The Multi-genre Research Project

“[Multi-genre papers] recognize that there are many ways to see the world, many ways to show others what
we see.”
~Tom Romano, teacher, author, and “founder” of the multi-genre paper

What is a multi-genre paper?

It’s a collection of pieces written in a variety of genres, informed by your research on a particular subject, which
presents one or more perspectives on a research question or topic. A multi-genre paper is personal, creative,
and can’t be copied from some other source. It involves you, as a writer, making conscious decisions about
what information is important and how it should be presented to the reader.

Why use more than one genre?

There are ideas and perspectives that cannot be achieved through an expository paper. Consequently, when one
uses more than one genre, more of the research found can be shared. In addition, an MPG is more engaging and
requires a great degree of analytical thinking.

Getting Started:
Choose a topic
Select a topic/concept that interests you and that is a theme or idea that runs through at least 4 of the 5 novels or
plays we read this year, such as love, racism, betrayal, friendship, mental illness, etc. Then,
create an few essential questions to guide your research. Start with the essential question(s) you want to find an
answer for.
Examples:
 What is love? How do emotions affect your body and your health? How do emotions and love affect the
lives and health of the characters?
 What is friendship? How does friendship help or hinder a person in life? How does friendship help or
hurt the characters in the various novels?
 What is mental illness? Which types are the worst? Is there a pattern of mental illness in the stories?
 Is betrayal always a bad thing? When might it be good? Which characters dealt with betrayal and how
did it change them?
Create a thesis: Answer the questions as you research your ideas/themes/topics. This answer will become
your thesis for your whole multigenre paper.

Research your topic

You must cite at least nine sources; four of the seven sources will be the novels/plays we read together this year.
The other three will be nonfiction sources you used to complete the smaller written research report. You will
use both primary (the novels) and secondary sources. You will collect information and take notes using proper
MLA format on notecards and source cards for the smaller written research report. These items will be turned in
with the final copy of the project.

Create bibliography page:

Make sure that you do this step as you go. You are to keep detailed bibliography information for all sources. Please follow
MLA guidelines.

Choose genres
See list below:
 Choices and Genres

Nonfiction Poetry
 Newspaper article  Song lyrics
 Obituary  Free verse
 Editorial  Blank verse
 Advice Column  Sonnets
 Magazine Article  Lyric poems
 Application (job, school, etc)  NO HAIKUS
 Interview All poems must be a minimum of 30 lines and be
 Detailed Timeline professionally created and original to you.
 Speech
 Manual/ Direction Sheet Drama Pieces:
 Guide  Official Interview (1-2 pages minimum)
 Review  Skits (3-4 pages please)
 Calendar/Agenda  Movie script/partial movie script
 Manual  One Act Plays

Visual/Artistic Fiction
 Graph/Chart  Diary entry/Journal
 Map w/ legend  Poem/Song
 Storyboard  Short Story
 Collage  Personal narrative
 Magazine Cover  Script
 Advertisement  Eulogy
 Travel Brochure  letter
 Cartoon
 Response to art
 Flyer
 Picture/Photograph
Your multi-genre research paper should not be a haphazard collage of disjointed elements; you must connect the
genres and what they represent with a central, significant theme (a thesis). Your creative efforts MUST be
informed by solid research, including research about the genres themselves. When you choose a genre ask
yourself, “Why am I choosing it? What do I want to show through this genre?” Your purpose must be clear
and each genre should express a different piece of the whole puzzle, not repeat the same thing in a variety of
ways.

Using Repetend:
Repetend is something added to your multi-genre project that repeats or continues. It is similar to a motif in
literature. The purpose of repetend is to create unity among the various genre pieces and to give the writer an
editorial voice that the reader can easily relate to. Since multi-genre papers are unique and non-linear, they
require a lot of work from a reader. You, as a conscientious writer, do not want to let your reader get confused
as they move from genre to genre. If you provide your reader with reoccurring images or phrases, or a running
commentary or even a narrative or story, you will create unity that will help your reader better understand your
central theme. This is much like weaving your thesis throughout a traditional essay. You must find some way
to incorporate repetend in your project.

Your Multi-genre Project will include: See Rubric for all details
 Cover/Title Page
 Table of Contents
 A Preface/Introduction page (Dear Reader) that will greet the readers, introduce the subject, its
importance to you, your thesis, and provide any other information you think the readers should know.
 Genres/Categories: Expository research paper (2-3 pages) Poetry (4 from different categories),
Nonfiction (4), Fiction (4) , Visual (4) Drama (1)
 Reflections (6)
 Annotated Bibliography all of your sources.