Introduction to the IRP

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Estimated time to complete: This assignment will take a number of days to complete.

Supported Objectives:

  • CO1: Develop a clearly-written, well-researched, persuasive paper which demonstrates both critical reading and critical thinking skills.
  • CO2: Demonstrate an ability to evaluate and integrate academic sources into your research papers in a manner consistent with US academic culture and UW-Madison’s policy on academic integrity.
  • CO3: Develop two formal research-based presentations on a familiar topic which demonstrate knowledge of effective public speaking skills.

Now that you have gone through the process of writing a substantial research paper on a topic of your choosing, albeit with considerable guidance, you are ready to work more independently to write your final, independently researched paper for this course. In it you will demonstrate that you understand how to discover and narrow a topic appropriate for academic research. You will show that you can do library research, using the skills learned in the library workshops and Sift and Winnow. Finally, you will show that you can write a well-organized, academic paper on a topic about which you knew little only a few weeks before. In short, you will work hard, but will leave ESL118 with a sense of accomplishment.

You can see examples of past IRPs on this page: Links to Former IRPs

Requirements

Topics: Your topic must be approved by your instructor; no major changes after April 3.
Length:  7-8 pages
Formatting: APA style; i.e. 1-inch margins (22-24 lines per page), double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font.
Sources: At least 7 sources, 4 of which must be scholarly, substantial sources. 

Associated Assignments

The IRP consists of the following graded assignments:

Assignment 1: Two Possible IRP Topics + a Feasibility Report and/or a Research Journal (counts towards Written Work grade)
Assignment 2: Working Bibliography 5%
Assignment 3: Formal Proposal 5%
Assignment 4: Thesis & Detailed Outline 5%
Assignment 5: First (Peer) Draft 5%
Assignment 6: Second (Conference) Draft 20%
Assignment 7: Final Draft 60%
Assignment 8: Oral Presentation (counts towards Oral Work grade)

 

NOTE: You must pass the IRP to pass the class. To pass the IRP, you must get an overall grade of “C” or better AND a “C” or better on the final draft.

 

Plagiarism is a serious writing crime in this culture. If your instructor discovers plagiarism in your IRP (on any draft) – for example, you take something directly from an article without documenting it with an in-text citation, you will fail the IRP and have to repeat ESL 118. Moreover, if you do not adequately paraphrase source material throughout your paper, even if you cite it, you will have points taken off and might receive a failing grade if you do not correct the problem in the next draft.

Click here to learn more about plagiarism.