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HowtoWriteaResearchPaperonArchitecture
TipsandHintsfromGrayRead

1. WhatisaResearchPaper?

2. HowToPickaTopic

3. HowtoDoLibraryResearchandNarrowyourTopic

4. Analysis

5. DevelopingaThesis

6. OrganizingyourIdeasandOutliningyourPaper

7. Writing

1.WhatIsaResearchPaper?

1.BigQuestionsandSmallerOnes.Aresearchpaperisanintellectualcontributiontoyour
professionthatiswrittenforyourpeers.Itidentifiesacurrentquestionofinteresttotheprofession
(TheBigQuestion)andseekstoclarifythequestionoranswersomepartofitbasedonan
investigationofpastevents.AsmallresearchpapercannotansweraBigQuestionsbutcananswer
smallwelldefinedquestionswithintheBigOne.Eachanswertoasmallwelldirectedquestionhelps
ustounderstandandeventuallyaddresstheBigQuestionsofourprofession.SoidentifyaBig
Questionthatinterestsyouthenrefineit,lookingforasmallerquestionthatyoucanansweronthe
basisofyouranalysisofatopic.Thisprocessoffocusingfromabigissuetosmallerissueswithinit
maytakeseveralstages.Ultimatelyyouarelookingforaverysmallquestionthatmayhavebig
implications.
2.Topics.Apaperneedsatopic:somespecificpasteventorpersonorbuildingormovementthat
youthinkwillhelpyouapproachtheBigQuestion.Sometimesyoustartwithaquestionandgo
lookingforatopic.Sometimesyoustartwithatopicandgolookingforaquestion.Oftenyoustart
withavagueideaofboththenfocustheminrelationtoeachother.
ForExample:Ifyouareinterestedinhowthedesignofabuildingcanhelptorevitalizethe
city(BigQuestion),youmightchooseabuildingthatyouconsidersuccessful(topic)and
analyzeittryingtounderstandspecificallywhataspectsofthedesignmakeitwork(small
question).Yourgoalistorevealtheunderlyingideasofthedesignsoyouandothersmayuse
someofthosestrategiesinyourowndesignwork(thesis).Thegoalofthepaperistoshare
thoseinsightswithyourpeerssothefieldasawholewilllearnhowtodesignbetter.
3.Doability.AsyourefineyourtopicandsearchforasmallquestionwithintheBigQuestion,look
foronethatisanswerablethroughresearchandanalysisWecanneverknowwhatgoesoninthe
mindsofotherpeople(architectsorotherwise).Weonlyknowwhattheydid.Whenyoupicka
topic,besurethatyouwillhavetheresourcesyouneedtodoresearch.Makealistofrelevant
bibliographicreferences.Ifyouwanttoanalyzeabuilding,findoutifdrawings,photographsorother
resourcesareavailable.
4.Research.Apaperisbasedonresearchthatusuallyincludesreadingwhatotherpeoplehave
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writtenthenanalyzingabuildingoranideayourself.Beproudofyourfootnotes.They
acknowledgeyourpredecessorsandshowhowyourworkfitsintothelargerfield.Footnotesarethe
markofanintelligentessay.
5.Analysis.Apapercontainsyouranalysisofsomeaspectofyourresearch.Simplyreportingwhat
youhavereadisnotaresearchpaper.Thisanalysisshouldbedirectedtowardtheanswerofsome
smallquestionwithintheBigQuestion.Oftenyoustartwithavagueideaofthetypeofanalysisyou
wanttodoandavagueideaofthequestionyouwanttoask,andthenrefinethembothinrelationto
eachother.
ForExample:Youareinterestedinhowtodesignforthetropics(BigQuestion).Soyoudo
somegeneralresearchonstrategiesfortropicaldesignandfindoutthatairflowmakesaspace
feelcooler.YoudecidetolookatindigenousdwellingsoftheTequestaofSouthFlorida
(topic).Youfindsomedrawingsofahouseinabook.Youapplyyourknowledgefromthe
generalresearchandaskwhethertheformofthehouseinducesairflowthatwouldcoolthe
space(smallquestion).Youredrawthebuildingonthecomputerandmodelhowairwould
flowthroughit(analysis)basedonotherstudiesyouhavefound(research).Fromyour
analysisyoubelievethattheformofthehouseinducesairflow(thesis)andyoudemonstrate
thatitdoesthroughyouranalysis.Thenyousuggestthatthisformmightbeadaptedto
contemporarydesigninFlorida(arguingbacktoBigQuestion).
5.Thesis.Apapershouldhaveathesis.Athesisisaproposedanswertothesmallquestionwithin
theBigQuestion.Athesisisanideaorproposalthatistestedbytheanalysisofspecificexamples
withinyourtopic.
ForExample:ApapermightproposethatthesheetmetaltechniquesthatFrankGehry
learnedintradeschoolaffecthisdesign(thesis).Thenthepaperwouldexplainexactlywhat
thosetechniqueswere,basedonresearch,andselectoneortwoofGehrysbuildingsfor
analysis.Theanalysiswouldshowclearparallelsbetweenthesheetmetaltechniquesandthe
designofthebuildings.Theexamplesshouldtrulytesttheproposal,eliminatealternate
explanationsanddemonstratethattheproposaliseithertrueorfalse.Thegoalofthisessayis
toshowthatmaterialtechniqueshaveasignificantimpactevenondesignthatisconsidered
abstract.
6.Sometimesapaperwilltakeanacceptedtruthandquestionitsvalidity,againusingspecific
examplestomakethecase
ForExample:SomepeoplebelievethatLeCorbusierisarationalist.Basedonyourgeneral
knowledge,youarenotsosure.Yourresearchmayturnupevidencethatsomeofhis
decisionswerenotbasedonrationalanalysisbutonsuperstitionorchance.Youarguethatthe
acceptedbeliefisnottrueusingthespecificexamplesthatyouhavefound.Thegoalofthis
paperistocorrectamistakenassumptionandtonarrowthehistoricalsupportforRationalism.
Ihopeyouseeapatternhere.Researchpaperstestideasbyexaminingspecificexamples.Theyare
writtentoadvancetheunderstandingofthefield,notjustthepersonwritingthem.

