Kaileigh Kulp WRIT 101 - Aaron Boyers Research Paper – Writer’s Reflection

Have I met the criteria of a Research Paper?

I believe that I did meet the criteria of a Research Paper as I included a multitude of
sources of different types that added meaningfully to the conversation of my refined research
question. Additionally, I spent some time formulating a clear research question that was not
argumentative and effectively guided both my research and my overall paper discussion. I
found peer reviewed journal papers, newspapers, websites, studies, and direct quotes that
contributed to the microplastic conversation in meaningful ways and combined them so that
there was a conversation between texts throughout the paper. All of the sources I used were
also recent such that they reflect the current conversation of the topic in a meaningful way for
readers by offering insight as to how current events play a role in the microplastic problem.
Overall, I believe that I was able to effectively meet the criteria of a Research Paper and
meaningfully add to the conversation about microplastics.

Does my work remain unbiased and draw connections between the research throughout?
If not, where does your topic drift?
Throughout the entire paper, especially as this is a research paper, it was very important to
remain unbiased and not devolve into an argumentative conversation. I think that I was
effective in remaining unbiased as I did my best to not include words with either positive or
negative connotations that could potentially sway reader’s thinking. I included sources from a
wide range of viewpoints on both sides and facilitated a conversation between them.
Specifically, there were several sources that did not believe that microplastics have any health
impacts either at all or in their current concentrations within the environment. I was able to
use this opposing view point to open the discussion to an opposing view and show readers that
there is little consensus within the scientific community on the subject. Remaining unbiased
in a research paper is extremely important as it is the only way to present a balanced
discussion that is meaningful to readers.

Are my paragraphs logically organized and focused?

Each of my body paragraphs discussed a different aspect of the issue presented in the
discussion and each respective topic was defined explicitly by the topic sentence of each body
paragraph. Because I structured my paper in this way it was easy to keep it logically
organized such that each topic would flow into the next and each paragraph was highly
focused on one aspect of the discussion. I had several body paragraphs, and some examples of
the topics for each of them were, effects of microplastics on the human body, environmental
trends in microplastic pollution, potential implications for babies and children, possible
alternatives, and the debate of weather microplastics are impactful. I felt that it would be
important for readers to be exposed to several aspects of the issue so I targeted each of my
body paragraphs such that the overall paper was logically organized and easy to follow.

What was my greatest strength on this assignment?

My greatest strength on this assignment was the focus and emphasis on remaining
unbiased throughout. One of the largest criteria of a successful Research Paper is the ability
for it to remain consistently unbiased. I was very intentionally careful to remain completely
unbiased on the subject but still offer valuable resources for readers to develop their own
opinions.
What was my greatest weakness on this assignment?
My greatest weakness on this assignment was finding an order for my body paragraphs
that worked best. I tried to reorder them several times such that they flowed perfectly from one to
the next; however, I’m still unsure that I was able to strike a balance there perfectly. I did the
best I could to have transitions that tied topics together so it didn’t feel so disjointed, but I’m not
perfectly convinced that I was able to do so.