What goes into the introduction?
The introduction states what the topic is and lays out the order of your paper; you can think of it as an in-text table of contents. For example, “first, I will discuss the history of xyz…” or “Next, I will describe the how I will evaluate abc…”. Additionally, use the introduction to tie your topic into local issues or challenges (local as in no larger than the state of California, ideally SoCal or the LA metro area).
What goes into the conclusion?
The conclusion, which comes after your counterargument, should reiterate what the issue was that you wanted to address, the end result of your evaluation/analysis, any legal/policy implications, and what topics should be researched in the future.
How long should the paper be?
Students have completed 4 parts of the paper (Background, Methodology, Main Argument, and Counterargument), which, on average, should be 5 pages each. At this point, students should have around 20 pages of writing completed. Between feedback, revisions, and the addition of the intro & conclusion, students should safely land in the 20-25 page range. Keep in mind that your bibliography is not to be included in any page count. NOTE: Do not worry if your paper is over 25 pages. Do not spend any time trying to cut down on the number of pages.
As for word count, the paper should be around 6,000 words without counting citations or the bibliography.
How should the paper be laid out and/or organized?
The paper should be double-spaced, and no paragraph should be longer than half a page.
Feel free to use headings/subheadings, but they are not required.
Your citation style should be consistent throughout. Please state at the top of your paper which citation style you are using (ideally one with in-text citations rather than footnotes or endnotes).
Page numbers are not required.
After your conclusion, please use a page break so that your Bibliography starts on its own page.
