Research Paper and Works Cited Page Draft Instructions

 For this assignment, you will need to submit:

• The first draft of your research paper, complete with properly-formatted parenthetical citations from at least four credible sources within the text. 
  
• The Works Cited page, which should be located at the end of your essay. The Works Cited page should be clearly labeled and follow MLA formatting requirements. 

You will need a good, comprehensive thesis statement that states your claim  (what will you prove? Keep in mind that the purpose of this assignment is to support a claim, which means you must do more than merely inform the reader. You must take a stance on your topic and make/support claims that go beyond mere facts) and at least three supporting details (how will you prove your point?).

You might use this as a guideline in crafting your thesis:
(Reason 1), (reason 2), and (reason 3) prove that (add your claim).

Example:
(1. Children who play violent video games exert more aggression than their counterparts who are not exposed to these games) because (2. children often imitate their experiences as a natural learning process) and (3. the violence they see in video games desensitizes them to violence in the real world); however, (your claim: increasing the ages allowed to play certain violent games may prove to decrease childhood aggression).
  

The guidelines and requirements for this assignment are as follows:

Remember  to apply the concepts you're learning in the course, including elements  of grammar, punctuation, thesis development, and other skills. 

Length: This assignment should be a minimum of 800 words. However, you should aim for a minimum of 1,250 words. All length guidelines are excluding the Works Cited page.

Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your writing assignment with the following information:

• Your first and last name
  
• Course Title (Composition I)
  
• Assignment name (Research Paper)
  
• Current Date
  

Format:

• At least four credible sources used and documented in MLA style
  
• Double-spacing throughout
  
• Standard font (Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri)
  
• Title, centered after heading
  
• 1” margins on all sides
  
• Save the file using one of the following extensions: .docx, .doc, .rtf, or .txt
  

Underline your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.