Resources:
TheLearningCentercanhelpyouthroughthisprocessstepbystep.TheyareinPC247,3482180.
Booksthatmayhelp:
Barnet,SylvanandHugoBedauCriticalThinking,ReadingandWriting:aBriefGuideto
Argument3rded.Boston:Bedford/St.Martins,1999.Thisisabasicguidetowritingapaper
Barnet,SylvanABriefGuidetoWritingaboutArtBoston:Bedford/St.Martins,1999This
onedescribesseveralmethodsofanalysiscommoninArtHistoricalstudies
Williams,JosephStyle:TenLessonsinClarityandGraceNY:AddisonWesleyLongman,
2000.Thisonehelpsyoutoimproveyourwritingstylebyrevisingyourdrafts.

2.HowtoPickaTopic

1.IfyoustartwithaBigQuestion,thenpickingatopicrequiressomegeneralresearchtoscopeout
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possibilities.Youarelookingforsomespecificperson,buildingoreventthatwasengagedwith
someaspectofyourBigQuestion.Intheprocessoflookingforatopicyouwillhavetodefineand
narrowyourquestion.OftenatopicwillsuggestaspectsoftheBigQuestionthatyouhadnt
consideredbefore.Thisisgood.Youarelookingforatopicthatwillhelpyoutofindasmall
questionthatyoucananswer.
ForExample:Ifyouareinterestedinhowtomakecitiesbetter.Youmaychooseacitythat
youthinkisnice,likeParis.ThenyoureadanEncyclopediaarticleonParisandfindoutthat
BaronvonHaussmannradicallyrenovatedParisinthe19thcentury.Soyoureadmoreabout
HaussmannandfindoutthatHaussmannmadeParismoreenjoyableforfolkswithmoneybut
displacedmanypoorpeoplefromtheirhomes.Soyouchangeyourquestion:Howtomake
citiesbetterforpoorpeople.Thenmaybe19thcenturyParisisnotsuchagoodexample.So
yougolookingforacitythatplannedforpoorpeople.SeveralSouthAmericancitiesare
seriouslyconsideringhowtodesignforbarrios.Pickoneofthem.Thisisthefirststeptoward
refiningyourBigQuestiontoasmallquestionandrefiningyourtopictoaddressyour
question.

2.TalktopeopleandusegeneralreferencebookssuchasEncyclopediastogetageneralideaofthe
factsofatopicbeforeyoucommityourselfcompletely.

3.Besurethatyoucanfindinformationonyourtopic.Scopeoutsourcesbeforeyoucommit
yourselftoalongtermresearch.Manypromisingtopicsaresimplyinaccessibleinthetimegivenand
withtheresourcesthatwehave.

