GRP Guidelines

Guided Research Paper (GRP) Guidelines

(15% of final grade)

Task: (The same as IRP) Choose a problem that affects a specific group of people (i.e. children, teenagers, women, etc.) in your local community, state, country, or region. Then choose an organization or a policy maker that addresses or tries to solve that problem. Write a problem-solution paper that either 1) critiques 1-2 of the current solutions and recommend/justifies 1-2 other new solutions or 2) critiques 3 current solutions and recommends how to improve those existing solutions.

Structure: This research paper should be written using a Problem-Solution structure which you will learn more about in class. The Problem-Solution structure is commonly used in academic and work settings - such as a part of research literature, project proposals, and experimental studies.

Note: In general, the structure can vary in a problem-solution paper depending on the purpose and the topic. However, for the GRP you should only follow the outline the instructor gives to you.

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to develop research skills (choosing a focused topic, developing a research question, using library materials for support), source-based writing skills (evaluating, synthesizing, and documenting sources), and critical thinking skills. These can all be applied toward other source-based writing assignments that you will be writing in your own field of study.

Length: Final papers should only be 3-5 pages. Because you are only using 3 sources, it is unrealistic that you will be able to write an entire research paper. For this assignment you will only need to write an introduction, 1 Solution (description, critique & improvement), and a conclusion. The rest of the paper is hypothetical, but you should discuss other potential solutions in class and include them in your thesis statement.

Outline:

I. Introduce the problem and the organization

II. Solution #1
     a. Description
     b. Critique
     c. Improvement

III. Solution #2
      a. Description
      b. Critique
      c. Improvement

IV. Solution #3
      a. Description
      b. Critique
      c. Improvement

V. Conclusion

**WRITTEN IN RED is the part of the paper that students will actually write.

Formatting & Length: APA Research Paper formatting should be used including a title page and reference page (headers optional). Final papers should use Times New Roman, Size 12, Double-space, with 1-inch margins on all sides. (Paper size: 8 1/2 x 11 inches) Note: The References page should not include the annotations from the annotated bibliography.

Sources: The instructor will guide you in choosing 3 academic, reliable sources at a reasonable proficiency level. The content of these sources should primarily relate to the first solution since the GRP only requires you to write part of the essay. At least one of the sources should provide background information of the problem and organization. The other two sources should discuss a solution (not necessarily in the context of the specific organization you are dealing with), objectively criticizing the solution and/or providing better solutions. You will only use these three sources: you should NOT search for or use any other sources. These sources will be included in an additional assignment: the annotated bibliography.

Plagiarism: APA in-text and reference page citations should be used, along with effective paraphrasing. Because avoiding plagiarism topics are explicitly taught in this unit, there will be serious consequences to both intentional and unintentional plagiarism.