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Adapting the Dummies schedule

The list below is an attempt to adapt the research schedule from the Research Papers for Dummies website to our Ashland schedule. (Personal note: This kind of project always drives me a little crazy because every semester ends with chaos. In the Fall, we have to navigate around Thanksgiving Break; in the Spring it’s Easter.)

I used the “Five-week plan” version, but I had some challenges, mainly because of Easter and because the library visit couldn’t be scheduled any earlier. Some of the in-class exercises do not quite fit because of calendar problems as well, and as I write this (March 19), I see that a few of the in-class exercises will need to move around a bit. I am assuming you will work through Sunday (sorry about that) but not through Easter Break. Probably home with family. Here goes:

  1. Selecting a topic (includes preliminary reading) — March 16 – 22
  2. Conducting research (finding and evaluating sources, note taking) — March 23 – April 1
  3. Creating a thesis statement, writing a topic sentence or formulating a hypothesis — April 2
  4. Designing the paper (choosing a structure, identifying subtopics, outlining) — April 7 & 8
  5. Writing first draft — April 9 – 19
  6. Writing final draft — April 20 – 23
  7. Making finishing touches (title page, bibliography, and so on)  — April 24.

Three more notes: The paper is actually due on Monday, April 27, so there is a tiny bit of slack in the schedule; as I look at all the due dates in the original assignment, I think they can stand, though some of them are an awkward match to this schedule (we still have to navigate around Easter, etc.); there is an Abstract due after the final due date. Don’t miss that!

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