Mastering Research Essay Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. SEE-I(T) Connecting Nosich to your papers

2. SEE-I(T*) (Nosich pp. 33ff) • For each point you want to make, • STATE the point • ELABORATE on it (explain SO WHAT) • Give EXAMPLES that back up your point and/or ILLUSTRATE the point • TIE IT IN* to your purpose/stance(T* connects it to writing, i.e. thesis)

3. How do you write a paper that gives you the best chance to succeed? • Start by breaking down the assignment—what are you asked to do? Make sure you can PARAPHRASE and be specific about your task. • GENERATE material by going around the circle for your topic—use different points of view, paraphrase or alter your Q at I, brainstorm each section, and generate material • Next, ANALYZE the raw material. NOTICE and FOCUS on key threads, oppositions, and repetitions.Use THE METHOD to find important ideas and work on them.

4. Breaking Down the Research Essay • State position on topic in paragraph 1 • In body state your stance at the beginning of each paragraph (S) • Use evidence from your sources that support your stance (E E) • Connect their information to your stance (I, (T) • In conclusion, step back and look at the big picture, ending with the “so what?”

5. SEE-I(T) in Action Another reason to incorporate e-books onto the college campus can be observed from an economic view point. Eaton explains that college presidents, boards of trustees, and other important figures are urging librarians to find ways to handle the bombardment of information at a lower cost and to save time and space (53). Downloading e-books onto the library computers could prove to satisfy these needs set by university leaders. E-books can easily be downloaded to computers that are already in the library for very low prices, and eliminate the worry of limited shelving space and the time it takes for students to locate the paper books and the librarians to reshelve them. E-books are only a mouse click away, both for the libraries to obtain and for students to access. The convenient and economic access is just one more reason e-books should be available on the college campus.

6. SEE-I(T) in Action Parents don’t always realize how important leisure reading is for children, that children benefit more by reading than by watching television or sitting at a computer. According to Nell (1988), reading for pleasure is a form of play that allows us to experience other worlds and roles in our imagination. When children read, they imagine themselves as part of another world, thereby expanding their experience and preparing them for future learning. In addition, Clark and Rumbold of the National Literacy Trust explain “But reading for pleasure is so much more than just a form of play or escapism – it is also a way of connecting with text” (p. 10). By connecting with the text, children experience the world in the safety of their homes and learn life’s lessons without the pain of personal experience. Their vocabulary expands and they can read faster, making reading for class assignments easier and enabling them to attain higher SAT scores. It was thanks to my parents pushing leisure reading that I became such a good reader. Parents need to encourage reading instead of technology use, or find a way to balance the two.

7. SEE-I(T) in Action With television becoming such an important staple in our society, naturally it brings out a problematic dilemma. Television, regardless of the programming, instructive or otherwise, impacts children negatively. Instructive programming can cut into time that should be spent on school work, and pediatricians Thakkar, Garrison, and Christakis note that some evidence suggests “viewing cartoons has a negative effect on children's attention abilities” (n.p.). Therefore, both the amount of time spent watching television and the potential resultant lack of attention can interfere with cognitive development. Additionally, the violence, profanity, and sex on television can traumatize young children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “in a random survey of parents with children in kindergarten through sixth grade, 37% reported that their child had been frightened or upset by a television story in the preceding year” (n.p.). Furthermore, Thakkar, Garrison, and Christakis assert “that television viewing can increase a child's display of aggression” and “children who watch aggressive programs and cartoons with lots of violence can be more likely to engage in aggressive behavior than those that do not” (n.p.). Hence, television can cause multiple problems for developing children, and subsequently for their parents, too.

8. What are you talking about? • Taking a cold shower helps boost your metabolism to help you lose weight. Dr. Oz asked Timothy Ferriss what is ice therapy and how does it work? Timothy said that Ice therapy triggers hormones that are helpful for fat. Timothy Ferriss is an American author, entrepreneur, angel investor, and public speaker. Human brown fat tissue can increase fat burning in response to cold temperatures. An icy shower could burn an extra 500 calories a day. Studies in The New England Journal of Medicine found making yourself cold activates ‘brown fat' – a good type of fat which generates heat, increases metabolism and burns off 'bad' white fat. 

9. Remember the Standards • Address degrees of • Clearness • Accuracy • Importance, Relevance • Sufficiency • Depth • Breadth • Precision

10. Now, work on the flow… • Develop each point you think is important into its own SEE-I(T) grouping (Importance/relevance, breadth, depth) • Decide if the groupings are in the best order (try cutting and pasting to move them around for clearness) • Smooth out the seams between the chunks (transitions, etc.--clearness) • Assume the reader’s POV and see how the flow of ideas would hit her or him (clearness, sufficiency, breadth, depth)

11. Finally, • Check that you’ve done everything the assignment requires (have you USED your direct quotations or just dropped them in, for instance?) (clearness, sufficiency, accuracy, importance/relevance) • Polish the style—read sentences out loud; work on the rhythm and word choice (clearness, precision) • Check the editing with a fine-toothed comb (Precision, clearness)