Use the ten topics to review your peer’s research plan. Provide comments that will help
your classmate make revisions or improvements. Is there something missing? Is the
writing clear and free of errors? Does the overall plan make sense or does something
seem out of place or weak? Use the discussion board to ask your peer questions if you
have them.
1- Research Topic
2- Research Question.
3- Purpose of your Research Report
4- Choose a strategy/context to narrow your topic and determine your angle.
5- Tentative Thesis Statement. Identify your argument (This is an important step to
express your voice)
6- Provide a counterargument
7- Identify your audience
8- Relevance of the Research to you.
9- Types of research sources you will use in your Research Report
10- The documentation style that your peer has chosen to use (APA or MLA) and the
explanation of the reasons for their choice.
Hello. I have three research plans posted below that should be following the above
criteria. I would like to friendly direct simple very short sentence comment my
peer’s research plan with the above criteria. I would like about 90 words for each
comment for each research plan using the criteria above whether my peer has
followed all the steps required in the research plan. With Research Plan 1,
Research Plan 2, Research Plan 3, there should be a total of three comments with
all three comments totaling 1 page or 90 words for each comment totaling about
270 words total.
Research Plan 1:
The topic I have chosen is comparing species of wood for fire rescue
cribbing. Oftentimes, firefighters offer some form of technical rescue
as part of their response. This ranges from vehicle extrication to building
collapse stabilization. When we lift or stabilize heavy loads, we use short,
rectangular pieces of wood to build a platform under the load in case our
load shifts, the lifting device fails, or the collapse worsens. My thesis will
discuss the various species of wood and how they will affect use in the
field. This is a relevant topic to me because I belong to two different fire
departments, one that uses oak cribbing and one that uses pine. I am
trying to convince my volunteer fire department that we should switch
over to pine, so this research will be used. I have earned professional
certifications in the field including Vehicle and Heavy Machinery Rescue
Technician and have served as the operator and officer on my
department’s heavy rescue apparatus.
My research question will focus on pine and oak. Do the advantages of
pine cribbing make it a superior choice over oak cribbing even though
oak has more load bearing capacity? I find this to be a compelling
question because it is indisputable that oak has more of a load bearing
capacity, and as such would seem like the more logical choice given the
scenarios in which it is used. I had to narrow the topic down to oak and
pine to keep it within the limitations of this assignment. I could have
considered maple, ash, or other species of hardwood. Oak is probably
one of the most commonly used hardwood species aside from pine and
also is what my volunteer fire department has chosen to use. Pine, on the
other hand, is the industry standard and can be subdivided into two
categories, Douglas Fir and Southern Pine. I chose not to place any
preference on Douglas Fir or Southern Pine as they are generally about
the same for load bearing capabilities and use.
My thesis statement will be as follows. When choosing species of wood
for rescue cribbing, pine is the superior choice over oak due to it being
safer, more user friendly, and more widely available. I will make my
argument by describing how pine “bites” into the crossing members,
creating friction that prevents slipping, gives warning signs before
failure, is lighter to carry, and is widely available in local lumber yards. I
will consider my opponents making a counterargument by examining the
load bearing capacity and use by heavy rigging companies. As you can
see, the audience for this assignment will be members of my respective
fire departments, particularly the department that still carries oak
cribbing. These members will have a baseline understanding of load
stabilization and its use, so I do not need to explain the basic of its
construction or use.
The documents I will use to support my thesis will be the “US Army
Corps of Engineers Urban Search and Rescue Structures Specialist
Field Operating Guide, 7th Edition” and an article written by Billy Leach,
who is a recognized expert in heavy rescue. He is an appropriate source
due to his work in the field and his recognition by National and
International agencies for his contributions to the field. I may also
reference the preference of the larger specialty rescue teams in the area
including the Fire Department of New York and the Connecticut Urban
Search and Rescue Task Force 1. I will be presenting this topic in MLA
format as it is what I have come to prefer through my schooling and I
have a general understanding of citations, which is my biggest challenge.
Research Plan 2:
The effects of developing a morning routine
Can having a morning routine contribute to having success? A morning
routine is a daily list of activities to do before the day officially begins. From a
successful scientist and writer like Benjamin Franklin to a top CEO like Steve
Jobs, a morning ritual has been credited as a part of how they became
successful. There have been numerous videos, articles, and movies that show
how having a morning routine can help a person become more successful than
someone who does not. “While many of us are still in bed, these folks are
scoring daily victories to improve their health, careers, and personal lives
without sacrificing their sanity” (Vanderkam, 2).
