English 1023 –Evaluation Essay Assignment
1. Select a product on the market to evaluate as discussed in class.
2. Write a clear, thoughtful, and well-drafted essay evaluating the usefulness/uselessness,
greatness/badness, etc. of the product you have chosen.
3. You must support your assertions with specific examples (4 Universal standards as discussed in class)
and remember to EXPLAIN these examples. Your essay should
be comprised of 7 paragraphs, an introduction, body paragraphs (4) that support your
thesis, a counter argument, and a conclusion. Make sure you use transitions between
paragraphs. Remember, your thesis and your claim should be evident in the paper,
making a value judgment, and working along with your standards to prove your
argument. Your paper should be between 1200-1700 words. If you fail to make word
count, the highest grade you will receive on the paper is a D.
Be sure you do not simply include all positives or all negatives about the product, you are
not making a commercial, nor are you writing a hate-fest, make sure you include a
counter argument paragraph was well, to present the opposition to your own argument.
You need to have universal standards in the paper.
Avoid writing about subjective items, such as movies, music, art, books, etc. Use more
concrete evidence. For example my idea of a “good” book may be very different from
someone else’s, but a “good” computer would have more concrete, solid, factual
evidence to make an argument.
4. You must use at least four direct quotations, no more than 7 with proper parenthetical
citations from at least four reliable sources (but no more than 6), about the product you
are writing about. Remember that a quotation must never stand alone; it must always be
part of your own sentence. Also remember that you must interpret or explain the
quotation/example or show how it helps to prove the point you are trying to make. Your
quotes must only be a sentence long at most, NO LONG QUOTES!! Include a works
cited page with the essay cited properly. For this assignment, a reliable source for
background info would be the product website, but avoid using it for body evidence
because of bias. I would recommend starting there and then consulting other sources as
needed. You MUST vary your sources, do not use the same website, author, etc. more
than once. I also want to see the use of not only quotes, but summary and paraphrasing as
well. You will include a properly formatted Works Cited page with this paper.
Remember, your sources should not be older than 2 years for this paper!
5. This essay is due no later than the beginning of class on the date listed in Canvas and
discussed in class. In accordance with course policies, late papers will be accepted for a
penalty of 10 points a day, up until 2 days, (exactly 48 hours) after the due date. After
two days, the module will close and the grade for this assignment will be recorded as a
zero. You are responsible for ensuring that you send the correct document. If you send
the “wrong” file, a blank file, an improperly formatted file, etc., and it is not corrected
prior to the deadline, you WILL receive a zero on the assignment.
6. You must pay attention to your plagiarism report once the paper is uploaded. If you have
a high similarity report, you must fix this before the final due date or you will be
penalized. This assignment must be not only your own work, but also new and freshly
written for this assignment, do not self- plagiarize pervious work. You will receive a zero
for plagiarism.
7. Your final essay must be word-processed using Microsoft Word, double-spaced, and
conform to MLA style. Use 12-point Times New Roman for your font style and size.
8. Your essay will be evaluated according to the grading guidelines rubric posted on
Canvas.
9. This assignment is considered one of the major components of the class (refer to your
syllabus). If you do not complete this assignment, you cannot pass the class.
