PROJECT 3: RESEARCH BRIEF

Due by class time on 4/6

For Project 3, you will create a research brief to learn more about a topic, inform others it, and provide a list of annotated sources with which they can follow up. 

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A "research brief" can mean many things, so be beware of Googling the term for examples, as what shows up may not be helpful. For this assignment, we’re using the most basic definition of the genre, adapted from Wikipedia:

“An authoritative report that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and briefly presents the writer’s perspective on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue.”

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Below, I have expanded on several important aspects of this definition that give you crucial rhetorical information about what to do in this assignment:

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• Authoritative: This means that you’ve done research on this issue, problem, or question. When discussing this issue, you know what you’re talking about. You’ve done your homework so you have enough situated ethos, or authority, to present the problem accurately and fairly to your readers.

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• Report: This is not an argument paper. This is not a paper arguing for or against something, or proposing the best solution. It is a researched report on the current state of the research on your issue, question or problem. It reports on relevant research and the perspectives of relevant stakeholders.

• Informs: The purpose of a research brief is to inform (not to persuade). Your purpose in writing this paper is to help your readers understand the issue, problem or question you’ve selected to focus on so that they themselves can consider solutions or make decisions about it. (Or make a game about it!)

• Concisely: Research briefs are short for a reason. They assume that readers cannot and will not take a lot of time to read lengthy, technical, or overly-detailed reports. You only have a few pages to inform your readers of everything you know and discovered about this issue through your research.

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• Complex issue: The challenge of a research brief is to convey to your readers, in very few pages, the complexity of the issue, question or problem you’ve focused on. There are no easy answers or obvious solutions to your issue; if there were, it would already be figured out. Most issues are “wicked” problems, which means that they are so difficult and complex that they are nearly impossible to solve, or a “good” solution ends up creating more and different problems. Don’t oversimplify your issue for your readers. They can’t think about viable ways forward if they don’t appreciate its complexity. (To our ends, these complexities will add richness to our games.)​

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Directions

Choose a topic that truly interests you that you haven't already developed a strong opinion about. Remember, you aren't out to "prove" anything, but report on and summarize the information available. Easy answers are dead ends.

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Research the topic, using a rhetorically sound mix of popular and scholarly sources (and you may need to justify this choice). Citations should follow MLA or APA formatting.

Compose a report that provides an overview of the topic, clear evidence of the conversation between leading experts, and a few potentially fruitful avenues for further research. 

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Annotate the most important sources in an addendum to the main text of the report. Briefly describe these sources: summarize the main idea or argument, how is the author someone we should believe, where does the source lie in the topic's information cycle? This section is mean to be helpful to someone beginning to research this topic -- think about what you would've found helpful to know!

Present your work to the class. On your scheduled day, you will distribute your research brief and present your work to the class. Presentations should be very concise, around 3 minutes.

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Writing the Research Brief:

Audience: 

You need to identify, define, and know your readers. Be clear about who you want to reach

with your white paper. The smaller, more narrow and more specific your audience, the

better—the easier it will be to write for them.

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Format and Design: 

Make your report look official and authoritative rather than like a school assignment. It

needs an informative title, along with your name, the date it was created (finalized),

and your institutional affiliation (the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee).

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Sections and headings:

1. Introduction: one 250-500 word paragraph describing and setting up the problem,

issue or question for your readers.

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2. Background: one 250-500 word paragraph giving readers background information

about the problem, issue or question.

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3. 2-4 thematic/topical sections with titles as headings: Organize your report of research

thematically or by sub-topics. Each of these sections can be one to three

paragraphs long. Each should clearly reference and accurately summarize the relevant

research. Each section should have a title/heading. These sections should not be organized around individual sources.

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4. Discussion:one 250-500 word paragraph explaining to readers the key take-aways

from the research. This is where your own informed views on the issue are conveyed to

readers.

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5. Annotated Bibliography: The brief should conclude with a complete and accurate list of your sources (use MLA or APA, please) that includes a brief description of the source that speaks to its main ideas, its target audience, its rhetor(s) (a discussion of ethos, for instance), and why a reader of your paper might want to check it out.

Source requirements:

2 academic sources  -- scholarly articles, books, etc

2 "professional" sources -- works produced by those in industries related to your topic

2 popular sources -- other "reporting" sources (newspapers, magazine, blogs, etc)

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Deliverables:

1200-1500 word Research Brief

An annotated bibliography

~3 minute presentation on Brief in class on assigned day

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Time Commitment: ~10 hours

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(Optional) Additional Labor Toward an 'A' Contract:

~2000 word Research Brief (Number of sections can remain the same or be expanded as need be)

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An annotated bibliography

~3 minute presentation on Brief in class on assigned day w/ PowerPoint or printed handout that incorporates main ideas, some relevant images/figures, and gives some direction for a game that could be made for project 4

Sources requirements:

4 academic sources

4 "professional" sources

2 (at least) popular sources

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Due on April 6 @ 9:00 AM; presentation due on assigned day (4/6 or 4/8)