The purpose of this report is to prove that starting each day intentionally,
can have a positive long term effect. When someone thinks of a celebrity or a
businessperson that they admire, if they ask them or research about them, they
will find that they all have a morning routine. Each person has the ability to set
their own routine according to their individual lifestyle and they will see the
difference. Science and studies have proven morning routines to be effective.
The strategy that I plan on using is to take a look at not only scientific
theories, but to study how successful people use their routines to help them
advance. Each morning routine is different, so to see the effect of a morning
routine, those with morning routines and those without a morning routine will
be analyzed. If all of the people with a morning routine prove to be more
productive and to get things accomplished with ease, it can prove how
developing a morning routine can be beneficial for anyone. My thesis statement
is that a morning routine can lead a person to develop habits that can lead them
to become more successful.
An argument that one may have is that since morning routines vary
greatly, how can it be proven to lead a person to success? The effect of a
morning routine is not something that can be easily proven through science
making it a controversial topic. My audience would be those in college but
preparing to enter the workforce. This audience has been chosen because they
need a way to transition into a different lifestyle which can be through a
morning routine.
This topic is relevant to me because when I started college the first time,
I was working full time and going to school. With a hectic schedule, it is easy to
get overwhelmed and stressed. I did not know any methods to relieve stress
while getting my tasks done. Now, I have a morning routine and I regret not
having one earlier. Since I wake up earlier as part of my morning routine, I can
either do school assignments or relaxing activities that keep me positive and
feeling accomplished throughout the day. On this topic, I have read various
articles online and in magazines. I will also be using two books that I have read
called “What most successful people do before breakfast” and “The miracle
Morning” to gather information on the above subject. I will be using MLA
format for this article because that is the format I am most comfortable with and
have used this far.
Works Cited
Elrod, Hal. The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed To
Transform Your Life… (Before 8AM), 2012 pp.1-3.
Vanderkam, Laura. What most successful people do before breakfast, 2012 pp-
15-18.
Research Plan 3:
My research topic will deal with the legalization of marijuana. As that I have never done any
type of illegal drugs and do not consume alcohol I feel that I can be open minded enough to let
the research and science let me make an informed argument. My inexperience with using drugs
would not sway me to the legalization of the drug but could lead me to want to keep the laws as
they are.
As we all know the subject of legalizing marijuana has been in the news quite a bit lately
and while some states have made it legal for medical reasons the real question would be should
we make it legal all together? As far as making a distinction between medical and recreational
use this could only compound the problems for those who must enforce the law by making
decisions out in the field as to possession of the substance. So the question for me will be straight
forward as “Should Marijuana be legalized?”
I think that by researching this topic and finding some facts about it would make not
only myself but those I want to work with in the future career of human resources be better
informed. If the research on the topic provides adequate information to support legalization then
I could possibly be more pro-active in supporting the law if it were to change. Education is not
only what we learn in a classroom setting but learning about topics that we may not know
nothing about outside a classroom setting.
As a tentative thesis statement I guess I would have to go with something along the lines
of “The legalization of marijuana would lead to higher addiction rates of young people in
America”. Overall I think that illegal drugs are illegal for a reason and if people everywhere in
America started to use it because they could then we would possibly see more addiction to the
drug. However, as with anything else, there is a want of something because it is new and
available such as the newest cell phone or online game but after time fad would fade away.
Of course not everyone would want to partake in consuming marijuana be it legal or not
so the counterargument would be just that. In simple terms we could say that “Addiction rates for
marijuana in young Americans may decline if marijuana was legal due to the ability to consume
it freely”. Knowing that most people are not growing their own and must purchase marijuana off
the streets could possibly mean that they are consuming their purchase quicker so as to use it
when it is fresh thus contributing to the addiction rates. The research may give us the answer.
My audience would be my children and their friends as that they are still both in high
school. Ever since grade school they have been told to say no to drugs and now as they are
getting older they see the news reports of marijuana being legalized in some states and not
others. Being an informed parent and helping your children make good choices in life is the
ultimate goal for me. I think that the world is constantly changing its view on many things and to
have an open mind means possibly changing your opinion on what we consider “normal”.
I hope to use journals, digital and even websites for my sources. While I would think that
there are plenty of arguments for both sides of the debate it really comes down to what resource I
find that gives me the credible facts that I am looking for. Since this is more of a recent argument
older in print sources may be biased on the illegal side of the argument but of course as a
researcher one must keep an open mind on both sides.
Lastly, I will use the MLA style of documentation. While it has been a while for me since
writing papers it was MLA that I had used the most when working on my associates degree and
feel that it would be appropriate in using for this assignment.
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