An Introduction to WAC

Excellent Goals for Assigning Research Papers

Most university professors agree that research-based writing in college classes can and should meet these goals:

• foster critical thinking about raw data and other people's conclusions,
• give students an opportunity to work independently on a large project,
• mimic behaviors that students must know if they pursue advanced academic degrees,
• mimic behaviors that students will draw on in other aspects of their lives (examples range from buying cars to management decisions), and
• familiarize students with major journals, research methodologies, and writing conventions of their major fields.