Writing a Research Paper with a Digital Component

Grade 8-12 students will find curated lists with information on how to effectively select a topic, investigate credibility of sources, properly cite references, and make a brief digital presentation to synthesize what they learned and share it with peers. This curation was created to scaffold the learning process of information seeking for a research paper in grades 8-12. This grade level and age group are targeted, because studies on this population have found 1) there is a gap in the information search process where students extend from researching/exploring a topic to formulating a focus for a paper/project (Kulthau, 1991), and 2) students may need help determining source credibility and relevancy to overcome that hurdle (Cole, et al., 2017). This curation is an attempt at bridging gaps by providing resources for students along their search process. This curation also gives options for adding a transmedia component of the research paper to provide the opportunity for students to interact with new digital tools and ways of presenting their gathered information. Learning objectives: After using this guide and its content, students will aim to have: • explored their interests/passions to develop a topic of interest for research • formulated a thesis-based and focused research topic • critically evaluated resources and information to determine credibility and examine bias • engaged with digitally-rich learning tools to enhance creativity and allow for authentic student voice