English for Academic and Professional Purposes

1
Developing Skills in Writing a Research Paper and Critique Paper

Week 0015: Developing Skills in Writing

a Research Paper and Critique Paper

This module will require you to demonstrate your understanding

of what you have learned from previous lessons namely:
Citation and documentation. Different disciplines require various
writing tasks. As a student, you will encounter to write project
reports. It is of practical value to gain in-depth skills of different
research writing genres such as research papers and
critique.

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

a. determine the concepts in writing research and critique

papers;
b. identify correct organization in writing a research paper;
c. analyze the guidelines in writing a critique paper.

The Research Paper

A research paper is similar to a term paper and that it
presents a broader topic and requires more sources. It usually
consists of no less than 5 pages to a maximum of 15 pages. The
writer presents his/ her views about a chosen topic. This writing
requires library research and readings to collect information to
justify the writer’s views.

 Generally follow IMRaD format: Introduction, Methods,

Results, Discussion

Steps in Writing Research Paper

1. Choose a topic

 What is the paper about?

a. Consider the following guidelines:

 Field of specialization
 Interest
 Availability of references
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 Prevalence of the topic
 Time constraint

b. Identify the problem you want to discuss in your

paper.

Ex. Decline in reading interests among high school

students

2. Narrow the topic

 Narrow down to a small topic

Consider the diagram below:

Decline in reading interest

Filipino
High school Reasons
students

Reasons why Filipino high school students lack interest in

reading.

3. Research the topic. Gather information from different sources.

a. Take down notes.

b. Prepare a bibliography.

 A bibliography is a list of sources on the research topic.

4. Develop the final outline

a. Think of how you could begin your paper with one of

the following opening ploys:

• a personal anecdote
• an anecdote drawn from your research
• a challenging question

Remember an attention grabbing-hook must match the

content and purpose of your
article/paper.

b. Create a Research Space (CARS)

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Developing Skills in Writing a Research Paper and Critique Paper

• Establish your research area has some

significance.
• Selectively summarize the previous research.
• Show the reported research is not complete.
• Turn the gap into the research space of the
present paper.

c. Observe correct citation.

 Use quotation, paraphrase and summary.

Example of a research paper:

________________________________________________

Social Networks and Impact on Society

Introduction

In modern times, people are interacting in many different ways,

some by telephone, some by E-mail and some by chatting networks.
Every day, people are using the computer to talk with one another
and social networking sites are a big reason for this. Facebook, one
of the largest social networks in the world, has been very important
in letting people communicate with one another easier.

Because society is communicating over the internet, it is much

easier to develop and build old and new relationships. But, there
are also some negative aspects of talking to people online that you
do not know very well. While social networks like Facebook allow
people to be more sociable and expand their relationships, this type
of communication can have problems related to privacy and safety.

What is Facebook and Why is it Different?

Facebook is a tool that lets people use and share their information
with others easier. Before social networking sites, people talked to
each other through mail, phone and face to face meetings. With the
huge number of people using computers and the internet today, a
lot of them rely on social networking sites to keep up to date with
their friends. Since 2004, Facebook has grown from being on one
school to having over 200 million people in their network by 2009
(Neuert 1). According to Patricia Greenfield, Facebook is one of
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many sites that lets people build online profiles, talk to each other
privately or publicly and share different types of media like
pictures and videos (Greenfield 121). Facebook has also become
very popular among people of different age groups. According to
Levi Baker’s studying, around 65% of teenagers and 35% of grown
adults use one social networking site, like Facebook (Baker, 875).
This means that people now have more opportunities to share
information with not just people close to them. People can also
share with others that are far away.

Meeting new people that you have never met in person is also
possible.