LetssayyoustartwithaTopic.Thenyoumustseekthequestion

4.Dosomepreliminaryresearchonyourtopicandscopeoutwhatyoumightlearn.
ForExample:Ifyouwereassignedthetopicof19thcenturyurbandesigninParisthenyou
wouldfindoutthatHaussmanndesignedboulevards.Youmaybemoreinterestedin
architecturethanstreetdesign,soyoumightaskhowarchitectureisaffectedbystreetdesign.
ThisquestionmightthenleadyoutolookatHaussmannsinstructionstoarchitectswho
designedalonghisboulevards.(Checktoseewhetherthatinformationisavailable)

5.Thisbackandforthreasoningbetweenquestionandtopicshouldhelpyoutofocusboth.

3.HowtodoResearchandNarrowyourTopic

1.Therearemanydifferentkindsofresearch:experimental,historical,visual,imaginary.Even
dreamingcanberesearch.Wedoresearchtofindoutaboutsomethingandweoftenneedtoinvent
waystofindoutwhatwewanttoknow.Architectsarealwaysengagedinresearch.Wemightmake
amockupofadetailinordertotesthowitworksorhowitlooks.Wemightaskhowotherpeople
havedoneadetailbefore,orhowtheyhaveusedamaterialorusedaform.StevenHolldoes
experimentswithmaterialsdirectlytobetterunderstandtheirproperties.

2.IfyoubeginwithaBigQuestion(somethingyouwanttofindout),youwillhavetodecidewhatis
thebestwaytogoaboutansweringitoransweringapartofit.Youshoulddesignyourresearchtobe
botheffectiveanddoable.

3.InArchitecture,weoftenrelyontwotypesofresearch:researchinbooksandvisualanalysis.We
readwhatotherpeople(generallyarchitecturalhistorians)havewrittenaboutbuildingsthenwelook
attheplansandphotosourselves.

LibraryResearch
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Oftenthemostaccessiblewayforustofindoutaboutthingsistoseeifanyoneelsehasaskedthe
questionsbeforeandwhethertheirresearchisavailabletous.Isitpublished?Thistakesustothe
library.Funnyhowoftenwewindupthere.
Tips:
1.Startwithgeneralresources:Encyclopedias,eventheInternet.(RememberthattheInternetisan
unregulatedresourcesothematerialyoufindthereisnotnecessarilyreliable.TheInternetisalso
verylimitedneverstopthere).Itiseasiertolookuptopicsthanquestionssoyouoftenhavetoskim
throughafairamountofmaterialtofindoutifitisrelevanttoyourquestion.Whenyouhavesettled
onatopicusethelibrarycatalogtofindbooks.Youoftenhavetoseekoutanumberofdifferent
booksandarticlestogetacompletepictureofhowyourtopicrelatestoyourquestion.

2.Afteryourpreliminaryresearch,whenyousearchforbothbooksandjournalarticles,usea
broaderdatabasethanourFIULibraryCatalog.IrecommendEurekaRLG(ResearchLibraries
Group).YougettherefromtheLibraryHomePagebyclickingonSubjectsthenon
Architecturethiswilltakeyoutoalistofthedatabasesthataremostrelevanttoarchitectural
research.ClickonEureka.WhenitloadsyouwillbeabletosearchthemainRLGdatabaseof
books.Ifyouarelookingforjournalarticles,clickonChangeFilesthenonAveryIndex.
ThisisthemostcomprehensivecatalogofjournalarticlesrelatedtoArchitecture.Thendoyour
searchasusual.

3.Bibliography.Keeptrackofit.Getreferencesfromfootnotesofarticlesyouread
Whenyoufindabookonyourtopicthatisusefultoyou,lookuptheotherbooksthattheauthorhas
written.Theymayalsobeinteresting.Somecomputerprogramsaredesignedtokeepbibliography
andfootnotesinproperform:Endnote,Prociteetc.

