About this week

This is the final week of Unit 2 and the week when you will complete a full draft of your Social Science Research Report (SSRR). Last week you drafted the first portion of the SSRR: the introduction and methods sections; this week you will add the results, discussion, and references sections. Once again, because this week is focused on writing, the readings are lighter than usual; take advantage of this and focus your efforts on composing these final sections of your SSRR. To help you prepare the full draft of your SSRR, you will also return to the issue of sentence-level editing and revision—as you did at the end of Unit 1. After you have a complete draft of the SSRR, apply these strategies so that your sentences are working as hard as the rest of the report.

Learning Objectives:

• Review and apply the structure of the Social Science Research Report
• Learn about and apply editing and proofreading strategies, paying particular attention to genre, audience, and purpose

Task List:

1. Consume this week’s required readings and media
2. Low-Stakes Assignment #6: Reflecting on Genre, Audience, and Purpose
3. Submit Project #2: The Social Science Research Report

Required Readings

Genre: This source discusses the role of genre in academic writing; as you review it, keep in mind the genre in which you are currently writing. The SSRR is a genre in and of itself and as such, has a particular format (intro, methods, etc.), requires a specific kind of language use (brief, direct sentences and clear, focused paragraphs), and has a specific set of audience expectations. For example, it is understood that you are writing for an audience of Social Scientists who expect you to adhere to the conventions of their discipline; you are expected to situate your study within an academic conversation, lay out your precise methods and results, offer a focused discussion of the implications of those results, and document (in APA format) all of your primary and secondary sources.    

SSRR: Results and SSRR: Discussion: These sources provide a detailed review of how to construct the results and discussion sections of your Social Science Research Report (SSRR). Remember, though, since your SSRR is based on a very limited study, these sections of your report will be shorter and simpler versions of what you read about here.

Diving Deeper

Sample-Project-2 (Word document) (31KB)DownloadSample-Project-2 (PDF)Download

• Sample SSRR: Refer back to the Sample SSRR to get a general sense of what your results and methods sections should look like.
• Editing for Style: In addition to editing your work for basic errors, you should also edit it with style in mind. For a project like the one you are writing now, your prose should be clear and direct, use active voice, avoid long sentences, avoid complex phrases, and avoid excessive “to be” verbs. This resource can help you edit for all these items.
• Editing and Proofreading Strategies: Remembering Your Audience and Purpose: This source not only offers you a variety of ways you might proofread and edit your work, but it also reminds you that you need to remember the needs and expectations of your audience when editing, proofreading, and revising.
• Remember that  you can get assistance with your writing! See the Tutoring link on the left navigation menu.

LSA 6: Reflecting on Genre, Audience, and Purpose

ENG-101-LSA-6 (129KB)Download

Now that you have completed a full draft of your Social Science Research Report, consider what writing in this particular genre has taught you about writing in general and how you might apply these insights to future writing assignments.

See the assignment sheet, LSA-6, above for the full assignment instructions. Due by Sunday, 11:59pm. 

Submit Project 2: The Social Science Research Report