People can use Facebook for many different reasons: to meet new
people, to talk to people you used to know and to keep up to date
with each other. Most people use the service to talk to people they
already know and strengthen their relationship. As Rick Nauert put
it, “the purpose is to reinforce established friendships and form
bonds with new friends” (Nauert, 1). The reason it is so popular is
because when you are keeping up with people, what they are
sharing is changing (Nauert ,1). It is not like you are seeing the
same thing over and over again; instead, new content generated
from your friends and connections is being updated constantly.
This new content is what draws people in to keep them checking up
on their friends. Greenfield stated that “Eighty percent of those
surveyed reported using the Internet to maintain existing
friendship networks. Participants who communicated more often
on the Internet felt closer to existing friends than those who did
not” (Greenfield ,126). So, we see that social networking sites like
Facebook are allowing people to keep in touch with those around
them. People who use sites like these also feel closer to their
friends. Since people are closer when communicating online, they
are thus more sociable with each other. This is a positive benefit of
using Facebook to connect with your friends that are close by.

Facebook Helps us Maintain Weak Ties

Facebook is also helpful in maintaining friendships with people

that you are not close to or have little contact with. In an offline
setting, we are geographically limited to who we can and cannot
see and talk to. This means that even though we have friends in one
area, we are not guaranteed to keep up with them if we move.
Luckily, “With the advent of today’s popular social networking
sites, video and photo sharing sites, and blogs, adolescents may
again connect and interact with people who are not a part of their
offline lives” (Greenfield 130). While people may come and go in
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Developing Skills in Writing a Research Paper and Critique Paper

life, there is now an alternative to just losing past relationships.

This is possible because Facebook allows a cheap and easy way to
still hold on to those relationships (Ellison 1162). A great example
is keeping in touch with your high school friends. Since people go to
different colleges and move away, it would be difficult to catch up
on a regular basis with phone calls every day. But since people can
see status updates and pictures, it is much more convenient. In fact,
people that use Facebook communicate with people they rarely see
82% of the time (Greenfield 130). This means that those
relationships do not have to go away. This example illustrates how
Facebook fosters social development by allowing people to be more
social and with people they normally can’t be with and to expand
their relationship.

Building New Relationships

Facebook can also be great for new relationships as well. Facebook

was built around virtual communities such as colleges, clubs and
groups. Within these groups, there is a lot of opportunity to meet
others that you would not usually have a chance in meeting. The
profile is like the ice breaker that lets you take a first look at the
person’s life. You can see who their friends are, what interests they
have and what they are saying everyday via their status update.
Basically, the profile page gives a huge amount of personal
information about the person to start with (Ellison 1143).One
example is people who meet others as potential romantic partners.
Greenfield clearly outlined that “[students] have been using
Facebook to check out people they had met as prospective dates.
Uses such as checking out people they have met socially or in class
or others who live in their dorm are all ranked relatively highly”
(131). The writer also stated that 41% of people that they have in
their friend list also have meetings in person as opposed to just
talking to them online (131). This means that people that meet
others using Facebook don’t just talk to them online but also in
person. A last good example is the number of friends that people
have online compared to friends we have in real life. “For example,
for a teen to have 150-300 ‘friends’ would have been unheard of
before social networking” (Greenfield 136). Meeting new people is
a really easy option when using Facebook. As people form groups
and virtual hobbies with others online, they are exposed to their

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profiles. These profiles start the “friending” process and then
eventually leads to in person interactions.

Overcoming Shy Behavior Via Facebook

Many people struggle with approaching others if they do not know

them, leading them never to interact withthat person, but social
networks such as Facebook could help these problems of shyness.
As mentioned in the article by Michael S. Rosenwald “Shy people
have difficulty finding topics to talk about…Facebook gives you a
starting point" (Rosenwald 1). This is very true as many people do
not know how to start a conversation with someone they do not
know; as with social networks, it is as simple as just saying “hi”, and
the conversation will start automatically. While on the other hand,
if the person has to go face to face and start a conversation, many
times it does not go all that well. This is possible because shy
people tend to get the most out of sites like Facebook out of the fact
that it is not as socially risky (Baker 876). Greenfield also agreed
that “participants who felt that online communication was more
effective for self-disclosure also reported feeling closer to their
offline friends” (126). Shy people can feel a lot more easy-going
when they are talking to others online. They don’t have to worry
about making huge mistakes or feeling bad about themselves. Thus,
Facebook is a great place if you are shy and want to even talk to
people that are around you. Since the fear of making mistakes is not
there when they are online, shy people can feel a lot more
comfortable.