4.Takenotes.Keeptrackofyourresearch.Alwayswritedownthecitation:theauthor,nameof
bookorarticle,NameofJournal,Date,Publisher,andthepagenumbersofimportantpoints.The
LearningCenterhastipsonTakingNotes

5.DonthesitatetousetheInterlibraryLoanservice.Itmaytakeacoupleofweekstogeta
bookbutitsoftenworththewait.FromtheLibraryHomePage,clickonFormsthengoto
InterlibraryLoanDisplayForms

6.HowtoAvoidwastingtimereadingtoomuchirrelevantstuff:Readabstractsofarticles.Read
prefaces,introductions,TablesofContentsandscanfootnotesofbookstoseeiftheyapplytoyour
topic.Readreviewsofbooks

NarrowingYourTopic
Bynowyouhavetoomuchinformation.Youneedtofocusbothyourquestion(fromBigtosmall)
andyouneedtofocusyourtopic.Hereareafewthingstotry:Youmayhavetodothisacoupleof
timesbeforeyouarriveatatopicandaquestionthataremanageable.
1.Takenotesasyouread.Keepthebigquestioninyourmindandmakenoteswhenyouyour
readingorbuildinganalysisgivesyouaninsight.Asyougetaclearerideaofhowyourtopicrelates
tothebigquestion,youcanfocusyourresearch.Asyoustarttohavemoreinsightsintothetopic,
youcanformulatemoreprecisequestions.Takenotesonyourownthoughtsonthetopicandthe
questionsisraisesinyourmind.
2.Pickanexamplethatseemstorepresentalargergrouporanideaandanalyzeitintermsofyour
question.Refinebothasyouproceed.

Sometimesbringingininformationfromoutsideyourtopicwillgiveyouanewpointofviewsoyou
canseethingsfromanewangle.
3.Comparetwoexamplesfromopposingcamps.Picktwoexamplesthatseemtorepresenttwo
opposingideas.Whatdotheyhaveincommon?Howaretheydifferent?Refineyourquestionsand
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thesesasyouproceed.
4.Takeawrittenideaandabuildingandanalyzethebuildingintermsoftheidea.Ipicturethe
ideaasanarrowthatcanpiercethroughacomplexthinglikeabuildingandmakeacleanhole.
ForExample:FrankLloydWrightwroteseveralbooksandbuilthundredsofbuildings.
Chooseoneideafromonetextthatseemsrelatedtoyourquestionandabuildingthathewas
workingonatthesametimeandaskiftheideainthetextappearsinthedesignofthe
building.
Takeawrittenideafromelsewhereandaskifitfitsthecaseathand.
ForExample:ManyhistorianshavedescribedPicassosuseofcollage.Aresomeofthose
ideasapplicabletoLeCorbusierswork?
5.Focus.Whenthenumberofpointsyouaretryingtomakebecomesunmanageableorthedetails
becomeoverwhelming,trytozeroinonthemostsignificantpoint.Spendyourtimeanalyzingone
aspectofsomethingintermsofthewholeratherthantryingtoanalyzeeverything.
6.Refineyourquestion.Sometimesyourquestionisbiggerthananyexamplecananswer.Focus
yourquestion
ForExample:IfyouareinterestedinhowEskimocultureaffectstheirbuildingsandyouare
analyzinganigloo,youmayfindthattheformhasimplicationsfor:socialrelationships,
cookingmethods,communications,dress,games,sexualmores,etc.Itstoomuch.Focus
ononeaspectlikecookingorgamesandfindoutallyoucanaboutit.
7.Justpickone.Ifyoucomeupwithawholearrayofideasthatistoomuch,justpickoneand
consideritcarefullyintermsofyourBigQuestion.Seeifitpresentsanyopportunitiesforasmall
question.

4.Analysis

Everyacademicfieldhasdevelopeddifferentkindsofanalysistohelpthemanswerthequestionsthat
theyask.TheseincludeStatisticalanalysis,Logicalanalysis,Textualanalysis,Historicalanalysis,
Financialanalysis,andasmanyothersasyoucanimagineorinvent.Architecturedrawsonmanyof
theseforvariouspurposesbuttheoneswenormallyrelyonforresearchpapersarethefollowing:

1.VisualAnalysis.Thisisusuallythebestpartofyourresearch.Lookattheplansandphotographs
ofabuildingandtrytopictureitinthreedimensions.Thenuseyourknowledgeasadesignerandask
questions.Howdoesthespacefeel?Doesitworkasthearchitectintended?Whatisthespatial
sequence?Howdoesapersonmovefromonespacetoanother?Howdoesitfitthesite?Whatare
theviewsfromoneplacetoanother?Howdoesthestructurework?Howdoesitworkinthelocal
climate?Howdoesitworkinthecity?Thequestionsareendless.Theyarethesameonesyouask
yourselfwhenyouaredesigning.Writedownyourobservations.Theyarevaluable.Hopefullyone
ofthemwillresonatewithyourBigQuestionandthiswillbecomeyoursmallquestion.

