Submission must be a minimum of 5-6 content pages in length and should not exceed 8 content pages – content pages are those directly addressing your debate topic and do not include the title page or references (the total paper may be longer than 10 pages once the title page and references are included)
Submission must be double spaced, typed in 12 pt Times New Roman font with 1” margins on all sides, include page numbers, completed in Microsoft Word
Submission must be written in APA format and, at minimum, contain:
A title page (your name, paper title, due date etc.)
A reference page properly citing any and all sources used for the assignment (make sure to include appropriate in text citations as well)
Subheadings discussed below
Paper organization (your paper should include the following components and subheadings): Proofread the paper prior to submission – after you run spell check, make sure to read through the assignment at least one more time – proofread for grammatical and spelling errors as well as clarity.
Introduction – provide an overview of each side of the debate related to your topic and what the paper will discuss – should be no more than ¾ – 1 page – this should not be a complete history or your topic or contain simply anecdotal information or examples but instead should focus on the assignment topic specifically
Arguments in favor of your topic (for example, arguments in favor of legalizing marijuana) – this will be a new section where each argument in favor of your topic is discussed in a new paragraph 1.5 – 3 pages
Arguments against your topic (for example, arguments against the legalization of marijuana) – this will be a new section where each argument against your topic is discussed in a new paragraph 1.5 – 3 pages
Conclusion – this should be a summary of the main points you made throughout the paper – this should be no more than ¾ – 1 page
This is not a paper regarding your personal opinion or what you think about your topic. All content should be based on reputable sources such as academic articles or other peer reviewed sources. In other words, do not submit a paper on what you think about your topic. Instead, develop a logical position based on the materials you collect and read to develop your paper. As such, each paper will include at least 7 outside peer reviewed (scholarly sources) sources for each side of the debate to support your discussion.
Websites such as Wikipedia, Ask.com, .org’s, .edu’s, etc. are not considered appropriate sources and will not be counted towards this requirement.
Textbooks, including but not limited to the one assigned for this class, are not considered appropriate sources. The assigned text can be cited if any information from the text is used in writing the paper, however it will not count towards the required outside sources.
Do not include examples such as “Everyone I spoke with agrees…”, “In my opinion…” and “According to a conversation I had with (insert criminal justice employee here)…” Everyone you spoke with, your personal opinion, and criminal justice employee “Ted” are not considered appropriate sources
