Argument Topic: What is one topic of brain research that is significant for your own life and could also be significant for others to know more about? How does knowledge of a specific “brain topic” benefit you personally and society as a whole? Argue that continued research and more widespread knowledge of your topic can have some sort of global importance!
Assigned Reading: David Eagleman’s The Brain: The Story of YouLinks to an external site., one New York Times article, and 2 other sources that you select.
Writing Prompt: Write an 1100-1300 word essay (approximately 4 pages with MLA page set-upLinks to an external site. and source citation) that identifies a specific topic related to brain research, neuroscience, or cognitive psychology. Establish your authority on the topic by making a personal connection to the significance of this area of research. Then, use examples and evidence from your studies to demonstrate the importance of continuing research and spreading knowledge of this topic through the greater society.
Your Sources: Support your ideas and build your credibility by using the following correctly-cited source types
The Brain: The Story of You
New York Times article
Two or more other sources
You are required to use both direct quotations and paraphrased information from each source. Always introduce your sources, use in-text citations, and avoid plagiarism by carefully following the guidelines for quoting and paraphrasing.Links to an external site. The suggestion is to keep direct quotations short and use them only for very important words from the author. The rest of an author’s ideas can be explained in your own words.
Use a short direct quotation from each source: introduce the source, correctly punctuate it with quotation marks, and use an in-text citation with the author’s last name and page number when required according to the rules of MLA-style in-text citations.Links to an external site.
Also, use summarized and/or paraphrased information from each source: introduce the source, and use your own words (do not copy directly from the source). Include MLA-style in-text citationsLinks to an external site. at the end of any paraphrased or summarized information (this lets readers know that you’ve finished using the author’s ideas and what follows will be your own ideas, analysis, or response).
For this assignment, an MLA works cited page (reference page) is mandatory! It is a required part of the essay assignment!
Note: Chapt GPT provides fake quotes and paraphrases that do not actually come from the sources indicated. Do not try to have AI programs cite sources for you–it will all be incorrect. Any quotes and paraphrases must actually come from the authors and sources that you cite and the page numbers and source citations must also be accurate.
Your Rhetoric: Establish authority by demonstrating deep knowledge and/or effective research on your topic. Use formal wording and an organized essay structure. Avoid fallacies, problematic arguments, and the clutter of unnecessary detail or wordiness. Links to an external site.
Your Editing: Make sure you have complete sentences and correct punctuation and capitalization. Make sure all wording is clear and concise and all grammar errors have been corrected. Check out the Editing and Grammar Resources and review coordination/subordination and parallelism.
Keep your writing on-topic and be sure that all your evidence, examples, and explanations support an argument about the significance of one brain-research topic.
Demonstrate an understanding of the background information and research related to your selected topic.
Establish your authority on the subject matter by connecting to your life experience and a variety of researched sources (4-6 sources, including The Brain: The Story of You, must be quoted and paraphrased correctly)
Create an effective writing voice that is informed, formal, and intentional. State all ideas clearly and effectively: remove clutter to be as succinct as possible and edit for errors in grammar and wording
Use an effective organizational pattern for college essays: include an introduction with a clear argument thesis statement, body paragraphs with clear topic sentences and supporting evidence, effective transitions (both sentence-to-sentence and paragraph-to-paragraph), and a concluding paragraph that wraps up the ideas and demonstrates the significance of the topic.
Avoid plagiarism: Summarize/paraphrase source material in your own words AND make the title and author clear in the same paragraph. Correctly quote from sources AND introduce the title and author in the same paragraph. Integrate sources into your writing with effective source sandwich techniques. Cite all sources effectively with MLA in-text citations and an MLA works cited page.
Edit and revise with enough accuracy that all ideas are clear and easy for readers to follow. Sentences should be complete without run-ons or fragments. Capitalization and punctuation should be correct. Any errors should not distract from your main point or make your sentences unreadable.
Notes: make sure each paragraph is complete and organized. You must start with a topic sentence of your own and then begin your introduce the sources that support that topic sentence. You can’t start a paragraph with a quote. Make sure you use a direct quote from each source and that your essay meets all the check-list criteria. Keep working on i