2.TextualAnalysis.Thisisclosereadingoftext.Whatdothewordsmean?Whatdoestheauthor
mean?Wheredidtheseideascomefrom?Whataretheimplicationsoftheideasexpressed?Often
understandingwhatanauthorissayingrequiresreadingbeyondthetextathand.Whatelsehasthe
authorwritten?Istheauthorrespondingtootherpeopleorideas?Whatarehisorherreferences?

3.HistoricalAnalysis.Thisrequiresresearchintothehistoricalcircumstancessurroundingaperson
orbuildingorevent.Whatwasgoingonatthetime?Whatwerethedominantissuesoftheday,both
politicalandphilosophical?Whatideasandcircumstanceswastheauthororarchitectaddressing?
Whowastheaudience?Youmightalsoaskwhatweretheprecedentsofanidea.Wheredoesanidea
comefrom?

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4.Sometimesaquestionyoumighttrytwokindsofanalysisinordertofocusthequestion.
ForExample:YouareinterestedinhowDeconstructivisttheoriesaffectedDesign(Big
Question).SoyouaskhowPeterEisenmansdeconstructivistideasaffectedhisbuilding.
Yousurveyhisworkbothwrittenandbuiltandpickonetheoryandonebuilding(narrowing
yourtopic)andaskhowtheyrelate(smallquestion).Youreadthetextcarefullyandtryto
understandtheideasandwhyheiswritingthem(textualanalysis).Withthoseideasinmind,
youanalyzethebuilding(visualanalysis).Youdrawyourconclusions(thesis)andsupport
themwithyourfindings.
5.DevelopingaThesis.WhatisaResearchProposal?

Bynowyouhavedonesomereadingonyourtopic.
Youhavefocusedyourquestionsothatthetopicyouareresearchingwilladdresssomeaspectofit.
Youhavefocusedyourtopicsoitwilladdressthequestionpreciselyandtheresearchcanbedonein
thetimegiven

1.Yourresearchmaydrawyouindirectionsthatyouhadnotthoughtaboutbefore.
Considertheseleads.
Dotheyseemfruitful?
Dotheyaddressyourquestionsinsomeway?
Ifyes,thenconsiderchangingthefocusofyourquestionsothetopicfits.
Ifno,keeplookingforsomesetofdetailsthatdoesaddressyourquestion.

2.Asyouanalyzewhatyouhavefound,youarelookingforsomesetofdetailsthatseemstoanswer
someaspectofyourquestion.Thesedetailsshouldberepresentativeofamoregeneralcondition.
Whatdothesedetailssuggestaboutyourquestion?Keeptrackofthesedetails(notewhereyou
foundthem)youmaywanttousethesedetailslatertobuildyourargument.

3.Thinkaboutyourresearch.Dothedetailsyoudiscoveredsuggestathesis?Writeitdown.Does
thisthesisrelatetoyourquestion?Isitinteresting?Ifsopursueit,ifnot,thinkandresearchsome
more.Ifyoucomeupwithseveraltheses,noneofwhichseemsatisfactory,writethemdown.
Arethesethesesinteresting?Dotheyteachyousomethingyoudon'talreadyknow?
Aretheyprovable?Cantheybesupportedbyevidence?

4.Tryapproachingyourtopicfromanotherangle.Pickanothertopic,ormethodofanalysis,or
theoryandtrytoseeyourtopicfromthatpointofview.Sometimesevenaverydistantcomparison
canmakepoeticconnectionsthatsuggestideasthatyouhadntthoughtaboutyet.
ForExample:Traditionalpoetryiswritteninspecificmetersandwithcertainkindsof
rhythms.Canyouseevisualmetersandrhythmsinabuildingofyourchoice?
Heresawildone:Physicsdescribesquantaasseriesofstepswithfixedquantitiesof
energy,massandchargethatparticlesmusthavesothereisnocontinuumbetweenthem.
DoesArchitecturehaveaparallelcondition?

5.Nowyouhaveoneandhopefullymorethanonethesis.Gobacktoyourresearchwiththesetheses
inmind.Trytofindotherdetailsthateithersupportorcontradictyourtheses.Bynowyoushould
befamiliarenoughwithyoursourcesthatyoucanfindthingswithoutfuss.Howeverthethesesmight
takeyoutootherresourcesaswell.

