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Research Paper Assignment3000 -3500words(Exclude source material)OBJECTIVEThe research paper calls upon the skills of analysis and synthesis, i.e. breaking the larger issue into smaller components and incorporating opinions and evidence from sources into your own argument. You will also be using the skills of paraphrasing, summarizing and quoting sources to substantiate and support your position. Your task is to present your opinion on an issue or problem in such a way that your presentation reveals your understanding and attempts to convince others of its validity. Remember, this is a persuasive research paper and the topic should lend itself to argument (pro/con, for/against).The subject MUST BE controversial: this assignment requires you to take a position and defend it. Think about your subject carefully. You MUST be able to address the opposition, i.e., the refutation.ESSAY CRITERIAWrite a persuasive research paper about a topic of your choice. The essay must follow the classical arrangement of persuasive discourse:1.Introduction?Remain neutral?Remain general, no specific points?Generate reader interest?Avoid overuse of sources in the introduction2.Narration?Giveoverview of differing opinions?Define terms (if relevant)?Provide history (if relevant)?Provide overview of interest groups?Establish credibility or authority?Introduce thesis
3.Confirmation?Your points (1 idea or point per paragraph)?Support opinion with evidence and facts from sources?Comment on how sources prove or illustrate your position?Avoid using source material, especially quotations, as topic or transitional Sentences?Think about transitional words and devices that will move the argument forwardseamlessly and fluidly4.Refutation?Identify opposition by name or title (A.C.L.U., the Catholic Church)?Fairly and accurately summarize the position?Concede the point and give credit where its due?Attempt to disprove or discredit the opposition by usingevidence or facts: you simply cannot say someone is wrong because you disagree with them5.Conclusion?Re-emphasize main points?Dont introduce new evidence?Avoid overuse of source material?Call on audience to rethink position?Make a strong call for action?Offer possible solutions?Discuss implications of doing nothing?Suggest other tangential issues that might be relevantPlease remember the refutation. This is an important component of persuasive writing and should be treated adequately.SOURCESThis assignment requires a minimum of 9 sources (maximum 11). You MUST include one each of the following source types:
1.newspaper article2.trade journal or news magazine3.personal interview (that you do in person, by telephone, or online)4.government document5.reference or specialized book6.special interest websiteHard copies of all source material must be included in your final writing package. Sources must be clearly labeled (with author/title) and highlighted(quotations used in paper should be easily identifiable). Sources should be arranged in Works Cited order. You must include a minimum of 12 parenthetical citations (in-text references), maximum 15 citations. Do not rely too heavily on one source. At least one source must support the refutation and you must use a source to DISPROVE the refutation. Make sure you scrutinize the quality of web and internet sources. Remember that you should be looking for major, reliable and authoritative sources. Credibility will be one of the features I use when evaluating your use of sources.
Alsothink about how to arrange the confirmation and refutation. You may want to discuss the refutation first, and then the confirmation (or vice versa). You might also consider an organizational scheme known as point by point.All ideas relating to the introduction should be grouped and arranged; likewise, you should arrange the narration, confirmation, refutation and conclusion so that you maximize your position and minimize the refutation. Be mindful that minimizing the refutation does not mean disregarding it. Refutation is an important part in argumentation and you should devote a fair
amount ofdiscussion to it. The key is to prove that your position is superior to the opponents. NEVER disregard the opposition: to do so minimizes your credibility by suggesting that youre careless, ignorant, weakor unable to effectively argue against the refutation.Look at your sources carefully and begin integrating them into your paper. Use sources to augment and validate your position. Dont just simplytack a quote on. Introduce your source with a tag phrase or running acknowledgement: put the source in some sort of context in relation to your own writing. At this point in the writing process, you should be looking carefully at the primary and secondary points you plan to make. Remember the thesis. How pertinent are the points you intend to emphasize? Have you constructed any fallacious arguments or used faulty reasoning?Scrutinize the introduction and conclusion carefully. Think about the arrangement of persuasive discourse. Have the introduction and conclusion met the requirements outlined earlier in this handout? Does the introduction generate reader interest without turning the reader off? Does the conclusion provide a strong sense of logical closure? Is the conclusion clear, with a call foraction, reaction or thought?
NTRODUCTION_____Authoris notintroduced immediately (full name on first reference, last name only from thereon)_____Article (full title)is notintroduced(proper punctuation, standard upper and lower case)_____Short summary of article content is not provided_____Short statement of authors purpose and thesisis not stated(should be paraphrased)_____Analytical thesisis notplaced at end of intro_____Introduction is abrupt and inadequate; fails to clearly establish rhetorical context/analysis_____Mechanical, predictable diction, i.e. This paper will analyze. . .THESIS_____Thesis is not analytical_____Thesis isnotbased on a single principle_____Elements being analyzed arenotclearly stated_____Thesis isnotinone concise, emphatic sentenceCONTENT_____Content isnot analytical, SUMMARY_____Content is not focused on issue, but on analyzing rhetorical strategies_____Analytical points arenotwell developed and discussed i.e., discussion lacksdepth and detail_____Points arenotsupported with evidence from article_____Contentdoes not followorder suggested by thesis statementORGANIZATIONAND PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT_____Organization isnoteasy to follow_____Paragraphsdo nothave a clear topic sentence_____Paragraphsdo notdevelop one idea; paragraphs are not unified around a singlepoint_____Paragraphs are not adequatelydeveloped, short and underdeveloped_____Paragraphs are long and rambling with no clear purpose or idea_____Ineffective transitionbetween paragraphs, lackslogical cohesionCONCLUSION_____Mechanical transition_____Does not offeroverall assessment of article (no 1stperson)_____Lacks strong sense of logical closure_____New information or points introduced inconclusion_____Overuse of quotesSOURCES AND MLA_____Unacceptable source type, not credible_____Overuseof quotations; long quotations_____No signal phrases used to introduce quotations, summary, paraphrase_____No in text citations at the end of cited material_____Improper use of quotation marks_____Careless, inaccurate quotingOTHER_____Below word count
_____No Works Cited page_____No word count_____Copy of source not attached_____Sloppy, unprofessional work_____Paper not in MLA format_____Paper not typed in 12 point Times New RomanSENTENCE STRUCTURE, STYLE, GRAMMAR, MECHANICS_____Run on_____Fragments_____Fused sentences_____Comma splice_____Subject-verb agreement_____Pronoun-antecedent agreement_____Passive voice_____Informal, slang language_____Contractions_____Misspelled words_____Incorrect use of punctuation_____Incorrect use of lower and upper case letters_____Too many prepositional phrases