This makes a huge impact on people that are too shy to interact
with others. Approaching people through a social network is much
easier than having to do it in person, and it is the beginning of
having a relationship with that person, since they can start talking
by these networks, and then slowly getting to know each other face
to face. An example of this would be a teenage kid in school who
likes a girl in the lower grade. The kid knows who the girl is, but
has never had any type of interaction with her. By becoming friends
on Facebook, he can now start a relationship through this media,
and start to talk to her through the computer, which will lead him
to meet her in school and start a relationship. This is a perfect
example of how Facebook is a really good thing for certain people.
Without it, these people would not have other good choices in
interaction.
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Developing Skills in Writing a Research Paper and Critique Paper

Privacy and Safety Concerns with Social Networks

While Facebook gives these great chances to make friends and keep
in touch, the problems of privacy and being made fun of are still
existent (known as cyber bullying). Just like people pick on each
other in person, the internet is another place where this can
happen to. We read all the time that kids are made fun of because
they are gay or look different. These problems are just the same in
the real world like they are online. Greenfield’s research stated that
“the findings suggest that students’ role as victim and perpetrator
of bullying in the offline world predicted their role in electronic
bullying” (128). As mentioned, being on the internet doesn’t stop
people from being cruel to each other. Anyone can just go on
someone’s group and make jokes about them about anything they
want to. In a similar way, if everything is on the internet about you,
people you don’t want to look at your information can still find
ways to see it. Not everyone wants their parents to see them
drinking and going out to parties, especially if they are not 21.
These problems make Facebook a difficult thing to manage and
gives evidence of why it is not such a great communication tool to
use. However, Facebook does give you privacy controls over the
information that you share. You can really easy just make it so that
when people try to find you via search, not everything comes up.
Greenfield stated that “searches on the Facebook network or on
search engines reveal only a users name, the networks they belong
to, and their profile picture thumbnail” (123). This is a great way to
hide information and other stuff that you do not want to give out to
random strangers. Facebook gives you the choice and control over
what you want to share with others. As a good example, if you have
a job and your boss adds you as a friend, you may feel like you have
to accept it. But, you may not want your boss to see all the stuff that
you do on your free time. So, you can choose to just show to them
specifically what you want them to see. This is an easy way to hide
stuff that is personal or potentially damaging to you in anyway.
This is only possible because “for communication forms such as
blogs and social networking utilities, users have complete control
over the extent to which their entries or profiles are public or
private” (Greenfield 123). This takes care of most of the privacy and
security concerns with other people seeing your profile. With the
control that Facebook gives you over your profile, you do not have

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to worry about the wrong people seeing what you are doing every
day. It does not matter if it is a complete stranger or your own
mother, your information that you put up is still your own in terms
of control.

Sex Offenders on Facebook

Another safety risk that is not such a big deal in the Facebook site is
danger of sex offenders. It is an obvious concern that people who
are older and not right in the head shouldn’t talk to young people
and try to engage in sex with them. But as much as people talk
about them being a bad problem, the case does not apply in the all
online interactions. Bruce Bower’s article talked about how it isn’t
as common for it to happen on sites like MySpace and Facebook.
His research “found that teens’ sue of social networking sites such
as MySpace and Facebook did not increase their likelihood of being
contacted by a sex offender” (Bower 118). This shows that just
because the news and other people talk about it being dangerous,
does not mean that it is so. Rather than assuming that sex offenders
look to kids on Facebook to have sex with them, it is important to
look at the facts. Bower argued that “adult offenders primarily use
instant messages, E-Mail, and chat rooms to meet and develop
intimate relationships with adolescent victims” (Bower 118). If the
internet in general is a dangerous place for kids, it is not ok to
assume that it is true for all aspects of it. These types of criminals
don’t even use Facebook as the main way to do terrible things.
Instead, they use other types of communication that is not
controlled as much. However, since Facebook is a much more
tightly controlled type of space to communicate in, it does not have
the same dangers.

