Writing for Success

CHAP TER

Writing from Research
1. THE PURPOSE OF RESEARCH WRITING: ASKING QUESTIONS AND SHARING THE ANSWERS
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S

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1. Identify reasons for researching writing projects. 2. Outline the steps of the research writing process.

Why was the Great Wall of China built? What have scientists learned about the possibility of life on Mars? What roles did women play in the American Revolution? How does the human brain create, store, and retrieve memories? Who invented the game of football, and how has it changed over the years? You may know the answers to these questions off the top of your head. If you are like most people, however, you dig for answers to tough questions like these by searching the Internet, visiting the library, or asking others for information. To put it simply, you perform research. Whether you are a scientist, an artist, a paralegal, or a parent, you probably perform research in your everyday life. When your boss, your instructor, or a family member asks you a question that you do not know the answer to, you locate relevant information, analyze your findings, and share your results. Locating, analyzing, and sharing information are key steps in the research process, and in this chapter, you will learn more about each step. By developing your research writing skills, you will prepare yourself to answer any question, no matter how challenging.

1.1 Why Research?
When you perform research, you are essentially trying to solve a mystery—you want to know how something works, or why something happened. In other words, you want to answer a question that you (and other people) have about the world. This is one of the most basic reasons for performing research. But the research process does not end when you have solved your mystery. Imagine what would happen if a detective collected enough evidence to solve a criminal case but never shared his or her solution with the authorities. Presenting what you have learned from research is...