Research Paper and Presentation Guidelines

Case Study of the Duwamish River Basin

CEP 302 Winter 2004, Cohort A

Purpose

The idea of this research project is for each of you to examine a particular element of the environment in the Duwamish River basin. Ideally, each of you will approach the area from a different angle. Angles might include (but are in no way limited to) environmental history, native peoples, community activism, built environment, environmental restoration, economic growth, political struggles, cultural/historic preservation, etc. Our hope is that, taken together, our research projects will collectively constitute a fairly complete picture of the Duwamish area as a complex place.

Topic, question, and argument

Research projects are not simply recitations of data a researcher has collected. Rather they are arguments a researcher makes by using the data s/he has collected. In going about constructing your paper, several steps are important. The first step is for you to generate your research topic. For example, you might be interested in the question of environmental justice as it applies to siting noxious facilities in the area. The next, and far more crucial (as well as difficult), step is to formulate your research question. In the EJ case, you might ask “is the location of the X paint factory in South Park environmentally just or not?” You then gather data to answer that question. You then construct your paper’s main argument, which is your answer to your research question. You make an argument that the paint factory’s location is or is not environmentally just, and you use the data you have collected to defend that argument.

You needn’t follow these examples slavishly. For example, you might also ask research questions about theory—“is the concept of livability as understood in the literature a good approximation of how people in Georgetown conceive of livability in their everyday lives?” There are lots of ways to approach it, but you should follow the basic structure of topic, question, and argument.

Sources

We encourage you to engage in primary research. Primary research can be loosely defined as using sources in their original form, without interpretation by another researcher. Some of the materials you might use could be letters, journals, interviews, government land office records, pamphlets, observation at meetings, and treaties. Secondary sources involve information gathered and presented by someone other than you. Examples are things like newspaper articles, books, and other research studies.

Research Project Guidelines

· 7-10 pages

· typed

· double spaced

· stapled

· 12-point Times (or Times New Roman) font

· 1-inch margins on all sides

· title pages are OK

· use in-text citations, e.g. (Tuan, p. 4)

· works cited list at end, using MLA format (http://www.lib.washington.edu/help/guides/44MLA.pdf)

Components of your Paper

· Title

· Introduction—sets the context and background of the project, and clearly states the paper’s main argument in the first paragraph (so the reader isn’t guessing at your position)

· Body—defends the paper’s main argument by mobilizing the data you collected (this can take a number of formats, depending on your particular question/data).

· Conclusion—wraps up the paper by recapping the main argument and why it is valid, while perhaps also exploring some policy recommendations, theoretical or political implications, or directions for future work that were beyond the scope of the paper

· Figures—Photographs, tables, graphs, and diagrams.

· Maps—Often essential to your story.

· Works Cited

Presentations

These will be 10 minutes long, with some extra time for questions and comments. Graphics can be extremely useful for making your argument clear.

Your presentation will be evaluated using the criterion of clarity. How clearly do you present and defend your paper’s main argument?

Timeline

These are dates to keep you on track. They are not formal deadlines, but we encourage you to follow them so that you are not scrambling to do everything at the end of the quarter. We guarantee that scrambling will produce inferior papers. We are happy (and it is our job) to give feedback on any of these steps, either in written form or in person. Our feedback, especially on defining the research question, will be extremely helpful in helping you write a clear, focused research paper.

Week 2 Tour Special Collections and Map Room

Week 3 Select research topic and research question

Week 6 Compile complete bibliography

Week 8 Complete rough draft

Week 9 Project Due (this is a formal deadline, see syllabus)

Week 10 Presentations (this is a formal deadline, see syllabus)