《学术英语写作与演讲 Academic Writing and Presentation in English》教学资源（阅读材料）Writing the Research Paper A Handbook（Anthony C. Winkler Jo Ray Metherell, 8th Edition）.pdf_P31-P35

2a How to choose a topic Writing a good research paper is not rocket science.It is not as difficult as calcu- lus,and not as complex as physics.If you follow our advice and carefully observe the particular steps we suggest,you'll produce a good paper you enjoyed writing and will probably learn something about your subject at the same time. 2a No single step is as important to the whole process of writing a research paper as the choice of a topic.You're like a traveler who is choosing where to go If it's someplace you like,you'll enjoy getting there.If it turns out to be a place you don't like,getting there will make you miserable.Ideally you should choose a topic that interests you,that is complex enough to need several research sources, and that will not bore-or talk down to-your reader. Pick a topic you like,are curious about,are an expert on,or are genuinely interested in.It can be anything from fighting obesity in children and teen- agers to the effects of televising war.Whatever the topic,be it historical,con- troversial,or literary,your choice must satisfy two requirements:it must be approved by your instructor;and,most of all,it must appeal to you. If you are utterly at a loss for a topic and cannot for the life of you imagine what you could write ten whole pages on,go to the library and browse.Pore over books,magazines,and newspapers.Better yet,if your library has one, use its online public-access catalog (OPAC),a modern version of the card catalog,to search for ideas.An OPAC can locate any book in the library by author,title,and subject.For example,let's say you want to write a paper on a topic about children.Here's what you do: 1.Type the subject children into the OPAC terminal.The following subtopics are displayed on the computer screen: Childbirth (psychological aspects) Child language Childlessness Child rearing-United States Children employment 2.The list goes on and on.Explore ideas that you're drawn to and eventually you'll end up with a suitable topic.One student who investigated the pos sibility of writing a research paper about children ended up with the topic "Grammar and Communication among preschool children."OPACs are not only useful but also easy to use,with some of them summarizing the contents of books while also indicating availability. Your librarian can direct you to other electronic storage sources.CD-ROMs, for example,can store vast amounts of information on any topic.The entire works of Shakespeare could easily fit on a single CD-ROM.Any information in a CD-ROM file can be printed out easily for further study. If you still can't find a suitable topic,it's time to fire up the computer and search the Internet for ideas.(See Chapter 5 for advice on using the Internet.) 13 Copyright 2010 Cengage Leaming.All Rights Reserved.May not be copied,scanned,or duplicated,in whole or in part.Due to electronic rights,some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s)Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affeet the overall learning experience.Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it

2a 13 2a How to choose a topic Writing a good research paper is not rocket science. It is not as diffi cult as calculus, and not as complex as physics. If you follow our advice and carefully observe the particular steps we suggest, you’ll produce a good paper you enjoyed writing and will probably learn something about your subject at the same time. No single step is as important to the whole process of writing a research paper as the choice of a topic. You’re like a traveler who is choosing where to go. If it’s someplace you like, you’ll enjoy getting there. If it turns out to be a place you don’t like, getting there will make you miserable. Ideally you should choose a topic that interests you, that is complex enough to need several research sources, and that will not bore—or talk down to—your reader. ■ Pick a topic you like, are curious about, are an expert on, or are genuinely interested in. It can be anything from fi ghting obesity in children and teenagers to the effects of televising war. Whatever the topic, be it historical, controversial, or literary, your choice must satisfy two requirements: it must be approved by your instructor; and, most of all, it must appeal to you. ■ If you are utterly at a loss for a topic and cannot for the life of you imagine what you could write ten whole pages on, go to the library and browse. Pore over books, magazines, and newspapers. Better yet, if your library has one, use its online public-access catalog (OPAC), a modern version of the card catalog, to search for ideas. An OPAC can locate any book in the library by author, title, and subject. For example, let’s say you want to write a paper on a topic about children. Here’s what you do: 1. Type the subject children into the OPAC terminal. The following subtopics are displayed on the computer screen: Childbirth (psychological aspects) Child language Childlessness Child rearing—United States Children employment 2. The list goes on and on. Explore ideas that you’re drawn to and eventually you’ll end up with a suitable topic. One student who investigated the possibility of writing a research paper about children ended up with the topic “Grammar and Communication among preschool children.” OPACs are not only useful but also easy to use, with some of them summarizing the contents of books while also indicating availability. ■ Your librarian can direct you to other electronic storage sources. CD-ROMs, for example, can store vast amounts of information on any topic. The entire works of Shakespeare could easily fi t on a single CD-ROM. Any information in a CD-ROM fi le can be printed out easily for further study. ■ If you still can’t fi nd a suitable topic, it’s time to fi re up the computer and search the Internet for ideas. (See Chapter 5 for advice on using the Internet.) Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it

