need to write essay

Project 1:

Follow the Citations*

For this project, you will analyze a researched essay, focusing on the author’s use of sources. You will analyze the sources, the way the author quotes, paraphrases, or summarizes them, and consider the purpose they serve in the essay.

Purpose and Audience

Our purpose for this assignment is to develop a first-hand understanding of the conversational nature of academic writing and to think critically about the ethical responsibilities of writers in the research process. Your audience is anyone who might encounter the original essay. This means you’ll need to consider the publication format of your essay and imagine what audience might come across this essay and read it. You’ll also need to think about their concerns – what are they likely to object to? Which sources might they be most curious about?

Basic Requirements

· Minimum 3 pages in length.

· Must include MLA Works Cited page and in-text citations.

· Must focus on a single researched essay.

· Must “follow the citations” to at least 2 of the author’s sources.

General Instructions:

1. Choose an argumentative essay that interests you that relies on research. In other words, choose any essay/article/blog post that makes an argument and cites sources to support that argument. Start by doing a Google search on a topic you’re interested in.

2. Read the essay, paying careful attention to when and how the author cites sources.

3. Highlight or circle each place in the text where the author refers to a source.

4. Use the information on the Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing handout (on Blackboard) to determine when the author is using each of those strategies.

5. Determine whether or not (in your opinion) the author chose the most effective strategy in each case.

6. Draft your essay (using an outline first if that helps you). Create some sort of introduction that explains why we might want to analyze citations, then analyze at least two of the author’s citations, and conclude by drawing some overall conclusions about how this process changed your perception of the article.

Grading Rubric

Grade	Characteristics
A	· Evaluates the author’s use of sources. · Suggests alternatives – other ways the author might have used a source more effectively. · Notes occasions when the author should have cited a source, and offers possible sources that could fit that purpose. · Reflects on how these findings influence your thinking about using sources in your own writing.
B	· Offers an interpretation of why the author uses the sources the way he/she does. · Essay flows well as a result of careful organization of paragraphs and thoughtful use of transitions. · Notes occasions when the author should have cited a source. · Well-structured essay, including an introduction, conclusion, and clear transitions between body paragraphs. · Draws conclusions about how these findings changed your perceptions of the article.
C	· Analyzes an author’s use of research in an argumentative essay, focusing on at least 2 specific sources the author uses. · Determines whether the author quotes, paraphrases, or summarizes each of those specific sources discussed. · MLA formatting of in-text citations and Works Cited page. · Minimum 3 pages.
D/F	· Poor organization or distracting grammar problems. · Only looks at one instance of source use/citation (or doesn’t look at any specific citations). · Shorter than 3 pages. · Incorrect MLA formatting. · No response or engagement with essay. · No Works Cited page.