Atthispointyoumaywanttofocussomemore.Perhapsyourdetailsarestilltoogeneral.Focus,
focus.

Whenyouhavetwoormorespecificdetailsthatsupportaninterestingthesis,thenyouareingood
shape.

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Nowoutlineyourargumentusingthedetails(withreferences)thatyouhavediscoveredtosupport
yourcase.

WhatisaResearchProposal?
Aresearchproposalisapaperthatexplains:
1.TheBigQuestionthatyouwanttoconsider
2.Thetopicandspecificexamplesthatyouaregoingtouse
3.Thesmallquestionthatyouproposetoanswer
4.Theresources(bibliography)thatwillgiveyoutheinformationthatyouneed
5.Thekindofanalysisareyougoingtodo(formalanalysis,historical,statisticaletc)
6.Explainshowyouaregoingtoarguefromyourexamplebacktothelargequestion.

6.OrganizingyourIdeasandOutliningyourPaper

AnOutlineisamethodoforganizingyourideasandyourpaperbeforeyouactuallywriteit.This
wayyoucanfocusonthinkingtheideasthroughandonputtingthemintoalogicalsequence,without
havingtostrugglewithsentencestructureatthesametime.Youcanchangeelementsoftheoutline
andrearrangethingseasily
AnOutlineshouldbethepaperwithoutthesentences.Itshouldbealmostaslongasthepaperand
shouldcontaineverythingthatwillbeinthepaper:Alltheideas,allthethinking,alltheevidence,
andallthereferences.Anoutlineisnotalistofsubtopics.Someoneshouldbeabletoreadthe
outlineandknowexactlywhatyourthesisisandhowyouaregoingtosupportit,pointbypoint.
Writingoutlineshelpsyoutothinkthingsthroughwithoutthepainofmakingsentences.Withagood
outline,writingiseasy.

MicrosoftWordhasanOutlinefunctionintheViewmenu.Itseasytouseandveryhelpful
1.Youhaveathesisortwobynowandareasonablygoodgraspofyourquestionandtopicthough
theyprobablyneedsomerefiningandclarification
2.Trywritingaparagraphthatexplainsyourthesis.Afterseveraldraftsthismaywindupasthefirst
paragraphofyourpaper.Youaretryingtoexplainittoyourself.
3.Nowlayeverythingoutinfrontofyouandtrytoputitinalogicalsequenceasifyouwere
explainingtheideastosomeoneelse.Wheretobeginistricky.
4.Identifythemainideasandtheevidencethatsupportsthem
5.Identifyyourthesis.

OrganizingyourPaper
1.ThefirstsectionshouldintroducetheBigQuestion,theTopic,thesmallquestionandyourthesis.
Thiswillbecomethefirstpageofyourpaper.Keeptheintroductionsshort.Ifitsapersonyou
shouldsaywhenandwheretheywereactive(notwhentheywereborn)andwhatwastheirmajor
contributiontothefield.Ifitsabuilding:When,where,what,why,bywhomandforwhom.
ForExample:FirstSectionofOutline:
I.HowdoesOrganicArchitecturerelatetothesite?(BigQuestion)
1.FrankLloydWrightstheoryofOrganicArchinre:climate(IntroduceTopic)
2.DoWrightsbuildingsrelatewelltotheirclimate?(SmallQuestion)
3.IwilllookattheRobieHouseandoneexampleofatypical19thcenturyhousein
Chicagotoseewhichrelatesbettertotheclimate(focusedtopicandquestion)
4.Iwillanalyzebothforenergyuseandlivingspacesthatrelatetotheoutside
(AnalysisMethod)
5.IwillshowthattheRobieHousedoesnotconserveenergynordoesitprovide
livingspacesthatrelatetotheclimatesuchassunnywindowsinwinter(thesis)
II.Explanationsandsupportingdetails,etc.
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2.Themeatofthepaperisyouranalysislaidoutindetail.Thisisyouroriginalcontributionto
thefield.Takeyourreaderthroughitcarefullysotheyunderstandwhatyouhavedoneandwhyitis
important.Thisanalysisshouldsupportyourthesis,pointbypoint.

