Researched Argument
In this eight to ten page essay, you develop your research and critical thinking skills and practice a variety of research techniques that you will use throughout your academic career. Specifically, you will practice writing summaries, evaluating sources, analyzing, and reflecting on your work.
Your task is to construct an argument using sources for support. You need to choose a topic for this paper that you are interested in - it could be an issue in your life as a student, citizen, parent, friend, voter, etc. You should CARE about this topic. (Off-limit topics include: religious issues and matters of opinion.) You should already know something about the topic, but there should be things that you still need to know about it. The topic you choose should have some personal relevance. In other words, it must impact you.
In the first section of the paper, you will address the problem as it exists today. In the second sectionof your paper, you will propose a solution, based on research to this problem. You will need to posit aclaim, or thesis, about the topic, support that claim with research from at least five sources and make a final conclusion resulting from your research. The conclusion to the paper may be a prediction for what the future holds in relation to this problem.
As you research, prioritize your time. Look for sources from research databases, periodicals, and current books first. Next, check .org, .edu, and .gov websites that offer sound information that you can crosscheck for accuracy. Please, don't cite general encyclopedias, such as World Book, Britannica, or Wikipedia.
5-7 credible sources required.
Remember: This is a research paper!