Research Paper

Research Paper Assignment (20%)

This research paper is, in part, the fulfillment of your proposal; however, your initial argument or perspective may have altered because of research. Remember, your primary purpose is to inform through original argument and to integrate information from varying sources. Do not paste information directly from your annotated bibliography, proposal, or sources as this will be considered plagiarism for this class. To present your originality and work on this project, you will need to demonstrate your ability to understand and argue the same idea in multiple ways.

Consider your audience. Would you be interested in reading a topic again and again if it were argued and presented the same way every time? Probably not. Remember that being a writer means knowing your audience and being able to, not only capture their attentions, but to hold it until the end. You will be writing for an intended audience (your professor); therefore, you want to show your knowledge through diverse presentations of your works. Your paper should define a clear thesis and be crafted to persuade your audience of your perspective. Within this paper, you will hone-in to separate, specific points of interest to support your argument. Consider, as you develop your subtopics and organization for this paper, what moves you need to make, these may include:  Define. Categorize. Divide. Describe. Provide example. Illustrate. Establish cause and effect. Evaluate. Propose. Because this class is listed as a scientific section, all papers must have a scientific angle unless otherwise approved.

You must choose an arrangement for your information to maximize the paper’s overall effectiveness. Definitions or descriptions of key terms and ideas logically should occur up front, though you do not want to spend too much space on simple definition, rather define a term then explore its application. Anticipate and evaluate, for example, the effect of placing the most important idea first as opposed to placing it last. Certainly, you would not wish to place the counterargument last, because such placement would remain foremost in your reader’s mind and would allow you little opportunity to contradict it.

Critical areas emphasized in this paper include (1) integration and citation of source material, (2) focused and developed paragraphing,(3) organization and transitions, and (4) fully functional introductions and conclusions. The majority of this paper’s grade will be determined from these areas.

Your Research Paper Should:

• Be a minimum of2000 words (8 pages)
  • This excludes the mandatory Works Cited page
• Be documented in MLA format with parenthetical and in-text citationsthat correspond to the correctly formatted Works Cited page. All citations must adhere to the format you choose. You will be graded on the style you decide to use.
• Have a minimum of sixsources (you may use more, but not less)

• You must include twobooks and twoarticles from a peer-reviewed journal.
• All sources should be scholarly/academic (this includes government websites)

• Remember that this is YOUR paper and your argument: your voice should be the dominant one.
  • Integrate sources to prove your point; don’t just summarize other peoples’ arguments that happen to agree with your own.
• Superior papers will address the counterargument without undermining their own positions.
• Begin your paper with a truly attention-getting introduction.
• Do not divide your text into sections using subheadings. Instead, experiment with sophistication and variety in your transitions—both using appropriate transitional expressions and bridging of ideas.