Need a Completed 'A' Worthy Research Paper

Research Paper

For this essay, you will write a well-researched argument that takes a position on a topic related to our overall course subject (food). In terms of managing an assignment of this magnitude, it might be helpful to think of this as a proposal.

You are both establishing the existence of some specific problem and then suggesting (proposing) a way to then solve that

problem. Issues in our world today are always broken down in this way, but unfortunately people often get stuck pointing fingers and attaching blame and fixate on the nature of the problem rather than moving forward to establish a solution. For

this essay, you should seek to identify specifically both the nature of the problem as well as the source of a solution.

This essay is much more than just a topical research paper. This is NOT a term paper. You aren’t telling me about a

subject. You are making an argument and an educated argument at that. You must take a stand on the issue you choose to

research. And you want the issue to be narrow and focused enough for you to address it thoroughly in a roughly 6 page

paper. What is your argument? What point are you trying to get across? Your paper must have a central claim (a thesis) that is supported with logic and research. What points do you plan to cover in 6-8 pages? Also, remember that this is an

academic research paper. You need to approach the subject from an academic view point. You should use your research to

become a sort of expert on this topic. Before you settle on a specific angle you should probably do some research to make sure you can find sources to support your claim.

Thesis Statement: Your thesis statement should be centered on an argument and be clear, specific and focused. Your statement should both

articulate the problem and propose a solution. You will want to argue a point that is supportable but also is not something

that everyone already agrees with. You will want to be aware of the stakeholders in the argument. What is a stakeholder in

any controversy? A stakeholder can be identified as a group of people who stands to gain or profit from support of their perspective, even if it is only in terms of status or achieving success in the debate. In your research, you would need to

find articles (both scholarly and mainstream press) that support or argue both for and against your viewpoint and build a

framework in your essay that not only supports your view but also examines the counter arguments brought by other stakeholders. Ideally, your argument will be sophisticated, in that it does not just see two sides in black and white, but sees

multiple opinions (or counter arguments), while firmly supporting your own viewpoint.

Support or Evidence: You will need to back up each claim you make within the argument. You will use your sources to build credibility and

gain authority to speak as a writer on a particular topic. Your aim is to persuade your audience, thus you must use credible

sources to back up everything you say. You can use ethical, emotional or logical appeals. You’ll want to avoid logical fallacies within the argument. You will use both direct quotes, paraphrases and will cite all your sources correctly in the

text as well as prepare a Works Cited page to accompany the essay.

Sources: Your sources should be credible and 3-4 of the six should be scholarly. The information that you choose to use from these

sources should always be relevant to the central argument. You must quote or paraphrase correctly to support your

arguments. They should also be well integrated into developed paragraphs and not just be dropped in but contextualized.

What Are the Formatting Requirements of the Paper? You will write 6-8 pages (your Works Cited does not contribute to your page count). The paper should be written in MLA

style. The paper should be in Times New Roman, 12-point font with 1” margins and include an interesting and descriptive

title.

These are some typical research paper topics relating to food practices. There are others, but this list will help get you

thinking:

 Genetically modified foods: benefits versus negatives, or known health effects, or use globally, or regulation

 Sustainable fisheries/aquaculture

 Vegetarian nutrition

 Food waste

 Meat production or grass-fed beef/lamb/pork/chicken

 Dairy foods, necessity, production, organic standards

 Fair trade

 Urban agriculture, green roofs

 Pollinators

 Slow food movement

 Fossil fuels/alternative energy in food production

 Food imports

 Water use in agriculture or food production

 School food service and sustainability

 Antibiotic resistance

 Backyard poultry: benefits and negatives

 Hydroponics

 Food deserts, efforts to overcome, options

 Permaculture

 Pesticide alternatives or IPM (Integrated Pest Management)

 Local food processing

 Local food buying clubs

 The Real Food Challenge

 Foraging

 Gleaning

 Prison gardens

 School or youth-based garden programs

 Farm to school programs

 Farmland preservation efforts

 Food Policy Councils

 Healthy Food in Health Care

 Heroes/Entrepreneurs in Sustainable Food