Masters Program Woes... smashing into a brick wall

Sorry for the long post....

About six months ago, I began a graduate program via distance learning at a DETC accredited school and it had been great. The usual pattern for assignments is reading of chapters, and writings that consist of position papers, essays, imaginary situational writings and the like.

I have just begun another course and have hit a wall. After reading over the preliminary information, I see that with the submission of my first assignment I am to provide a title and scope for a 1,500 word research paper that is due at the end of the course.

Having never written a research paper, I scoured many web sites for samples and templates and after seeing what these papers consist of, I am having major doubts about my chances of success in finishing this degree.

I went into it knowing that it would be very difficult work, however, I did not-- due to ignorance-- account for the fact that the manner in which the work needs to be found, presented, formatted and submitted requires skills that I simply do not have.

Speaking very frankly, this type of thing is way beyond my ability. I cannot even find information on what a scope is and the proper formatting of it. In other words, I have no idea what I'm supposed to submit here.

I keep reading sites that say something like "it's very important to choose a topic that fascinates you," but truth be told, nothing really fascinates me. I work in an industry in which I keep up with trends and find it very enjoyable but the words passion and fascinated don't enter the equation at all.

There was a thread that I found in a search that was discussing dissertations in which someone wrote that you need to choose a topic that will get you jumping out of bed in the morning with anticipation. There is no subject in the world that would provoke such a feeling for me in any facet of my life. That's just a fact as insane as that may sound. There are plenty of things that I enjoy very much but the feelings don't go any further than that.

I love my job and enjoy reading up on current happenings but having never been exposed to graduate level work, I foolishly thought that it would consist of learning more advanced material, something that I am very capable of doing.

Instead, I have found that it's an "on your own" to choose topics, research them and put together a very formal document that includes charts, tables, graphs and case studies. The stress of this is keeping me awake at night.

I don't have any idea where to find actual case studies. I'm wondering if this is one element of distance learning in which students are lacking due to the lack of interaction and live people to actually demonstrate what needs to be done.

Not sure I'm asking a question here but if anyone has any advice, I'd surely appreciate it.

kag

 

I think you may be overestimating what's required/expected of you for a research paper in this one course.

I also wouldn't worry too much about the whole jumping out of bed in anticipation thing. You're talking about a research paper for one course, not a doctoral thesis.

My advice is to contact the professor and express your concerns, much the way you have in this post. Ask the prof for help or if the prof can suggest the appropriate resourcer person to contact at the university. I know that my school has a department devoted to helping graduate students with issues such as these, and your school should have someone willing and able to provide guidance on this issue.

Good luck.

 

Hmmm...you are ahead of me as far as getting to choose your topic. I would LOVE that. I am working on an MBA program and the last two classes I have had a 10 and 15 page research paper with the topic chosen for me.

Unfortunately this is the nature of graduate work. You really never had to do a research paper for your undergraduate work? Weird. Anyway, pick a topic that you are a little interested in and that you have some experience in.

Type this search into Google: How to write a research paper site:.edu

This will only look at places with edu in their web address, there you can probably find a good Barney like outline on how to write a paper.

1500 words is only about 5 pages, which should not be that difficult.

Final word: School is work, its not alway fun (hardly ever), it really is not all that applicable in the real world, and for the most part if you are in college someone else is telling what is interesting, what to study and how to do it.

Once you become comfortable with those FACTS, then shcool becomes almost palpable.

Good luck!

Cory

 

Not a huge paper...

I just finished a four page paper that was around 1100 words which is a rather small paper. 1500 is not so bad spread over the semester, maybe six or seven pages. In my opinion, research is one of the pleasures of graduate study...kind of like exploring and wondering what is over the next hill. Here are some books that might be helpful:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Society, Fifth Edition

http://www.amazon.com/Publication-Manual-American-Psychological-Association/dp/1557987912/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1236351630&sr=11-1


Rules for Writers, 6e

http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Writing-Across-Curriculum-Package/dp/0312482698/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236351738&sr=1-3

Find It Online, 4e

http://www.amazon.com/Find-Online-Fourth-Complete-Research/dp/1889150452/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236352116&sr=1-1

 

Do you have the option of taking a comprehensive exam?

 

kag[/QUOTE]

>>

Welcome to the board! I wrote my first "real" paper last semester. As I read your post, clearly you are articulate and can write. Also, you have earned a degree, and are in progress for a master's degree....so you have the smarts too.

This might seem from left field, but I homeschool 4 boys, all of which couldn't get excited about writing for a million dollars. (add in their dad too!) But, as you have found, writing becomes part of requirements- and may not have anything to do with the information, but it is a method of proving your knowledge. So, over the years, I have bought dozens of the "writing prompt" type of books (Imagine you are a super hero.....imagine you won the lottery....) and the were a disaster. Why? Because they are creative writing activities! Some people just aren't creative! You need to look at this through a different lens. Not as an assignment that is inspiring and fascinates you- but as a task to complete.

Here are my ideas:
1. Ask your professor exactly where they want you to pull resources from. My professor was very explicit in this regard ...but I have read a grad paper that used wikipedia (EEEEEK) as an acceptable source, and this student earned an A. You need to ask your professor.

