Early in the essay, you should offer your thesis statement, and the remainder of the paper should offer support for this position and persuade readers to support the position.
Your position and justification should be supported by clear and credible research that adds to the rhetorical conversation.
Cite at least six scholarly sources.
Include a Works Cited page.
Your Works Cited page and in-text citations should follow MLA Format.
Your paper should address a significant alternative viewpoint. Two additional criteria apply:
You should cite, fairly summarize, and respond to a real alternative viewpoint. Don’t imagine what an opposing audience might argue—instead, find a real person who makes a real and sophisticated argument and address it.
This doesn’t need to come at the end of your paper (i.e., before the conclusion). Though this can be effective, it is often more effective to address an alternative viewpoint early: “Here’s what’s missing from with the common approach; now let me outline a more promising approach…”
It should focus on the readers’ needs—what do they already know about the rhetorical conversation? What do they need to know? How can you make complex ideas, context, and information clear and accessible to readers?
It should be clearly organized.