Lastly, some may argue that social networks could affect people by
having fewer face to face relationships, since they can get addicted
to talking on the computer and only socializing via internet. This is
incorrect since being able to know people faster and easier by these
networks will help getting to know more people and will help the
social life of that person. Just because you are on the internet and
on Facebook does not mean that you are losing interactions with
other people. In Greenfield’s article, a study by the Pew Internet
and American Life Project found evidence that went against this.
The study reported that “48% of online teensbelieve that the
Internet has improved their relationships with friends” and that
“61% feel that time online does not take away from time spent with
friends” (126). This isn’t just a fact or statistic, there is evidence for
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Developing Skills in Writing a Research Paper and Critique Paper

this too. Talking to one another online is easier because we don’t

have to worry about feeling stupid about sharing personal things.
Just like it helps shy kids deal with difficult situations, it helps
others too with people they interact with. It may be easier to ask
certain questions or have talks online because it takes out the
aspect where people can be embarrassed .

Conclusion and Discussion

As we have seen, Facebook is a social networking site that allows

people to communicate with each other and expand our
relationships, even if the people are close friends, old friends that
we don’t see as much or new people. However, there are negative
parts to it because of the privacy and security risks of other people
seeing your information and contacting you. Most people talk to
others that are close to them and they see face to face often.
Facebook also lets you talk to people that you used to spend time
with but moved on in life by going to college or moving to a
different place. With mutual interests, groups and friends, you can
also meet new people that you are interested in. Their profile gives
a lot of information about them to help you get started. Even for shy
people, talking to others online makes it much easier. It takes out
the pressure and possible embarrassment of making mistakes.
Despite this, the risk of privacy and safety are still there. People
claim that others can see your profile even if you don’t want them
to. But, this is not true since Facebook lets you control your
information. Also, the problems of sex offenders and danger is not
the sameon Facebook as it is on chat rooms and text messaging.
This makes Facebook a safe place to communicate and share with
each other. Lastly, people who talk online instead of face to face
don’t talk to friends less. Talking online is still communication, just
in a different type of way.

Works Cited

Baker, Levi, and Debra Oswald. "Shyness and online social

networking service." Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
27.7 (2010): 873-889. Sage Publications. Web. 19 Apr. 2011.
<http://spr.sagepub.com/content/27/7/873>

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 Bower, Bruce. "Internet Seduction: Online Sex Offenders Prey on
At-Risk Teens." Science News 173.8 (2008): 118. JSTOR. Web. 19
Apr. 2011. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/20465238>

Ellison, Nicole, Charles Steinfeld, and Cliff Lampe. "The Benefits of

Facebook ‘Friends:’ Social Capital and College Students’ Use of
Online Social Network Sites." Journal of Computer-Mediated
Communication 12 (2007): 1143-1168. Print.

Greenfield, Patricia, and Kaveri Subrahmanyam. "Online

Communication and Adolescent Relationships." The Future of
Children 18.1 (2008): 119-146. JSTOR. Web. 19 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/20053122>

Nauert, Rick. "Relationships on Facebook, Social Networks." Psych

Central. University of Kansas, 31 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.
<http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/03/31/relationships-on-
facebook-social-networks/5060.html>.

Rosenwald, Michale. "Can Facebook Help Overcome Shyness?."

Washington Post [Washington DC] 13 Feb. 2011: 1-2. Web. 19 Apr.
2011.http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/from-social-
networking-to-just-plain-old-
social/2011/02/12/ABqR8yF_story.html

_____________________________________________________________________________

Do this activity:

Activity 1:

Evaluate the research above by answering the questions below.

1. What is the research about?

2. What are the claims of the writer on the issues?
3. What are the evidences provided that prove the claims?

Writing a Critique
A critique is a systematic, yet personal response and evaluation of
what you read or watch. Examples: a novel, a film, poetry, or a
painting, research articles and media items, such as news
articles or features. It emphasized on the effectiveness and
usefulness of the work in general and not merely an
argumentative analysis about the creative works. Moreover, it is a
careful analysis of an argument to determine-

 what is said,
 how well the points are made,
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Developing Skills in Writing a Research Paper and Critique Paper

 what assumptions underlie the argument,

 what issues are overlooked, and
 what implications are drawn from such observations.