2. Don't pick a topic based on interest, pick a topic based on access to information and data. I picked a very unique topic, but it turned out to be "too unique" because I could only find 1 or 2 articles. Pull where there is a big pool of existing info, and then interpret the information in new and exciting ways. (in cases where you are not doing research- only gathering facts from existing research- you are not reinventing the wheel)

3. Find out the writing style you are expected to use. If it is MLA, or APA, or Chicago Style....these all have web sites that tell you EXACTLY what to do. No question about it.

4. You need to pass, you don't need to be published. Do the assignment. Teachers won't fail you if you meet all the criteria. So, do the work, do the length, do the required number of citations, and you will pass. If your writing isn't great, you'll get dinged a few points- but since all of your other homework and exams are going to be stellar <hint, hint>, those dings won't leave a huge dent in your grade.

Good luck!

 

Great advice and I'd add this.

Don't waste valuable mental energy learning APA or MLA. Buy a Word template package for $30 - $40. Yes, it's an extra expense but you want to streamline your time spent on these activities.

Think of writing from a production standpoint. You need to achieve a reasonable (effective) amount of quality in an efficient amount of time. If you agonize over trying to write the 'best' paper ever, you're not approaching this as you would any other activity from a business standpoint. That's not your goal here.

 

1,500 words? A 1,500 word research paper can be knocked out in a couple of hours.

Read cookderosa's thread. Follow the advice in it.

 

Research

I've read great advice heretofore. I would add that a plethora of research exists on the World Wide Web. Use Google and search for peer-reviewed articles about your research topic. Usually, this will provide relevant information that will include bibliographies for additional research. Many schools provide membership access to online databases for this reason. Inquire with your school if such tools are available to you.

If not, make friends with some educators. Check with your local library and see if they have online access to such research. Many times you can pay a small fee and receive a great article. They'll even help you format your citations properly.

 

Templates for Research Papers (Free)

http://www.wright.edu/~martin.maner/rptemp.htm

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101172711033.aspx

 

My prof sent me here for details on academic writing (MLA):

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/675/01/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/664/01/

1500 words is a breeze, don't worry. It will probably be more difficult for you to trim it down to that level.

 

Actually 1,500 words is kind of small for a culmination of a course. For my BS there were times when I was writing 20 page research papers and as for my capstone requirement, I shudder at the thought.

As for my MBA I had approximately a 10 page research capstone paper due every 6th week but it almost always ended up around 20 pages because of the breadth of material covered.

The worst research paper I've ever done was a quantitative paper where I had to show my tables and formulas in the appendix. The paper was 6 pages and the appendix was around 13 pages. Now that was a friggin' paper.

By the way if you want an example of a research paper and cannot find it anywhere else I'll send you an example of one of mine, not that I can guarantee it's 100% but it'll give you a template to work from if you guys use APA style.

 

You did not mention the course topic. Maybe I can suggest some topic ideas that you might like and just as important something that might interest your professor.

 

I really enjoy doing research papers. Usually they have a much bigger time frame than normal assignments and they give me the feeling of actually doing something meaningfull. Not just summarizing a book chapter or other reproductive things. It's a great experience to approach a subject in my own way, discuss the thoughts of other great minds on it and the freedom to think about it for a while.

 

Kag: "I love my job and enjoy reading up on current happenings but having never been exposed to graduate level work, I foolishly thought that it would consist of learning more advanced material, something that I am very capable of doing."

David H: First, Hi Kag. I pulled this quote out of your posting. I will make two comments.

1) Your "foolish thought" is actually correct, you just weren't ready for the "grad school difference." In undergrad you were told where to find the answers. In Grad School you get the find the answers. In undergrad you were given explicit direction, in Grad school, you get to think, digests and present the knowledge gained based what you findings and your unique perspective.

I suggest you learn something and write a paper about it. The problem you are having now is a great example. You could write 6-7 pages about the process you have been going through to find this information, find the proper structure for research papers, and ultimately determining the subject, etc. In Grad School your perspective is valued and integral to your papers/work --- going beyond just facts. The "Grad school difference" is the process.

2) We all have moments of concern, self-doubt, and anxiety. Don't worry about doubt it . . . break the task down, complete each step, and put the pieces together --- 6 -7 pages will come easily.

Nothing new here except some encouragement!

Good Luck!

 

Thank you all for the thoughtful and helpful replies. I'm going to re-read this thread over the weekend and check out some of the links that were posted here.

I will most definitely post again once I settle on a topic and begin to move forward.

kag

 

For several of my MBA courses the challenge was not to write 10 or 20 pages but to succinctly prove the points in less than 5 pages. This is often MUCH harder, and I've found it to be useful when writing briefs for work.

 

As already mentioned, discuss your concerns with your professor.

Here is another idea for you. Also ask your professor for some previously written papers to help give you an idea of what is expected.

 

You're right. In 2 of my classes the professors kicked back my paper and told me to follow their directions to the letter. One of the toughest assignments I have ever had was an 8 page paper. So I guess in the other 10 classes I somewhat got away with being verbose...

Not that I'm known for being wordy or talking too much... Like when I'm nervous or something the great thing though is that I have natural defense in that I have a short attent.... Hey is that a cheese sandwich? (walks away)