3.TheconclusionrelatesthethesisbacktotheBigQuestionandexplainsitsimplications:
ForExample:TheendofthepaperaboveontheRobieHousemightbeoutlinedasfollows:
IV.ThispapershowsthatRobieHousedoesnotconserveenergynorprovidelivingspaces
relatedtotheclimateanybetterthanothertypicalhousesinChicagointhe19thcenturyandis
worsethansome.
1.WrightsdefinedhisarchitectureasOrganic
2.Ourcurrentdefinitionoforganicisadescriptionofhowabuildingworksinits
climate
3.Wrightsbuildingdoesnotworkwellinitsclimatethereforehisdefinitionof
organicmustbedifferentthanours.
Hiscriteriafororganicdonotaddresshowthebuildingworkssomust
addressonlyhowitlooks.
4.Eventhoughhecallsitorganic,Wrightsarchitecturemaynotbean
appropriatemodelforcontemporarysitesensitivedesign.
VOrganicArchitecturemaynotbeappropriatetoitssiteinallaspectsofitsdesign.

7.WritingTipsandPetPeeves

Writingrequiresconcentrationsoplanahead.Noonecanwriteeffectivelyformorethan4hoursper
day.Afterthatyoubecomeveryinefficient.Dosomethingelse.Writingisacraft.Themoreyou
doit,thebetteryoubecome.Itsnevereasy,butitcanbeverysatisfying.Theresnothinglikethe
thrillofawellwroughtessay.

Yourgoalisclarity.Youwantsomeoneelsetobeabletounderstandyourideas.
Bebrief.Avoidunnecessarywords.

RoughDraft
1.FollowyourOutline.Justdoit.
2.Yourgoalatthisstageissimplytogetyourideasonpaper.Dontstressouttoomuchover
grammarandsentencestructure,youcanfixitlater.
Youshouldfocusonclarity,organizationandsequencesooneideafollowsanotherinalogicalflow.
3.Sometimesyouwindupwritingoneideaseveraltimes,eachtimethinkingtoyourself..WhatI
reallymeanisGood.Pickthebestdeletetherest.

SecondDraft
1.Nowpayattentiontolanguage.Readwhatyouhavewritten.AskIsthiswhatIreallymeanto
sayTryagaintosayitbetter.Oftenyourideaschangefromthebeginningofadrafttotheend.
Perhapsyouneedtorewritethebeginningtoagreewiththeconclusionsyouhavereachedintheend.

2.Fixthegrammar.

3.Thefirstparagraphisthemostimportant.Youwillprobablyrewriteitseveraltimesbeforeyou
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aresatisfiedthatitreallystatesthepremisesoftheessay:
TheBigQuestion
TheTopic
Thesmallquestion
Thethesis

SomeLanguageTips

1.Avoidvalueladengeneralizations:Donottellmeabuildingisimportant,marvelous,beautiful,
remarkable.Showmewhy.Usespecificexamplesdemonstrateyourideaswithdescriptivedetail
ratherthanhyperbole.Whenyouresorttoeffusivepraiseitusuallymeansthatyouhavenot
understoodwhyitisso.

2.Writeintheactivevoice.Itmakesyoursentencesmoreforcefulandkeepstheenergymoving
forward.Usepassivevoiceonlywhenyoutrulyneedit.

4.Writepositivestatementsratherthannegativeonesuchas:Donotwritenegativestatements
Positivestatementsarestrongerandlessconfusing.Ingeneral,usenegativestatementsonlyfor
emphasis.

5.Saythingsinthemostdirectwayyoucan.Yousoundmoreintelligentthatway.

6.Weliveinthe21stcentury,wedonotcallitthe2000s.Likewiseinformalwriting,the19th
centuryshouldnotbecalledthe1800s.

7.Ingeneralusetouseratherthantoutilize.Avoidothercomplexificationsofsimple
words

8.TonativeSpanishspeakers:Becarefulnottoconfusesingularsandplurals.Beconsistentwith
presentandpasttenses.Itswherenotwere

9.Computerspellingchecksareoftenwrong.Theydonotcheckcontextandmeaningsooften
confusewords.
9.Computeorspellincheeksoreovenrung.Daydonutcheekcontactsantminingso
ovenconducewards.

PolishingyourProse

1.Haveafriendreaditandcomment.Youreadtheirworktoo.Youcanhelpeachother.Yourgoal
isclarity.

2.ThebestbookIvefoundtohelpyoupolishadraftis:
JosephWiliams,Style:TenLessonsinClarityandGraceAddison,WesleyLongmanCo.,2000

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