14 Chapter 2 Choosing a Topic For example,we used one of the most popular search engines,Google,and did a search for "research paper topics."In less than ten seconds we had 200,000,000 hits with suggestions ranging from Affirmative Action to Health Care Reform to Global Warming.More specifically,if you were interested in doing a paper on fictional detectives,you could enter this topic in a search 2a engine.It might lead you to a link that never occurred to you,namely,Black Fictional Detectives.That could result in an intriguing paper. An encyclopedia is also an incredibly rich source of possible topics.Browse through the entries until you find an appealing subject.Check the two- volume Library of Congress Subject Headings(LCSH)for a heading that appeals to you.You're looking for a general idea that can be whittled down to a specific topic(see 2c).Many libraries have an encyclopedia online or on CD-ROM.Searching it online is fast and easy.There's also an encyclopedia available at www.encyclopedia.com.Searching it is free. Caution tip Many Internet sites offering to help you write a term paper are actually websites for research paper vendors.Don't be tempted to buy a paper! Many instructors use software that can detect pa- pers purchased online.If you're found out,you'll be in big trouble,facing a flunking grade for the bootleg paper and even possible expulsion from school.Buying a paper is like hoping to get into shape by having a friend do your exercises for you. Take your time searching for a topic.Don't settle on the first idea that pops into your head.Think it over.Ask yourself whether you would enjoy spend- ing five weeks reading and writing about that topic.If you have your doubts, keep looking until you hit on an idea that excites you.All of us are or can be excited about something.Whatever you do,don't make the mistake of choosing any old topic.Choose carelessly now,and you'll pay later in bore- dom.Choose carefully,and you'll be rewarded with the age-old excitement of research. One of the best ways to find and narrow a topic is to ask yourself questions about your general interests.The idea is to probe until you hit a nerve.You might begin by asking yourself some general questions:What do I want to write about?What particular subject interests me?What do I really like?If you have no immediate answer,keep asking the questions.Once you have an answer,use it to ask another,more focused question.For example,if your answer to"What do I really like?"is literature,you can then ask,"What kind of literature?"By this process,you gradually narrow your range of writing options.It's simple,and it works.All you need is a moment of reflection. Copyright 2010 Cengage Leaming.All Rights Reserved.May not be copied,scanned,or duplicated,in whole or in part.Due to electronic rights,some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s)Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affeet the overall learning experience.Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it

2a 14 Chapter 2 Choosing a Topic For example, we used one of the most popular search engines, Google, and did a search for “research paper topics.” In less than ten seconds we had 200,000,000 hits with suggestions ranging from Affi rmative Action to Health Care Reform to Global Warming. More specifi cally, if you were interested in doing a paper on fi ctional detectives, you could enter this topic in a search engine. It might lead you to a link that never occurred to you, namely, Black Fictional Detectives. That could result in an intriguing paper. ■ An encyclopedia is also an incredibly rich source of possible topics. Browse through the entries until you find an appealing subject. Check the twovolume Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) for a heading that appeals to you. You’re looking for a general idea that can be whittled down to a specifi c topic (see 2c). Many libraries have an encyclopedia online or on CD-ROM. Searching it online is fast and easy. There’s also an encyclopedia available at www.encyclopedia.com. Searching it is free. Many Internet sites offering to help you write a term paper are actually websites for research paper vendors. Don’t be tempted to buy a paper! Many instructors use software that can detect papers purchased online. If you’re found out, you’ll be in big trouble, facing a fl unking grade for the bootleg paper and even possible expulsion from school. Buying a paper is like hoping to get into shape by having a friend do your exercises for you. Caution tip ■ Take your time searching for a topic. Don’t settle on the fi rst idea that pops into your head. Think it over. Ask yourself whether you would enjoy spending fi ve weeks reading and writing about that topic. If you have your doubts, keep looking until you hit on an idea that excites you. All of us are or can be excited about something. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of choosing any old topic. Choose carelessly now, and you’ll pay later in boredom. Choose carefully, and you’ll be rewarded with the age-old excitement of research. ■ One of the best ways to fi nd and narrow a topic is to ask yourself questions about your general interests. The idea is to probe until you hit a nerve. You might begin by asking yourself some general questions: What do I want to write about? What particular subject interests me? What do I really like? If you have no immediate answer, keep asking the questions. Once you have an answer, use it to ask another, more focused question. For example, if your answer to “What do I really like?” is literature, you can then ask, “What kind of literature?” By this process, you gradually narrow your range of writing options. It’s simple, and it works. All you need is a moment of refl ection. Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it

