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Inquiry Report

inquiry report

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Bryan Dumais
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13 views

Inquiry Report

inquiry report

Uploaded by

Bryan Dumais
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Inquiry Report

For this assignment you will prepare and write an inquiry/research paper
(approximately 1,500 words in length, 5-6 pages typed, double-spaced, size
12 font). It must include the following:

o Focus on an important topic that interests self and emphasizes a


specific part about the topic

o Size up the topic and include important details, facts, ideas,


quotations, statistics, and other data
o Use primary and secondary sources that have been judged for their
accuracy, completeness, currency, and biases
o Cite sources and avoid plagiarism (use MLA style)
o Introduce the topic, get the reader’s attention, and present the thesis
statement
o Explain why the topic is important
o Arrange ideas so the reader can follow
o Include sources and a works-cited page and title page
o Conclude in a logical and interesting way, leaving the reader with
something to think about.

Many paper assignments call for you to establish a position and defend that
position with an effective argument. However, some assignments are not
argumentative, but rather, they are exploratory. Exploratory essays/Inquiry
Reports ask questions and gather information that may answer these
questions. However, the main point of the exploratory or inquiry essay is
not to find definite answers. The main point is to conduct inquiry into a
topic, gather information, and share that information with readers.

Introductions

The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three
important questions:

1. What is this?
2. Why am I reading it?
3. What do you want me to do?
You should answer these questions in an inquiry report by doing the
following:

1. Set the context – provide general information about the main idea,
explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and
the questions you will ask
2. State why the main idea is important – tell the reader why s/he should
care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and
educational essay people will want to read and act upon
3. State your research question – compose a question or two that clearly
communicate what you want to discover and why you are interested in
the topic. An overview of the types of sources you explored might
follow your research question.

Example: Identify a problem facing your School (institution, students,


faculty, staff) or the local area and conduct exploratory research to find out
as much as you can on the following:

 Causes of the problem and other contributing factors


 People/institutions involved in the situation: decision makers and
stakeholders
 Possible solutions to the problem.

You do not have to argue for a solution to the problem at this point. The
point of the exploratory essay is to ask an inquiry question and find out as
much as you can to try to answer your question. Then write about your
inquiry and findings.

More about Organizing:

Exploratory essays/Inquiry Reports are very different from argumentative


essays. In fact, an exploratory essay is likely different from any other essay
you’ve written. Instead of writing to convince an audience of the validity of
a thesis, you will be writing to find out about a problem and perhaps to form
some preliminary conclusions about how it might be solved.

But there is another aspect the exploratory genre that is equally important.
An exploratory essay is, in essence, a retrospective of your writing and
thinking process as you work through a problem. It describes when, how,
and why you completed certain types of research. This kind of writing is
about how you work through problems that require writing and research.
You will have to be introspective and think about your thinking process in
order for your essay to turn out well.

Very roughly, then, your exploratory essay may follow this sort of structure:
Introduction

The introduction should outline the problem you explored and why it’s
important. In addition, you should briefly discuss 1) some of the problem’s
possible causes; 2) the institutions and people involved with the problem; 3)
some of the possible solutions to the problem. A brief overview of the types
of sources you researched during your inquiry.

Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs should discuss the inquiry process you followed to


research your problem. These paragraphs should include the following:

1. Introduction of source (title, author, type of media, publisher,


publication date, etc.) and why you chose to use it in your exploration
2. Important information you found in the source regarding your
problem
3. Why the information is important and dependable in relation to the
problem
4. Some personal introspection on how the source helped you, allowed
you to think differently about the problem, or even fell short of your
expectations and led you in a new direction in your research, which
forms a transition into your next source.

Conclusion

The conclusion should restate the problem you explored, outline some of its
possible causes, review the institutions and people involved, and highlight
some possible solutions. If you still have any questions about the problem
(and it’s ok to have some), you will discuss them here. Talk about why you
think you still have questions regarding the problem you explored, where
you might look to answer these questions, and what other forms of research
you would have to do.

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