Once again, I am back to the drawing board.
And I'm trying to work, yet again, on another 10-page research paper.
10 PAGES!!!!!!!!
---
Yes, that number makes me very nervous and I am sitting here thinking how does one actually fill in 10 pages worth of a topic? Thankfully, the class I am doing this research paper for has a narrow topic of something that we want changed in the community. It allows for our opinion to be brought forth, which is nice and allows for alot more freedom in the writing process.
So, how do you fill in 10 pages worth of information?
#1 - FIND A TOPIC! That should be priority and will be the base frame for the whole paper. It drives the paper. It makes or brakes the paper.
#2 - THESIS! In a research paper, and since this one is opinion based, you need to give the reader a reason as to why you are writing the paper. Give them a guiding point. I have always seen the thesis to be like a compass to a great adventure that one is about to embark on.
#3 - SOURCES, SOURCES, SOURCES!!! In journalism you learn that there are different kinds of sources: High Sources, Middle Sources and Low Sources. Each pertaining to a certain level of expertise in the subject matter and ability to express their opinion. High Sources would be the academic world, an top authority, statistics. Middle Sources would be those directly affected, people who know from first hand account. Low Sources would be like a great-great-second-cousin on your brother in-laws side. Basicly saying that they are people who aren't that important but do have an opinion to some extent. All sources, though, are important because they give flavor(!),variety, different ideas and, once again, a good guiding point on how to support the thesis.
These three items are important in my opinion. They help me construct the beginning of my research paper and fill in my 10 pages worth of information. This is definitly not the right way of constructing a research paper, but it helps me and gets me started on my research process.
As for the actual topic and ideas concerning my own paper - I, at first, was going to write about Brain Tumors (since my brother has one) and the many things the community doesn't provide but would be helpful to people with brain-type problems. But, I have switched (like all people do) to a topic that interests me because I think it affects the UCO community directly. It's about bike lanes on roads. That we need to incorporate them and since we are doing all of this construction in Edmond on the roads, we should consider adding in 2 feet extra for a bike lane on the road. It definitly is safer, important and allows bikers (bicyclers, that is) the freedom to ride anywhere without being fearful of a car running into them. In my opinion, Edmond is the perfect town to have Bicycle lanes - tons of people ride their bikes and more people would ride their bikes if room was made for them. It would be free from gas, would clean up the environment, everyone would get exercise and people enjoy the outdoors more. Since Oklahoma is a warmer state, it seems ideal for us to cater toward crowds of people that use vehicles such as bicycles for transportion.
Here are a few websites I have found that I like and am excited about the ideas/solutions they have for bicyclers on the road and how communities can help them out.
There are many many more website that pertain to this website and hundreds of articles at the library that pertain to this topic of bicycle lanes. It's so interesting and would be a neat addition to Edmond's community.
