The Multi-genre Research Project

“[Multi-genre papers] recognize that there are many ways to see the world, many ways
to show others what we see.” ~Tom Romano, teacher, author, and “founder” of the multi-genre
paper

What is a multi-genre paper?

It’s a collection of pieces written in a variety of genres, informed by your research on a particular
subject, that presents one or more perspectives on a research question or topic. A multi-genre
paper is personal, creative, and can’t be copied from some other source. It involves you, as a
writer, making conscious decisions about what information is important and how it should be
presented to the reader.

As you research, you’ll need to consider your audience and what genre would be the most
effective in communicating your message to that audience. What genre will “speak” to the
people you most want to reach? And why? You’ll need to be fully engaged in your research—
don’t approach it as a scavenger hunt in which you collect information and spit it back out in an
“academic” paper. This is NOT that drill. This goes beyond the academic paper in a variety of
ways.

Choosing a Researchable Topic:

A strong topic will be one that deals with humanity in a thoughtful and insightful way. This, of
course, is huge and wide open.

Questions to ask about your topic:

1. Am I truly interested in this topic? You must be invested and it must show in your final
product. If you don’t find your topic interesting, your audience won’t either.
2. Do I have access to enough information on this topic?
3. Is the subject limited enough in focus? Is there a specific theme/idea/concept/answer in
which to research and end up with a clear message to present.
4. Is there a substantial human element to the topic? This must be meaningful for you and
your audience and the human element is the key.

Limiting the topic:

You will begin with a general idea and move to the specific. Here is an example of how you move from
general to specific:

General Subject → Specific Subject → Focus or Special Interest

Holocaust Concentration Camps How concentration camps
affected people’s lives.
↓ ↓
Auschwitz → People sent to Auschwitz
often lost family members,
lost faith in God, and lost
a sense of self.
 *Start with the essential question(s) you want to find an answer for and then go through
the above cycle to narrow your focus. Think of a camera lens: We don’t want to deal
with the entire landscape in a photo; we want to zoom in on one pivotal element in the
landscape.

Genre Ideas:
The genres you can use are just about limitless. You can write and relay important messages in so many
ways it’s mind boggling! But BEWARE! This should not be a haphazard collage of disjointed elements;
you must connect the genres and what they represent with a central, significant theme (a thesis). Your
creative efforts MUST be informed by solid research, including research about the genres themselves.

When you choose a genre ask yourself, “Why am I choosing it? What do I want to show through this
genre?” Your purpose must be clear and each genre should express a different piece of the whole puzzle,
not repeat the same thing in a variety of ways.

Here is a starting point: You must have FIVE genres for this project. Please choose one
from each category.

Group 1: Print Media Group 2: Visual with Words Group 3: Visual Display
• Newspaper Article • Poster • Picture/Photograph
• Obituary • Invitation • Graph/Chart
• Editorial • Ad • Map
• Letter to the Editor • Travel Brochure • Certificate-award, death, degree
• Advice Column • Greeting Card • Storyboard
• Magazine Article • Cartoon • Postcard
• Recipe • Bumper Sticker • Menu
• Application-job, school, etc. • Business Cards • PowerPoint
• Wanted Poster • Invitation • Scrapbook Page
• Headlines/Front Page • Response to Art • Magazine Cover
• Dictionary of specific language • Neighborhood Flyers
• Mission Statement • PowerPoint

Group 4: Informational Group 5: Creative Writing

• Interview • Diary Entry
• Timeline • Song
• Directions • Poem—many variations!
• Campaign Speech • Short Story
• Assignment Sheet • Personal Narrative
• Resume • Conversation
• Encyclopedia Entry • Pledge
• Memo • Top Ten List
• Lab Report • Travel Journal
• Calendar/Agenda • Report Card
• Membership Cards • Telegram
• Will • Prayers/Meditations
• Police Report • Eulogy
• Pro/con List • Letter

Using Repetend:
Repetend is something added to your mulit-genre project that repeats or continues. The purpose of repetend
is to create unity among the various genre pieces and to give the writer an editorial voice that the reader can
easily relate to.

Since multi-genre papers are unique and non-linear, they require a lot of work from a reader. You, as a
conscientious writer, do not want to let your reader get confused as they move from genre to genre. If you
provide your reader with reoccurring images or phrases, or a running commentary or even a narrative or
story, you will create unity that will help your reader better understand your central theme. This is much
like weaving your thesis throughout a traditional essay.
☼You must find some way to incorporate repetend in your project.

Ways to incorporate repetend:

• include the same phrase, sentence, or passage in each genre page as a heading or somewhere
else in the text
• include a description or design in each piece (written or graphic), placed strategically and
meaningfully for easy recognition
• include a running commentary from you, the writer, following or preceding each genre piece
• create a character and follow his/her reactions to pieces
• create a character involved somehow in each piece of writing—an ongoing story
• create a cartoon strip at the top or bottom of each genre that comments on the ideas presented
• etc. Get the idea?

