Instead of a research paper, why not have your students create …
- an encyclopedia article with bibliography
- a Web page focused on a narrow topic of interest/relevance with links to related resources
- everything but the final paper - students select topics, create an annotated bibliography, outline, and an introduction and conclusion.
Looking for a different approach to research? Try these:
- Put on a conference complete with poster sessions, panels, papers, etc.
- Students judge and “fund” a research proposal
- Have students write an award nomination for someone from their field of study (i.e. Nobel Peace Prize, MacArthur “Genius Grant”, etc.)
- In the role of an historical/notable figure, students give an oral presentation and answer questions.
- Students create exams on a topic of study along with answer key, annotated bibliography of source material and rationale for questions (student learning outcomes).
- Students conduct research in order to prepare questions for an in-depth interview.
For more inspiration, visit
Lawrence University, "Alternatives to Term Papers"
Collins Memorial Library, "Ideas for Library-related Assignments"