Research Writing Course

Lesson 1 • The Research Writing Process

Maps the full writing process from topic selection through revision. Students see how each stage connects so they can plan and manage their own projects.

Lesson 2 • Academic Integrity and Ethics

Covers plagiarism, fabrication, and responsible use of sources as non-negotiable standards. Establishes the ethical baseline that governs every writing decision in the course.

Lesson 3 • Defining Research Writing

Establishes what separates research writing from general writing through purpose, audience, and evidence. Anchors all subsequent skill-building in a shared conceptual framework.

Lesson 1 • From Question to Thesis Statement

Bridges the research question to a working thesis that will guide the entire document. Students draft a provisional thesis and understand how it may evolve during research.

Lesson 2 • Characteristics of Strong Research Questions

Defines what makes a question researchable, specific, and significant. Students apply these criteria to evaluate and refine their own candidate questions.

Lesson 3 • Identifying and Narrowing a Topic

Guides students from broad interest areas to specific, manageable topics using scoping techniques. Directly prepares them to formulate a precise research question.

Lesson 1 • Searching Databases and Libraries

Teaches efficient search strategies using academic databases, library catalogs, and search engines. Students learn to retrieve relevant results quickly and systematically.

Lesson 2 • Types of Sources and Their Uses

Distinguishes primary, secondary, and tertiary sources and explains when each is appropriate. Sets the foundation for strategic source selection throughout the research process.

Lesson 3 • Evaluating Source Credibility

Applies credibility criteria including authority, accuracy, currency, and bias to assess sources. Students practice rejecting weak sources and justifying strong ones.

Lesson 1 • Purpose and Structure of a Literature Review

Explains why literature reviews are essential and how they are organized thematically or chronologically. Students understand the review's role before attempting to write one.

Lesson 2 • Identifying Gaps and Positioning Your Work

Teaches students to locate unanswered questions in the literature and use them to justify their research. This section connects the review directly to the student's research question.

Lesson 3 • Synthesizing Sources

Moves students from summarizing individual sources to weaving multiple perspectives into unified analytical paragraphs. Synthesis is the defining skill that separates reviews from summaries.

Lesson 1 • Standard Research Document Sections

Breaks down the conventional sections of research documents including introduction, methods, results, and discussion. Students learn the function and content of each section.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Document Organization

Introduces logical sequencing, coherence, and reader expectations as organizing principles. Students apply these principles to plan documents that guide readers efficiently.

Lesson 3 • Adapting Structure to Document Type

Shows how structure varies across journal articles, reports, and theses while preserving core logic. Students practice adapting a single outline to multiple formats.

Lesson 1 • Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Distinguishes the three methods of incorporating source material and teaches when each is appropriate. Students practice all three with correct attribution to avoid plagiarism.

Lesson 2 • Formatting References Accurately

Provides hands-on practice formatting references for books, articles, websites, and reports. Accuracy in formatting signals scholarly rigor and prevents credibility loss.

Lesson 3 • Why and How to Cite Sources

Explains the intellectual and ethical reasons for citation and introduces the mechanics of in-text attribution. Students understand citation as both obligation and scholarly conversation.

Lesson 1 • Building Coherent Paragraphs

Teaches the topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and transition structure for research paragraphs. Coherent paragraphs advance the argument and connect to the thesis.

Lesson 2 • Writing Clear Research Sentences

Focuses on sentence-level clarity through active voice, precise word choice, and concision. Clear sentences are the building blocks of credible research prose.

Lesson 3 • Writing Introductions and Conclusions

Covers strategies for opening documents with context and a clear thesis and closing with synthesis rather than summary. Strong openings and closings frame the entire argument.

Lesson 1 • Preparing the Final Submission

Covers formatting requirements, submission checklists, and final proofreading passes before submission. Students leave with a reliable pre-submission routine they can reuse.

Lesson 2 • Editing for Style and Clarity

Focuses on sentence-level improvements including tone, concision, and disciplinary register. Students apply editing checklists to achieve consistent, professional prose.

Lesson 3 • Peer Review and Feedback Integration

Teaches students to give and receive constructive feedback using structured review protocols. Integrating peer feedback is a professional skill that improves every subsequent draft.

Lesson 4 • Revising for Argument and Structure

Guides students to evaluate whether the argument is logical, complete, and well-supported at the macro level. Structural revision precedes sentence-level editing for maximum efficiency.