This form of research paper is my favorite to read, because it's interesting to see what the person writing it feels. If they have an opinion on the subject I really love hearing it because I could look up this information myself if I just wanted the dry facts, it's quite a different thing to hear what the author thinks about the facts.
In most academic research applications there is just dry retelling of the facts and Theories of Intelligence definitely does not do this. However, it does have great elements of a research paper. It has facts that was gotten from different sources and these sources were sited.
In general I believe the professor determines the conventions of a research paper. I believe most times if a student submitted a paper like Theories of Intelligence the professor wouldn't be impressed even though it is a paper that has very thoughtfully intertwined fact with personal experiences in such a way that the reader doesn't even think that they are reading a research paper. Yes the professor matters. If the student doesn't write the type of paper the professor whats the student won't get the grade that he/she wants. Finally there are genres because different forms of writing typically require different information or different choice of words to make the writer's voice have the correct formality or informality depending on what's being written.
Hi Kynna,
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Part of being a smart writer is being a flexible one, and in part that means writing so that the work meets the needs of particular audiences (including professors) and purposes. It's true, too, that the research essay is less common a form than the research paper as a genre of student writing. And yet you might be surprised at how pleased my colleagues would be at reading something that's, well, interesting, work that makes it clear why the writer is interested in the subject and what she wants to figure out about it. At the very least those habits of mind are often behind any college research project.