Nancy Romig ENGL 1013 Paper five: Research paper Due: Wednesday, April 21st 5-6 pages in length,

MLA formatted (with 12pt font), 15% of final grade For this essay, you will either write an essay that 1) identifies causes of a current trend or 2) propose a set of solutions to an ongoing problem. The choice between these two topics is yours to make, as is the actual subject of whatever type of essay you choose to write. If you choose the topic that that looks at a current trend, be sure to analyze and evaluate at least three causes for that trend. If you choose to write about an ongoing problem, be sure to analyze the problem and evaluate at least three different solutions to that problem. Since you decide what the topic is for your essay, be sure that the topic interests you, that it is a topic that is complex enough to be analyzed and evaluated, and is a topic that others (scholars) are writing about, so that you will be able to find articles on that subject. In addition to choosing your own topic for this essay, you will also be responsible for finding three articles to use as sources in your essay. Choosing appropriate and useful sources is probably the most important step in the process of writing a research paper, so do not choose the first three articles you come across. Evaluate and skim through each article you find until you have picked out three that you know will be helpful to you as you write your essay. You will also need to highlight and annotate your articles in order to familiarize yourself with their content and to be able to use their information effectively in your essay. Since you are using sources for your paper, you will also need to include a Works Cited page in your essay, correctly formatted in MLA style. Please refer to your St. Martins Handbook, Chapter 18 and page 347, and your notes from our class discussion on how to format this part of a research paper. While this will be a page in your paper, it does not count towards the five to six pages for the length requirement of this essay. Therefore, have five to six pages of your writing, and the Works Cited as a separate, final page in your essay. In addition to the Works Cited page, you will also need to turn in copies of your sources with the final draft of your essay. No matter what topic you choose to write on, you should apply the techniques for introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions that we have talked about this semester (refer to your notes from class and the assignment sheets from earlier papers).

Be sure and use parenthetical citations throughout your essay to give credit to each of your authors. Do not forget to turn in copies of your sources with the final draft of your essay. Remember that I and the QWC are available to help you. Revise for content errors and proofread for grammar and wording issues. Do not forget to turn in an electronic copy of your essay to Safe Assign before class.

Nancy Romig ENGL 1013

If you choose to write about the causes of a trend, you should:

In your thesis statement, identify the three causes of the trend your body paragraphs will focus on. In a paragraph after the introduction, show that the trend exists by using statistics and specific examples and details and by referencing experts. Answer basic questions like: When did it start? Is it completed or continuing? Is this a trend that is increasing or decreasing? Is the increase or decrease decelerating or accelerating? Basically, this will be a paragraph that explains the trend you will be using as you examine its causes. In each body paragraph, synthesize your authors views on the subject. Also compare and contrast the evidence and reasoning used by each author. Use this comparison to help support your view on the topic. Support your discussion of the causes of the trend with your own reasoning, but show that each cause is something that your sources are discussing. You might in your discussions show why one cause is more likely to occur than another or that one is more significantly responsible for the trend than another.

If you choose to write about a set of solutions to a problem, you should:

In your thesis statement, identify the three solutions to the problem that your body paragraphs will focus on. In a paragraph after the introduction, show the significance of the problem by using statistics and specific examples and details and by referencing experts. Show that the problem exists and describe the basic features of the problem. Basically, this will be a paragraph that explains the problem you will be proposing solutions to. In each body paragraph, synthesize your authors views on the subject. Also compare and contrast the evidence and reasoning used by each author. Use this comparison to help support your view on the topic. Support your discussion of the solutions to the problem with your own reasoning, but show that each solution is something that your sources are discussing. You might in your discussions show why one solution is more likely to solve the problem than another. As this is your last paper for the semester, I have high expectations for you as a writer. I should see a lot of improvement from your earlier papers (i.e. no typos, all names and terms spelled correctly, good use of transitions, properly and frequently used citations for all quoted and paraphrased material, a strong thesis statement, and an overall well developed and organized essay) and expect a well polished essay to be turned in on the due date. This paper will combine all of the writing skills you have learned this semester (summarizing, synthesizing, analyzing, evaluating, and arguing) and will also include the research skills learned for Paper Four. For a good end product, you will need to spend time on the assignment, so start early and do not procrastinate. It will only hurt your grade for this paper if you put off working on it until the last minute.