Arguments and research begin with questions such as those raised in the paper you wrote for Unit II. If you look back on all the projects you’ve composed thus far for our class, your efforts began with questions or points of inquiry about a topic, and your essays attempted to answer aspects of those questions or points of inquiry. For this assignment, you will compose an essay that establishes background information about your topic and answers a research question. You can answer this research question by including evidence that moves readers to act on your position or persuades them to your point of view. For example, you can highlight the need for awareness about a particular issue or possibility, as we will see in the sample research paper we will read as a class. You must support your ideas through analysis and synthesis of at least six (6) sources, three (3) of which are scholarly sources located through library and/or internet research. For this essay, use a third-person, objective point of view. Your main purpose is to inform, but the significance of your information must be clear.
Getting Started
First, you’ll need to choose a topic and get it approved by me. Next, you should step back and ask yourself: What question(s) do I have about this topic? What statement do I want to make about this topic? What do I have to say about it?
Then, you will need to locate your sources. You can use sources that you have previously used in our class, but you will also need to find additional sources. Ask yourself: How can I summarize and analyze these sources’ positions for readers who may be unfamiliar with these sources? How can I bring these ideas together? What support and evidence can I use to articulate the issue? How can I use a counterargument to strengthen my own argument on this topic? Questions such as these will lay the groundwork for approaching this project.
Requirements
Your essay must include:
7 – 8 double spaced pages, written in 12-point font (Times New Roman or Arial)
Six (6) sources, three (3) of which are academic
MLA citations – in-text citations and works cited page
MLA formatting – header and page numbers
Original writing
A unique title
NOTE: While your writing can be informed by your position paper, you cannot simply copy and paste your writing from other assignments. This constitutes plagiarism, and your grade will be
affected accordingly.
Putting It Together
A successful academic research essay will:
demonstrate a satisfactory ability to move from previous essays, undergoing the process of re-evaluating an issue or topic; investigating it further; and then drafting, revising, and editing to create a final product;
present a fitting example of the source-based essay form;
demonstrate an understanding of how to construct an essay that features an arguable thesis in which you foreground a question and take a stance, using evidence to support your position;
offer supporting proof or claims to back up general, abstract premises; present a balance of both textual summary and analysis; and synthesize the required sources, using that series of connections to build an individualized, debatable stance;
appropriately address readers who may not be familiar with certain topics and terms
use internal citations and a Works Cited page that includes reliable, authoritative sources;
demonstrate the ability to utilize stylistic principles meant to hook and hold the reader’s interest, including variety in language and syntax.
