with the relationship between environment and warfare. It can
cover historical or contemporary concerns, be focused at small or large scale
issues, relate to the US and/or other nations, and can deal with one or more
stages of warfare as defined in class.
Key Resources
Your research question paper (last semester) and outline and my review are
important guides for this assignment.
All of the assigned readings can be a source of material for the draft paper.
Additional resources include national newspapers, websites that deal with
environment and conflict, and the UI Library (books, reports, and scientific
journals). Faculty and fellow students can also help you in locating interesting
and important material for the draft.
Assignment Tasks
1. Re-read your outline and my comments, and consider any adjustments or
revisions to the research question that strengthen your draft paper.
2. Review available resources online and at the UI Library, to gather materials
related to the topic to guide your research.
Significant additional library research
beyond the outline assignment is necessary to develop a successful draft paper.
3. Prepare a 7-10 page double-spaced draft of your research paper. The draft
must contain the research question (stated as a formal question), as well as
other key elements of the final paper (see details below and follow all
instructions carefully).
4. Proofread the draft before turning in
the assignment. The assignment must be turned in on paper (see
instructions); electronic submissions will not be accepted.
Instructions for Preparing the Research Proposal
Preparation of a draft is an important step in writing a research paper. The
draft should include most of the research and all of the elements of your final
paper. The draft must have the following key sections, though they can be titled
creatively to reflect your question and interests:
I. An introduction that describes the
general topic and why it is important.
II. The research question, clearly
and concisely stated. This section should also include definition of terms, the
scale and unit(s) of analysis, and the identification of independent and
dependent variables, as discussed last semester.
III. The methods, which describes how
you have gathered (and will gather in the future) the information for your
research paper.
IV. The results, which organizes and
describes what you have learned that helps answer the research question. This
section should discriminate between correlation and causation as they relate to
the independent and dependent variables, as discussed last semester.
V. The discussion, which includes
what you think are the important implications of your results. This section
should include an evaluation of the quality of the evidence you have used to
answer the research question.
VI. The conclusion, which summarizes
the key points of the paper and suggests further research questions that emerge
from your research.
VII. A list of references, which
lists the references you have used in your outline. (These need not be all of
the references you will use in the final paper, but should reflect the ones used
in the outline.) Be sure to use a common and formal format for all references.
Preparing the Draft
The assignment must be prepared in formal prose, with section headings as
appropriate. The draft must be typed, in 10-point font (the same size type as
this assignment handout). The draft must be double-spaced, single-sided, with 1'
margins on all sides. The draft should not exceed 7-10 pages, including the list
of references. A title page is not necessary. The draft should have your name in
the upper right of the first page, and be stapled.
The draft paper can be handed in at the
beginning of class on Wednesday 11 March OR delivered to Dr. Machlis’ office
(Room 16, College of Natural Resources) by 5p Friday 13 March. The draft
paper will be evaluated on its professional preparation (including neatness,
grammar, spelling and organization), meeting all the instructions of the
assignment, and (most importantly) the logic and substance of the paper.