Librarians, Renounce the Research Paper! Using Rhetoric to Improve Assignment Design.

The general research paper, despite its prevalence in higher education, has had limited success in the classroom for decades. Although academic librarians recognize the value of source-based writing and have continually partnered with faculty on this type of assignment, we are equally aware of the inherent limitations and difficulties of this traditional writing requirement. This column argues for an alternative vision to the general research paper, one that embraces a rhetorical context and offers academic librarians a more prominent role in assignment design on their campuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]