2b Topics to avoid 15 Your search for a topic will most likely involve textual sources.That is what you would expect from a research paper.But there is another source you might look at in your search for a topic:namely,images.With computers and print- ers becoming so widely available,student writers have begun to incorporate images in their research papers.Many also use images to discover topics for a paper.For example,one student was inspired by a photograph of a polar bear stranded on a small island of ice to write a paper on the effects of global warm- 2b ing on Arctic wildlife.If,after looking through the usual written sources,you still can't find a topic,try thumbing through a picture book you might find on a coffee table.You may be pleasantly surprised at your findings 2b Topics to avoid Some topics present unusual difficulties;others are simply a waste of time.What follows is a summary of topics to avoid. 2b-1 Topics that are too big Reference sources that multiply like flies;a bibliography that grows like a weed; opinions,data,and information that come pouring in from hundreds of sources- these are signs that indicate a topic that is too big.The solution is to narrow the topic without making it trivial.For example,"The Influence of Greek Mythology on Poetry,"can become "Greek Mythology in John Keats'Ode to a Nightingale." "India in the Age of the Moguls"could be narrowed to "Royal Monuments of India during the Age of the Moguls." 2b-2 Topics based on a single source The research paper is intended to expose you to the opinions of different authorities, to a variety of books,articles,and other references.If a topic is so skimpy that all the data on it come from a single source,say,a compelling biography,you're defeating the purpose of the paper.Choose only topics that are broad enough to be researched from multiple sources and are not dominated by the opinions of a single writer. 2b-3 Topics that are too technical Writing about things that are technical often requires a vocabulary that might sound to your instructor like gobbledygook and be dismissed as a"snow job." Also,the skills that a research paper should teach are better learned in a paper on a general topic.Naturally,whether your paper is too technical depends on the class for which it is written.Ask your instructor.A topic like "Heisenberg's Principle of Indeterminacy as It Applies to Sub particle Research"is fine for a physics class but a dubious choice for a class in writing.Stick to topics that don't demand special knowledge of a particular subject and that are broad enough to be understood by any educated reader. Copyright 2010 Cengage Leaming.All Rights Reserved.May not be copied,scanned,or duplicated,in whole or in part.Due to electronic rights,some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s)Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affeet the overall learning experience.Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it

2b 2b Topics to avoid 15 ■ Your search for a topic will most likely involve textual sources. That is what you would expect from a research paper. But there is another source you might look at in your search for a topic: namely, images. With computers and printers becoming so widely available, student writers have begun to incorporate images in their research papers. Many also use images to discover topics for a paper. For example, one student was inspired by a photograph of a polar bear stranded on a small island of ice to write a paper on the effects of global warming on Arctic wildlife. If, after looking through the usual written sources, you still can’t fi nd a topic, try thumbing through a picture book you might fi nd on a coffee table. You may be pleasantly surprised at your fi ndings. 2b Topics to avoid Some topics present unusual diffi culties; others are simply a waste of time. What follows is a summary of topics to avoid. 2b-1 Topics that are too big Reference sources that multiply like fl ies; a bibliography that grows like a weed; opinions, data, and information that come pouring in from hundreds of sources— these are signs that indicate a topic that is too big. The solution is to narrow the topic without making it trivial. For example, “The Infl uence of Greek Mythology on Poetry,” can become “Greek Mythology in John Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale.” “India in the Age of the Moguls” could be narrowed to “Royal Monuments of India during the Age of the Moguls.” 2b-2 Topics based on a single source The research paper is intended to expose you to the opinions of different authorities, to a variety of books, articles, and other references. If a topic is so skimpy that all the data on it come from a single source, say, a compelling biography, you’re defeating the purpose of the paper. Choose only topics that are broad enough to be researched from multiple sources and are not dominated by the opinions of a single writer. 2b-3 Topics that are too technical Writing about things that are technical often requires a vocabulary that might sound to your instructor like gobbledygook and be dismissed as a “snow job.” Also, the skills that a research paper should teach are better learned in a paper on a general topic. Naturally, whether your paper is too technical depends on the class for which it is written. Ask your instructor. A topic like “Heisenberg’s Principle of Indeterminacy as It Applies to Sub particle Research” is fi ne for a physics class but a dubious choice for a class in writing. Stick to topics that don’t demand special knowledge of a particular subject and that are broad enough to be understood by any educated reader. Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it