Multiple Visions of the Research Paper: How Compositionists and Librarians Understand, Represent, and Teach the Research Process

Abstract

This thesis project examines how composition and library science scholars understand, represent, and teach the research process. Librarians and instructors have been similarly affected by technology, so they must discover how students are currently writing and researching in order to improve instruction. While this similarity can encourage collaboration and communication between librarians and compositionists, differing opinions on the relationship between writing and knowing can lead to conflicts. With librarians focusing more on the research process and with compositionists focusing more on the writing assignment, it is not surprising that even in recent scholarship their view of the relationship between writing and knowing remains slightly different. An initial step toward creating effective instruction for students involves understanding their different views of writing and knowing in relation to the research paper.