Research Proposal

Final paper shall be in THIRD PERSON only, proper academic English, and 7(full) to 9 pages in length (plus a Work Cited page). The paper must include at minimum of 4 directly cited scholarly sources. The paper should be formatted in MLA. Please use Chapter 17 as well as OWL Perdue to help you with the formatting: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Steps in the writing process:

1- Choose a topic/theme for your paper based on the list provided in Part Six of your e-textbook: An Anthology of Arguments. Select a theme from the list that is of most personal or academic interest to you: food, higher education, immigration, millennial issues, sustainability, digital literacy, or social ethics. Then narrow your topic based on what you read in the essays provided by the textbook.

2- Read all of the essays on the subject carefully in the category you choose from the anthology and analyze the arguments using the skills you learned in Chapter 8. Allow this process to help you narrow your opinion and topic even more.

3- Create a list of at least 10 research questions based on what you learned from Chapter 15 on how to write research questions. From this list of questions define which method of argument you will use to research and author your paper. Use what you learned in Chapters 11, 12, and 13 to help you define your style of argument as appropriate to the topic you have chosen. Note: this task can be used to help you answer the questions for your proposal.

4- Based on tips from Chapter 16 brainstorm/create 3-5 one-sentence claims/thesis statements to declare what you will argue in your paper. Then, choose the best option. Remember your thesis statement will appear as the last sentence of your first paragraph. This is another site that can help you if you are having writer’s block about your thesis: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml

5- Begin researching sources using Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com

6- Beyond sources used from the Anthology printed in the textbook all other sources must be peer reviewed academic sources from academic books, journals, or scholars. At minimum you must have 4 scholarly sources for this essay. Beyond these 4 you may use any credible sources you feel supports your argument. Remember to cite all facts.

7- Create an outline for your paper. (This is Due via Moodle Week 8). A useful sample outline for a research paper outline is as follows:

I. Introduction:

i. Hook

ii. Road-Map (what you will write about in your paper)

iii. Introduce the themes found in the sources

iv. And a declarative thesis.

II. Body Paragraph I:

i. Topic sentence

ii. An informative signal phrase introducing a source

iii. Evidence

iv. An explanation of why that evidence is important and how it connects to the thesis

v. A summary of what the topic sentenced proved/covered

vi. Lastly, a sentence that connects back directly to the thesis and/or to the next body paragraph.

III. Body Paragraph II: The same as Body Paragraph I but with a different topic sentence and evidence.

VI. Body Paragraph III: The same as Body Paragraph II but with a different topic sentence and evidence.

V. Conclusion:

i. Transition into conclusion (such as “In conclusion,”)

ii. A reverse road map to emphasis was talked about in the main points of the paper

iii. A review summary of how the citations/scholars are support these main points

iv. Then, in the last sentence, leave the reader wanting to read more…. End with some fire works!

VI. Works Cited: MLA format

Here is a site for helpful tips if you are having a hard time working on your outline: http://elc.uark.edu/qwc/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/02-Outlines.pdf

8- Begin writing the paper’s content by answering your research question based on your sources. The best practice for this first draft is avoid any and all proofreading or editing. Some writing experts suggest blanking the computer screen and just typing. Feel free to give this a try.

9- Once you have content and the style of argument that you feel fits best for you topic- craft the connection between the format and organization of the paper to the content. Please be sure paragraphs are approximately 5-8 sentences in length and always begin with a topic sentence, include evidence, and conclude with a transition that references how the topic of the paragraph connects directly to the thesis. The paper should be at minimum 5 paragraphs long. Each paper must include a complete introduction and conclusion.