RES-201
Research Methods & Theological Writing
How to write a graduate-level paper: forming a thesis question, finding and evaluating sources, citing properly, and building an argument that holds up.
Topics: Thesis writing, Source evaluation, Citation
Suggested resource: Free Purdue OWL citation guides; Google Scholar and the Internet Archive for primary and secondary sources.
Week 1: Forming a Thesis Question
Reading: Practical exercise — no reading assigned
Good academic writing starts with a genuine question, not a conclusion you've already reached looking for support. A strong thesis question is specific enough to be answerable in the space you have and open enough that real research could change your answer. Vague questions like “what does the Bible say about baptism” produce unfocused papers; a question like “how does the baptismal formula in Acts 2:38 relate to the command in Matthew 28:19” gives you something you can actually argue and defend.
Key terms: Thesis question, Specific vs. vague, Answerable in scope
Discussion Questions
- Take a topic you're interested in and try narrowing it three times until it becomes a specific, answerable question.
Challenge: Write three different possible thesis questions on the same broad topic, then pick the strongest one and explain why.
Week 2: Finding and Evaluating Sources
Reading: Proverbs 18:17; Proverbs 18:13
Solomon states the principle behind fair source evaluation directly: “He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him” (Proverbs 18:17) — a single source's confident case, even your own, always sounds persuasive until it's actually tested against another. The companion warning is just as important for a researcher: “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him” (18:13), a direct caution against forming a conclusion before genuinely engaging opposing evidence.
Not all sources carry equal weight: a peer-reviewed journal article or a respected scholar's published book generally carries more evidentiary weight than a blog post, though both can be useful for different purposes. Free, legitimate academic resources are more available than most people realize: Google Scholar, the Internet Archive, and many seminaries' own open-access repositories all provide real scholarly material without a subscription. Evaluating a source means asking who wrote it, what evidence they cite, whether other scholars have engaged their argument, and whether they have an obvious bias that should make you read more critically.
Key terms: Proverbs 18:17 (testing a confident case), Proverbs 18:13's warning against premature answers, Source hierarchy, Free scholarly resources
Discussion Questions
- What's the difference between a source that disagrees with your position and a source that's simply unreliable? How do you tell them apart?
- Where have you caught yourself doing what Proverbs 18:13 warns against, answering before genuinely hearing the other side?
Challenge: Find three different types of sources (a scholarly article, a book, and a denominational resource) on the same topic and compare how each handles evidence, applying Proverbs 18:17's test to each.
Week 3: Structuring and Citing an Argument
Reading: Practical exercise — no reading assigned
A clear paper states its thesis early, addresses the strongest objections to its own position rather than only the weakest ones, and cites sources consistently enough that a reader could find exactly what you're referencing. Proper citation isn't academic red tape, it's intellectual honesty: showing your work so someone else can verify it, and giving credit for ideas that aren't originally yours. Free citation tools, like Purdue OWL and most word processors' built-in citation managers, make correct formatting fast enough that there's no excuse to skip it.
Key terms: Early thesis statement, Addressing strong objections, Citation as intellectual honesty
Discussion Questions
- Think of a paper or argument you've read that ignored the strongest objections to its position. How did that weaken it?
Challenge: Take the thesis question you developed in Week 1 and write a one-page outline, including at least one strong objection you'll need to address.
Course Exam
Five questions for review or self-testing.
Q: What makes a thesis question strong?
Reveal Answer
It's specific enough to be answerable in the space you have, and open enough that real research could change your answer.
Q: Name two free, legitimate sources for academic research.
Reveal Answer
Google Scholar and the Internet Archive.
Q: What questions help evaluate a source?
Reveal Answer
Who wrote it, what evidence they cite, whether other scholars engaged it, and whether it has an obvious bias.
Q: Why does proper citation matter?
Reveal Answer
It's intellectual honesty — showing your work and crediting others' ideas.
Q: What should a paper address besides its own thesis?
Reveal Answer
The strongest objections to its position, not only the weakest ones.