Considering the basic research assignment, the most important move a writer can make is that of theorizing. Emerging writers often focus on the task of gathering data, whether it serve the purpose of illustrating, authorizing, borrowing, or limiting. They find themselves lost in a sea of notes and sources, gripping at what they perceive as the strongest quotations to pull them through the assignment. What seems to fall out of place in this entire process is that of theorizing, or developing the controlling idea. At the very center of research writing is the thesis statement, and very few students I have encountered take the time to determine that critically important concept before consulting other texts for support. The issue arises because in order to take a strong stance on an issue, the writer must first be familiar with it. This, in and of itself, requires research, reading at the very least. A thorough understanding of the situation must first be established, and from that understanding comes the thesis, which may be to counter an established line of thinking or even to forward several and combine them into one. Regardless, the bulk of the research paper composition should stem from the thesis as the writer’s thought process buttressed by quotations and paraphrases to lend credibility. Only after establishing the thesis should the writer assesses texts to come to terms and forward or counter as he or she sees fit. The move to theorize must come first.
Missing this move results in a dead paper. Take, for example, a former student who asked me to review his research paper before submission. He had composed a fifteen-page essay elaborately describing a fascinating video game. Page after page, the essay outlined in detail the main character’s saga and exploits, motivation, background, shortcomings, love interests, etc. The essay was essentially a summary. Did he complete the research process? I can’t say that he did—he neglected to determine the purpose of his paper, which must happen before composing begins. He had nothing to prove, no thesis statement. He did make an attempt to assert that the theme song suited the game, but the analysis did not follow, nor did the research regarding the historical and cultural context, which would have granted some credence to his paper. For this essay, I would recreate the “Tracking Influences” assignment from Rewriting. “Tracking Analysis” would be my title, and I would have him highlight analysis, as the original assignment requires, and in the margin, have him write how the analysis proved his thesis. He would see clearly that the analysis was not present and that he could write nothing in the margin because the thesis did not exist. That would be a valuable, eye-opening experience, and it would lead to a true research paper. Above all, the need to theorize would become crystal clear.
Harris, Joseph. Rewriting. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2006. Print.
E688: Seminar in Teaching Composition 