While many freshman composition textbooks offer cursory instruction on how to conduct field research, very little information exists on teaching undergraduates field research methods. Such instruction often occurs during graduate school. However, in order to become polished writers and researchers, and to see firsthand how research enhances…

Modern composition instructors often use and teach research methods for Internet search engines and electronic databases. It is not their intent to turn back the clock. However, if they can help students connect the world of Internet searches and the university library, they can promote information literacy in its broadest sense by developing…

One way to teach the research paper is by first discussing sampling, the musical practice of using other artists' work. By studying the lyrics of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, a widely known hip-hop sampler, students gain an understanding of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing sources.

With increasing demands for online courses in all levels of higher education, a community college English instructor implements alternative methods of communication to ensure course rigor and integrity as she meets her objectives of enhanced student learning and success.

Discusses a composition assignment that integrates library instruction with a research assignment, thus encouraging students to take an interdisciplinary approach to their writing and thinking. (SR)

This article describes a combination of a research essay and a creative writing assignment that encourages rigorous academic research while allowing students to get "outside the box" of traditional academic research papers. This assignment has five steps. The first two steps offer the chance to introduce academic research along with summary and…

Describes the experiences of a librarian who decided to teach a course on research and development of the term paper. (MKM)

Describes how the author used sequenced assignments (and a range of other strategies) to engage students in genuine inquiry; to remove as much of the fear as possible from the research process; and to put the emphasis on process, not on product. (SR)

Describes a writing exercise with the "Oxford English Dictionary" that teaches students about research and attention to detail. Describes how the exercise, which involves the student in a set of serial tasks, makes students comfortable with the OED, teaches them how to extract full details of any word, and teaches students to take…

Presents five short teaching tips written by five different authors on the following topics: newspapers, writing exercises for aspiring elementary school teachers, telephone directory as research tool, structured essay assignments, and teaching description with Raymond Carver's "Cathedral." (TB)

Examines Internet sources cited by students in research papers for a literature class. Finds that 42% cited Web sites were confirmed student papers; 88% were very short; and 75% did not connect when typed as shown in bibliographies. Offers guidelines for acceptable online research to help students locate good quality Web sites. (SR)

Presents an assignment that requires students to seek out, classify, analyze, and evaluate data in order to emphasize the "search" aspect of research writing. (EL)

Describes a three-week library assignment--designed to acquaint freshman students with a large library and with research techniques--that was focused on the topic of censorship. (EL)

Describes a research project designed to take students from personal writing to academic writing requiring research and application of documentation skills. Explains that the project involves choosing a career, is divided into four parts, and is completed over a four- to five-week period. (MG)

Describes how students can exploit the power and flexibility of computers to find, organize, and store information gathered while conducting research. Describes how students can use computers to compose, revise, and edit their research papers. (RS)