Examples for the Research Paper

Dear Students, 

Here are a few examples of this kind of research paper you are doing.  I hope this will help you. 

You can find out more information from this website where I learned about this kind of research writing style.

 http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2512

Aaron's Story: The Invasion of Normandy

Some shining examples of quality research resulted. Perhaps the best paper came from Aaron, who not only chose to write about the invasion of Normandy, but also took an unusual slant by using a German soldier as his narrator. He explains,

I chose to take the viewpoint of a German soldier for this topic because I had never seen it done before; most of the time, when this topic is chosen, people chose to take the Allies' viewpoint. An Axis narrator seemed unique and offered a more challenging perspective to write from. I had to find facts that the German defenders would be concerned with, not facts that would have been significant to Allies alone.

His account begins when a German soldier intercepts portions of a radio broadcast of what he believes to be a speech by General Eisenhower rallying his troops for the upcoming battle.

The radio operator was saying "It sounds like they're planning an invasion. They aren't serious, are they?"

"It wouldn't matter if they were," said Rudolf, our battalion's staff sergeant. Of anyone in the 352nd Division, he was by far the most confident about the strength of the Atlantic Wall and its designer, Oberbefehlshaber Rundstred (author, page number).

"They'll never pass all the hedgehogs and tetrahedrons we've scattered around; they'll scuttle any ship that gets too close. And that big barbwire mound. They'd have to get past that! And if they did, well, they'd still have to get past those trenches outside, then up 30 meters up the cliffs. They don't stand a chance."

At that moment there came the muffled sound of an explosion in the distance; Rudolf fell silent. It came again, and again, closer and closer. A second later, the entire bunker was shuttering under the impact of what had to be a bomb. What was going on?

We made our way into the bomb shelter on level ground. My entire battalion was down there. We were trapped. We waited for hours while the bombs continued dropping. Akaim managed to get a radio working; we received reports that this was happening all along the Wall.

It had to be about five in the morning before we noticed the barrage had stopped. We were so relieved. About a half an hour after we had resurfaced Rudolf gave a sudden intake of breath. He handed me the binoculars and directed me towards the horizon. I dropped the specs over the side of the bunker out of shock.

There were ships.

The End

Bibliography

Source 1:...........

Source 2:..............

Aaron goes on to relate the eventual defeat of the German army. His narrative is loaded with facts that include the designer of the wall, the weaponry, the landscape, the German trench system along the beach, known as Widerstandnesters, and the time frame.

One specific fact Aaron uncovered really sticks out to me as an example of "stuffing" his account with detail that was accurately researched. He discovered that a pair of Ranger scouts disabled the artillery at Point du Hoc with thermite grenades that melted the mechanisms used to fire the guns, rendering them useless. As the narrator's situation deteriorates, this is how he relays this information:

The radio sounded off behind Akaim. As he checked it, his faced paled. "Point du Hoc has fallen," he said quietly. "The Americans sent their 1st Ranger's Division to take the Point."

"What happened?" cried Haans over the gunfire.

"Two scouts melted the firing mechanisms with thermites," said Akaim.

"We had received intelligence that the Rangers were planning something, so we moved the artillery back off the cliff. It didn't matter, though. The guns are useless, and the scouts have disappeared."

Zhiyun's Story: The Trail of Tears

Some students came upon intriguing and significant historical problems as they researched and developed their narratives. Zhiyun wrote about the Trail of Tears, the Indian removal that took place in the 1830s. One problem she encountered was that many of the first-hand accounts she found were very biased. She explains,

As I started to research, I realized that most of the first-hand accounts came from an American point that was severely slanted against the Indians. I realized that there were very few accounts from white men sympathetic to the Indians. Thus, my narrator was born. He was to be a soldier directly involved in the removals but with a pro-Cherokee point of view.

Here the narrator, who is awaiting his own hanging, explains to the audience his reasons for killing two American soldiers in an attempt to save an Indian family from a savage beating:

On our way there, I uncomfortably noticed the surrounding chaotic round-ups; screaming mothers begged troops to let them find their children while bayonets ruthlessly slashed and jabbed all unmercifully. That night I happened to encounter a pitiful Cherokee family of four being struck and prodded with bayonets by soldiers.

. . . . Around lunch time, Scott called for the troops to gather for an execution. An Indian attempted to escape with his family, but they were captured by pursuing troops; the Indian and his two sons were immediately sentenced to death. The nastiest surprise came when their fellow Cherokee were forcefully made to enlist in the firing squad. Some soldiers started to roar with laughter at this humiliation. I, however, was too petrified to even move. Helplessly, I watched as the Indians were executed one by one to the wailing and lamenting of their friends and family.

While the voice of the narrator is not as prominent in this example as in some of the other papers, the depth of research is clear. In addition to historical facts, Zhiyun found information that documented the human side of this tragedy. One of her sources described how an Indian was executed for trying to escape, and she used that incident as the catalyst that drove her narrator to a breaking point. She also learned that the soldiers used bayonets if the Cherokee did not follow orders.