Before you write a critique consider the following questions:

 What is the nature of the piece?

 Who wrote it, why, and what are his/her qualifications?
 What is the significance of the piece?
 What are its objectives? How well are they achieved?
 What is the design or method for the piece?
 Does the design help the piece achieve its objectives?
 What is the particular appeal or lack of appeal?
 What assumptions underlie the piece?
 Are they offensive? Obvious?
 How do the assumptions and biases affect the validity of
the piece?

Organization of a Critique paper

1. Introduce the subject of your critique – the reading under

analysis.
2. Review the background facts or issues that must be
understood before the point of the reading can be
appreciated: significance, design, appeal, and so on.
3. Review the assumptions in the reading that must be
understood before you take a position.
4. Make your position statement clear: what is your evaluation?
On what basis are you making it, given what you have
stated in #2 and #3?
5. Review the author’s ideas in light of the position you identified
and elaborate on each point that relates to your central
position.
6. State your conclusions, reminding the reader of the points you
have made and your reasons for making them.

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Additional critique tips:
Subtitle the sections of the paper into
1) summary and
2) critique

Alternatively, you could organize your critique by “strengths” and

“weaknesses.”

The aim of a critique is not merely to criticize, but to point out what
the creator or author has done well and what s/he has not.

Sample critic:

Burj Al Arab, repeatedly voted as the world’s most luxurious

hotel, is the third tallest hotel in the world and the symbol of
modern Dubai. It is located on an artificial island 280 meters from
Jumeirah beach and is connected to the mainland by a private
bridge. It stands 321 meters with 197 meters floor area, 18
elevators, and 202 rooms. It was designed to look like a sail of the
ship by Tom Wright as the official architect from WKK architects
and structure engineer, Atkins. It has a helipad at a height of 210
meters above ground. It was built in 1994 and finished in 1999.
As one of the best hotels in the world as far as facilities and
amenities are concerned, it offer the finest services including an
optional chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, and discreet check. A
private reception on every floor , host of a personal butler,
sophisticated bars and floor to floor ceiling view of the city and
Arabian Gulf.
However, the hotel has received various criticism since 39% of its
total height is made up of non- occupiable space. Architecture
critics have agreed that “both the hotel and the city are
monuments of triumph of money over practicality, both elevated
style over substance. A theater of opulence and a state of the art
construction technology that stretches the limits of the ambitious
urban imaginations that is largely due to the power of excessive
wealth.
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Developing Skills in Writing a Research Paper and Critique Paper

Glossary
Critique – is a careful analysis of a piece of writing, work of art or
product in which you give your opinion about the negative or positive, the
strength or the weakness points.

Introduction – located at the first part of the paper. It orients the

reader to the content of the paper by including the problem,
background and scope of the investigation.

Method – a systematic procedure or plan that deals with principles and

techniques of scientific inquiry.

Research paper- a substantial piece of academic writing, usually

done as a requirement for a class, in which the author does
independent study or investigation and presents interpretation or
evaluation or argument based on facts derived from data and
results.

Summary – a condensed form of an article.

References

Book

Brantley, C. and Miller, M. ( 2007) Effective Communication for Colleges.

Singapore. Thomson South Western

Dapat, JR, O( 2013) Applied English for Academic and Professional Services.
Manila , Philippines. JFS Publishing

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

Olson, B. (2013). Academic Writing Across the Disciplines.

https://www.LDC_academic_writing_final_pdf. Retrieved April 15, 2017

Literacy Design Collaborative : Academic writing across the disciplines.

http://www. LDC_academic_writing_final.pdf. Retrieved April 8, 2017

Online Instructional Videos

Ethical Issues in Formal Report Writing

study.com/academy/lesson/ethical-issues-in-formal-report-writing.html.
Retrieved 26 July 2017

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How to Write a Research Paper: Video and transcript
Study.com/academy/lesson/how-to-write-a-research-paper.html. Retrieved on
26 July 2017

Essay Critique: Examples & Overview

http://study.com/academy/lesson/essay-critique-examples-lesson-quiz.html.
Retrieved 27 July 2017