Research Exercises

EXERSICE 1

This activity asks you to analyze a report that uses research to accomplish its purpose

Pick one of these reports to analyze:

Research_Clean Air_Exemplar

research_Inclusive Ed_Exempla (In the attachment)

Research_Substance Use_Exemplar (in the attachment)

Research_Traffic_Exemplar(in the attachment)

As you skim the report, focus on the research included in each section. As you do, answer the following questions:

What types of research do you see in the report? (Think back to Ch. 2 from Just Enough Research.)

Which sections have the most research? Why do you suppose that is?

Please submit your analysis here as a Word document

Exersice 2

The goal of this exercise is for you to now write and frame the problem that you have decided on that affects the local community.

Define the problem (Background)

Identify who the problem is happening to (

)

Putting the problem in context by explaining its scope will require multiple paragraphs and the problem statement in your report should consist of multiple pages. Before writing your problem statement, go back and re-read the guide on developing a solvable problem then do the following things:

Background Information

Write about the issue and its background. You accomplish this goal by searching for sources that connect to your audience and what they would find relevant. This section involves finding sources that speak to your particular issue in a broader sense so that you can validate that the issue is real.

You need to explain, in writing, what the audience needs to know in order to understand why this problem is real because the background information describes the context of the problem. Recall there many circumstances should comprise the context of the background so write more rather than less.

Local Context/Issue

Next, write about the problem locally. Do this by describing the problem in as much detail as you can. Make sure you answer, “What is happening here?”

Write about how the problem translates into a local context from a broader one in the section before this one.

Causes of the Problem

Now describe the causes of the problem by writing in detail the factors that contribute to the problem’s occurrence.

Also address why the problem is happening in the first place.

Impacted Population

RESEARCH SUMMARY
PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS
Percentage Weight of Final Grade: 15-20%
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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Engage with a problem-based scenario similar to those found in the workplace
Apply research skills appropriate for addressing a specific problem
Integrate research into a project deliverable
Practice professional and technical writing and editing skills
Practice writing for a specific purpose and audience
Produce a specific genre of professional discourse (informational report)
RESEARCH IN THE WORKPLACE
Research in the workplace solves a problem. Tasked with a problem in the workplace, you may
be asked to gather the information necessary to fully understand the issue at hand, solve that
problem (or offer potential solutions), prove that your solutions are viable, and/or test your
solution(s).
Because research in the workplace focuses on addressing specific problems or issues, finding the
information you need may be a mixture of different avenues. Often, this research will need to go
beyond simply querying a library database or using Google. You often will need to speak
directly to target populations and audiences, and directly contact resources and experts in
different professions and in the community. You also may need information in addition to or
instead of scholarly resources. Local and national journalism may add context and perspective.
Professional experts, government agencies, state, and local authorities all may be relevant
sources. Additionally, asking your individuals in target populations directly, for example through
a survey, can also be a valuable source of information. Essentially, research in the workplace
requires you to think critically and creatively about
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The type of information you need; and
The best way to get that information.
Your job as a researcher is to address, explain, and/or solve a problem using the most relevant
and applicable methods and resources. If a resource can supply information you need, then it is
the right resource for the job.
It’s also important when thinking about a problem you’re researching to keep in mind that you
probably aren’t the first person or organization to deal with this issue. Look at other
organizations, groups, or communities negotiating the same or similar issue. Research how those
groups describe and deal with the problem. The perspective of experience is invaluable to your
work.
ASSIGNMENT
This project asks you to do workplace research into a local problem impacting USF or the
surrounding community. Your goal for this project is to describe a local problem in detail using
as much information as you can gather from as many different sources as are useful. That means
you are looking at research gathered by others (e.g., government agencies, non-profit
organizations, professional and academic experts, as well as local sources from USF or the
immediate community), but also you will gather your own data by asking impacted population
for their perspective by creating a survey.
You will produce a memo that reports your findings, giving readers a robust understanding of the
local problem you have researched.
To complete this project, you will choose a local problem occurring at USF or in the
community. You can select a problem from the list below or pick your own problem of a similar
nature.
Sample Problems: [Instructors: You can supply the topics relevant to your course]
ENC 2210
• Mental health on campus
• Campus safety
• Impact of COVID on student performance
ENC 3246
• Technology use and its impact on campus safety
• Sustainability efforts on campus or local community
• Student data use for mandated systems (Canvas, Turnitin, USF Writes)
Once you have selected a problem, you will research the problem, to include the following
topics:
• Background information: Put the problem in context. What does the audience need to
know to understand why the problem is a problem?
• Explanation of the problem at USF/In the local community: Describe the local
problem in detail. What is happening here?
• Causes of the problem: Describe the factors contributing to the problem’s occurrence.
Why is the problem happening?
• Impacted Population: Describe the people most directly impacted by the problem. Who
is the problem happening to? Be specific. Target a local population that could benefit
from intervention.
To conduct your research, you may wish to use any of the following methods and resources, or
anything else that helps you explain the scope of your problem:
• Newspapers (local, university, national)
• Reports from government agencies, universities, and/or NGOs
• Scholarly research
• Facts and statistics compiled by government agencies and/or NGOs or USF
• Interviews with experts and/or impacted individuals
• Surveys (social media makes doing surveys easy)
DELIVERABLES
Major Deliverable [Instructors: Please see revised instructions on citations below. Students
should understand that the audience determines the appropriate style.]
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A report in memo format that describes your problem in detail using all the research you
have conducted. The memo should be 3-5pp long and have the following section
headings:
o The citation style you choose should be based on the needs and expectations of
your audience. You may want to get some ideas by looking around online to see
how citations were handled in reports on similar topics. But your audience should
determine what citation style you select.
o Be sure to offer consistent usage of citations throughout the report
o Include data from an original survey that you create
Your memo should have the following section headings:
• Background Information
• Explanation of the Problem at USF/In the Local Community
• Causes of the Problem
• Impacted Population
• Citations (footnotes, endnotes, hyperlinks, etc.)
Supplemental deliverables
• Research Plan: A memo that identifies the problem you have selected and your plans for
researching it, including research methods and potential sources for each required topic
listed above.
• Research Progress Report: An update that describes a) the research you’ve done to date;
b) which topics that research applies to; c) what you have left to do before completing a
draft