Thesis/Plan/Outline for the Research Essay

The assignment:In approximately 1-2 pages, please complete the following:

Part A:

• With your Research Essay topic in mind, write the claim (thesis statement) you intend to make in your paper, in 1 sentence.
• Identify the strongest support you have for your thesis. Describe the research it rests on, including the source information.
• Explain what information you still need to gather from sources.
• Describe how your essay will be organized (i.e. problem/solution, cause/effect, etc.).

Part B:

• In the same document, construct an outline of the major points you plan to make in your essay (see p. 72 of The Everyday Writer for an example format).

Assignment Requirements:For this assignment, you should:

• Write an arguable thesis statement that makes a claim.
• Explain source support you found for your thesis.
• Determine the information you still need to gather.
• Create a detailed outline, using the format of your choice.

Assignment Formatting:

• Write your name, course title, instructor’s name and date at the top of the document.
• Type in a Word document with 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Double-space your assignment.
• Use a standard font (Times Roman or Arial) in 12 point size.
• Include only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.
• Indent your paragraphs, with the first line being 5 spaces from the left margin (using the Tab key).