Your Multi-genre Project will include:

• Title Page
• An Opening/Preface/Forward/Introduction that will greet the
readers, introduce the subject, and provide any other
information you think the readers should know.
• Table of Contents
• Five different genres from different categories. (If you have an
idea that is not listed see me for approval please).
• Epilogue
• Rationale Cards
• Works Cited Page
 The Elements of the Multi-genre Project
Section Description Helpful Hints
1. Title Page This cover page includes the
following information :
• title (not label)
• your full name
• the date (due date)
• graphics, borders, creative
stuff
2. Table of Contents This page will help your reader
navigate your project. Each genre
is listed with its title following.
Each title is significant and
meaningful on its own.
3. Opening/Preface What kind of information might I
include in the preface?
• how you came up with
your idea
This preface, forward, or • why you chose your topic
introduction will greet readers and • why your topic is
give a bit of background important
information about your project.
You'll need to introduce the subject
• an introduction to a main
and anything you think the reader character
should know about you and/or • a description of a crucial
your project before they read it. setting or central activity
• a theme that will be carried
through your genres
• what you learned about
your topic and/or genres.
3. Body
your multi-genre
Your body consists of five base
pieces from five different genres.
To unify the separate pieces, use
some type of repetend or unifying
device—imagery, theme, etc.
The body of your multi-genre
project is composed of the various
pieces you create to help your
reader understand your subject.
Some of the pieces will be written,
some visual, and some a
combination.
4. Epilogue
This is your conclusion. It should
have its own page.
Ways to incorporate repetend in
• include the same phrase,
sentence, or passage in
each genre page as a
heading or somewhere else
in the text
• include a description or
design in each piece
(written or graphic), placed
strategically for easy
recognition
• include a running
commentary from you, the
writer, following or
preceding each genre piece
• create a character and
follow his/her reactions to
pieces
• create a character involved
somehow in each piece of
writing--an ongoing little
story
• create a cartoon strip at the
top or bottom of each
genre page that comments
on the ideas presented
Some aspects you might
include:
• how writing about this
topic has changed your
perspective on your topic
• what you learned overall
• how you felt about using
the multi-genre medium to
write rather than just
writing a traditional story/
essay
• what you hope your
audience learns from your
multi-genre web
• what you feel you
accomplished from this
project overall
• any information that would
help clarify anything you
wrote
5. Rationale Cards Rationale Card

Genre_______________________

You will provide your rationale for What does this genre tell us about your
choosing each genre and which topic?
source(s) you used to develop each
genre. What is your rationale for selecting this
genre to present this information
specifically?
Source(s) Used:
6. Works Cited
You must have six (minimum) Citationmachine.net
sources from a variety of
information types.
www.easybib.com
You must cite at least 4 sources.
That may mean you use more than
4 in your research, but decide to
only use information from some of
them in your project. The 4
sources that you cite must be used
in some way in your final project.
Your resources may be found in a
variety of places. My advice
would be to start in the library,
either here at school or in our This list of your sources includes a
public library. The librarian is a brief description of the source and
great resource for help, so make its value to your project
sure to bring your questions to
him/her. From there you can go to
the computer, browsing through
online journals and websites.
Once you have a good idea of your
topic, the Internet will be a great
tool for focused researching. Try
to use both primary and secondary
sources. Primary sources are
created at the time period you are
researching. They include letters,
newspaper articles, diary entries,
etc. Secondary sources are sources
created after the fact that reflect on
the event or time period. They
often analyze the primary sources.

"Everything you need to know to succeed." Your Multi-genre Web. 2002. 7 Jan 2007 <http://
www.sheboyganfalls.k12wi.us/cyberenglish9/multi_genre.htm>.
Procedures Checklist

1. Brainstorm topics. Settle on a few that interest you and do a little researching. Pick
one topic that you’ll find ample resources for.
2. Fill out the “Research Plan” worksheet and submit it to me for approval.
3. Perform your research. Check the library, computer, and Internet for sources. You
might want to also research by conducting interviews, or finding other hidden
treasures.
4. Throughout the researching process make sure to keep notes, ideas, questions, and
reflections in your writing notebook. Remember to write down the websites or book
titles of any sources you use.
5. Organize your sources in some way meaningful to you (write an outline, draw a web
or map, etc.) and formulate ideas for your project. Play around with different genres
and see which ones work for the information you have.
6. Conference with your peers in class to get suggestions, ideas, and critiques.
Conference with me.
7. Do whatever necessary to make your project the best possible. You may choose to
change some of your genres to something more suitable. Decide on an overall theme
or structure to tie your project together. Make sure you have a Title Page, a Table of
Contents, an Introduction, an Epilogue, Rationale Cards and a Works Cited page with
appropriate citation of sources.
8. With finished drafts in hand (“finished” in the sense that it includes every required
component), conference with your peers and myself.
9. Revise and proofread. Present your project with pride.
Research Plan
(Based on Tom Romano’s Multi-genre Research Design)

1. What is your topic? Explain.

2. Describe what you know about your topic.

3. Tell what you want to learn about.

4. Describe your plan for collecting information about your topic.

5. Provide a preliminary bibliography.