Purpose: The Data Report is a statistic-driven researched argument that relies on a dataset as primary source material. The aim of this report is to present
the materials developed in this class, and then rely on them for a quantitative analysis essay to justify a thesis or idea. The purpose of this essay is to
develop skills to comprehensively examine and explain numeric data so readers can understand the quantifiable elements of a sound argument.
Task: For the Data Report, students must identify and examine a dataset of your choice from the following sources:
* Census Data on Poverty
* U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
* UTSA Factbook
* FBI Uniform Crime Report
* CDC Data and Statistics
While the topic you choose will be up to you, please consider narrowing the scope of your subject matter by geography and by date. The narrower in scope,
the more precise your essay can be, so consider examining by county and by most recent year or years.
As a recommendation, you may want to structure your thesis like this:
[Key researched statistic from the dataset] + [Rationale or premise for this trend]
For example: About 41.3 percent of children who have a teenage householder live in poverty in Hidalgo County compared to 15.6 percent in Travis County.
This is because the harsher economic conditions of the border foster unique challenges for teenage mothers not present in the capital.
Guidelines for the Research Paper
1. This data report will be a 4- to 5-page minimum essay that uses data to support a claim and presents an original visual based on that data.
2. The essay must include:
* An arguable claim with multiple points of support
* At least four sources, one of which must be tabular data (raw data in table form)
* An original graphic representation of the data (ex., bar graph, pie chart) that includes a title, label, and caption
Proposed Organizational Structure
1. Stand alone thesis (One- or Two sentences only)
2. Summary of the Data (8 to 10 sentences)
3. Subtopic One (8 to 10 sentences)
4. Subtopic Two (8 to 10 sentences)
5. Conclusion (4 to 6 sentences)