HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PIECE/INTEGRATION PIECE?

Sociolinguistics is defined as the study of how the people around you and your heritage can change the
way you speak. An example of sociolinguistics is a study of Spanish and English being spoken together
as Spanglish.

What is a monograph?
It is defined as a research work that deals with a particular topic. The information that
supports the work comes from published works such as: books, magazines, encyclopedias,
dictionaries, electronic sources, data bases, etc. However, the monograph should represent
ideas and words of the investigator, not the literal reproduction of the information contained
in the sources consulted.
Preparation and process of a monograph
1. Select the topic
Select a topic that interests you and whose research you will enjoy. The Professor may
assign the topic or selected by the student. Before making a final decision, ask yourself the
following questions. Am I interested in the topic? Is it appropriate for my class? Is it too
broad? Is the subject manageable taking into account the time I have to complete the project?
Are there resources such as books, periodicals, etc., regarding this topic?
2. Write a question about the topic selected
Select one aspect of this subject that you want to investigate. Limit the scope of your
monograph. Almost any subject can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives. What will be
the purpose of your work? As you are reading about the subject, think if you want to:
 Criticize the subject.
 Analyze the subject.
 Compare or contrast aspects of the topic.
 Write an informative work on the subject.
3. Search for sources of information
Once you have selected the topic, consult available sources of research. The library is the
most important source of information in the preparation of a monograph, and where you can
find bibliographic resources to verify the feasibility of the topic. You can prepare a
preliminary list of consulted works as this will:
 Help you organize the information you need to write his monograph.
 Help you discern if there is enough material to research your topic.
 The information gathered may be used in the preparation of the final work.
 Sources of information can be books, articles from magazines or newspapers, Internet or
other resources that refer to the subject.
4. Prepare an outline
The outline is a provisional guide that helps you think about the topic and how you will
present it. As you write down ideas in the form of outline, you will see the format of the
monograph taking shape and, also, how the ideas relate to each other. It also helps you to
determine/verify the information gathered, spot areas lacking information and organize the
material in a logical order. The draft may be prepared by dividing into sections labeled with
numbers and letters that include themes or complete sentences. II Second topic or Principal
topic Themes or main topics are identified in uppercase Roman numerals. Subtopics are
listed in uppercase letters. The sub-topics are listed in Arabic numerals. Try using two
subsections by category. Remember, nothing can be divided into less than two parts.
5. Read and take notes
Review your outline and bibliography, and select the bibliographic sources that you think
will be needed for your monograph. Start to read this material and take notes as you read.
Compile statistics, quotes, and other details that explain the ideas that you want to use in
your monograph. Write legibly and be accurate in your notes so that you do not have to
check your notes later. Record all important data. See indexes or periodic publications,
guides, encyclopedias, general and specialized dictionaries. Check bibliographies that appear
in the texts and journal articles.
6. Write a draft
Prepare a draft that can be corrected and expanded. Check the material and organize it. The
draft prepared will serve as a guide to begin the draft. Organize your ideas express them in a
simple and clear way. Avoid long sentences, be brief and concise.
7. Write your final document
Before writing your final work, read it carefully again. Ask another person to revise it for
spelling or punctuation errors. Beware! Do not commit plagiarism. Do not use another
person’s words or ideas without giving due credit to that person. Finally, check the document
to correct syntax and spelling technical errors, clarify or expand the presentation of ideas and
document citations according to the manual of style.
Format of a monograph
1. Cover page: Format for the cover can be at the discretion of the teacher. The cover page
must include the student's name, name of the institution, faculty, subject, name of professor,
course, and date.
2. Table of Contents, if required: when the work is divided into different parts, the table of
contents indicates the page where each division of the monograph begins.
3. Introduction and/or review: justification of the topic, the objective or purpose of the work
and its scope, what it is about.
4. Body: the main part of the work where the topic is developed. It can be divided into
sections, topics or subtopics, using a logical order.
5. Conclusion: It summarizes the key points in the work. You can include recommendations
for future studies or propose a course of action.
5.1-Write a more personal conclusion saying what benefits you have derived from doing the
research work first, and the benefits for your future career as translators. This conclusion will
reveal the type and quality of the research done, that is, what you conclude should mean
more tan just a ‘cut and paste’ piece of work.
6. Bibliography: List of resources used to do the work. They can be printed, electronic
resources, audiovisual material, among others. In general, the bibliography is in alphabetical
order by author's last name, include year of publication, place and publishing house. The
reference as well as the organization of the monograph is usually directed by the parameters
of a system or manual of style, such as the MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA
(American Psychological Association), among others.

TOPICS:
1-Language variation: Southern Standard British English vs. Indian English.
2-African American Vernacular English: The Dialectal Hypothesis vs the Creole Hypothesis
3-The world´s lingua franca of science
4-A Survey of Factors Contributing to Language Change in English (with Special Reference
to Lexical Change). Language users, be they educators, students, journalists or concerned
members of the public need to be aware of ongoing lexical change for their academic and
professional development.
5- “Well, I mean, it’s sort of…” – Hesitancy on certain circumstances. What does it mean
and how important it is to avoid it as a measure to avoid misinterpretation?
6-Critical Discourse analysis as a research tool.
7-What is ableist language and what is the impact of using it?
8 -Cancel culture or call-out culture. What is it and how can it be approach from the
"language and power" perspective?
9 -Exceptional individuals as leaders of linguistic change (people who have not conformed to
the community pattern)
10- What is Coleman’s huge project in Britain, the Spoken British National Corpus (BNC;
http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/)?
11 -Labov’s work on African American English: What was he trying to prove with this piece
of research?
12- Labov's view that language must be investigated within the social context of the
community that uses it.