The

investigative report was a challenge for me because I had never written anything

similar previous to this class. I had to change my perspective as a writer because I could no

longer focus on emotion, I needed to focus on facts. My goal in this paper was to determine

why Alex and Ani would be interested in partnering with the University of Rhode Island. I

thought it would be interesting to determine why the two merged This paper introduced a new

writing style for me to add to my abilities.

The biggest obstacle that I had to overcome with the investigative report was citing my

sources. In my original copy I tried to follow MLA format to the best of my ability, but I did not

succeed. I was aware of the importance of knowing how to properly cite sources so I consulted

The Little Seagull for help. After closely reading the step-by-step instruction, I was able to

revise my works cited in order to fulfill MLA format.

Another learning opportunity that this paper presented was to never leave a claim

unsupported. Investigative reports are not opinion based. Every claim within the report needs

to have supporting evidence or the paper is invalid. I gathered extensive research on the

University of Rhode Island and Alex and Ani as separate entities as well as a union. During the

revision of my paper, I added more information about the university because it supported my

claim that they need funding from third-party sources, such as Alex and Ani. I collected enough

evidence that I didnt leave any claim unsupported.

The investigative report gave me the opportunity to adapt into a well-rounded writer. A

research paper differs greatly from the format of any other paper. Through revision I was able

to learn how to properly construct an investigative report.