The treatment of a research paper as an isolated utterance within a composition classroom is problematic in that such papers may fail to encourage transfer of writing knowledge. In this essay, I argue that a research paper's failure to work as a utterance situated within a conversation--as critiqued through a framework constructed by Mikhail Bakhtin's notion of the utterance--often disadvantages students in their future writing endeavors. I conclude by suggesting one way to encourage students to situate their research writing as a part of--rather than separate from--an activity system. By making the research paper an integral part of a entire course sequence, students will be better equipped to understand the role that research and writing plays within a specific activity system. (Contains 2 notes.)