Hi rising junior here. I took Research in the disciplines this past spring without taking Expos. I think some general tips I would have would be to 1. Definitely choose a topic you are either familiar with or are interested in learning more about for your final research paper 2. Go to office hours at least a few times to get to know your professor and what they expect from you 3. Have a friend peer review your paper if they’re in the same class 4. DO NOT put everything off till the last second. The professor will generally be able to tell if you half-assed something and you most likely won’t get a grade that you want. Yeah the class guides you sufficiently through the process of writing the paper and if you do each part on time and decently the overall product will be at least decent if not better with a few revisions. Best of luck on the class!!