Research Paper

Argumentative Research Essay
Assignment Description
In upper level courses, you will often be asked to demonstrate your ability to converse with other scholars in
your field. Your job is to make a claim about a debatable topic and to persuade the reader to accept your claim.
Your paper must be written so that it is convincing even for a skeptical audience. In other words, be fair and
unbiased when acknowledging what others say about your topic, but then prove why they are wrong using
logical reasons and credible evidence. In this essay, you must synthesize various sources while persuading the
reader to accept your viewpoint. You do not want to simply report what others are saying, but engage in a
dialogue with them.
Your research paper MUST include the following:
 A clearly stated thesis in the introduction that articulates your position and what you want to argue in
your paper
 A minimum of 3 claims to support your thesis with supporting sources.
 A minimum of one counterargument with response.
 A minimum of three credible and relevant sources
 A minimum of three pages in MLA format, not including the MLA Works Cited
 A Works Cited page in MLA format with corresponding in-text citations
Purpose and Learning Objectives
The purpose of this assignment is to practice persuasive writing and synthesis of sources. You will increase
your critical thinking skills by analyzing yours and others’ assumptions, evaluating multiple perspectives, and
developing a clear position. Writing, research, and eloquent written expression are vital for a successful future.
You will express all of these skills in this assignment. This essay will be used as the English department
assessment for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s mandated core curriculum assessment of
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO). This essay will address the SLO objectives of critical thinking and written
communication.
Your research paper should demonstrate the following learning objectives:
 Awareness of the audience to whom you are speaking
 Awareness of the purpose of your argument
 Ability to enter into a scholarly conversation
 Ability to write a qualified and narrow argumentative thesis statement
 Ability to synthesize information from various sources
 Ability to craft an argument with different types of relevant, credible, and detailed support
 Ability to research and identify academic sources
 Ability to summarize, paraphrase, and quote while citing correctly in MLA to avoid plagiarism
 Ability to converse in standard, academic English
Minimum Requirements
Length: Minimum 3 pages, no more than 5, not including the Works Cited page. Style: Essay needs to conform
to MLA standards, including double spacing in Times New Roman font, and must include a Works Cited page
with correct in-text (parenthetical) citations for all quotes, paraphrases, and/or summaries. Sources: Three (3)
sources minimum.
Due Dates:
Final Draft- Due to Ecampus by end of da on May 9th. No rough draft required.
Process of Completion
Choose a topic (or a specific essay depending on your instructor’s requirements). Get it approved by your
instructor.
1. Write down everything that you know about your topic in your notebook. What can you verify? What is
common knowledge and what needs a source to prove that it is true? Find credible sources to prove
anything that is not common knowledge.
2. Begin preliminary research to discover more about your topic. Do a basic Google search and read
popular sources to broaden your knowledge. Remember that dot-com and Wikipedia are tertiary sources
and not credible for citing in an academic essay. You are just gaining more knowledge right now.
3. Narrow your topic and formulate a working thesis. Then come up with research questions to guide your
research. Remember that good research begins with questions, not beliefs.
4. Begin research using the Richland library databases http://www.richlandcollege.edu/library/. Academic
Search Complete is the best database to begin your research. Do a web search for credible sources to
include in your essay. Use newspapers, organizations, or government websites. Find a minimum of three
credible sources to use in your essay.
5. Be sure you have at least ONE source that you disagree with in order to include a counterargument in
your essay.
6. In your notebook, annotate the three sources you want to use in your essay. Take careful notes over the
author’s claim and purpose. Respond in your notebook. Do you agree, disagree, or have mixed feelings
about the ideas in these sources?
7. Put together an outline to help organize your ideas.
8. Choose the sections of your sources that you want to include in your essay. Be sure to include a variety
of paraphrases, quotes, and summaries.
9. Write your rough draft. Don’t worry about grammar now; just put your thoughts down on paper.
10. Put your essay away for twenty-four hours before revising it for grammar and punctuation mistakes.
Visit the English Corner for more help with revision or expanding your ideas.
11. Come to all peer reviews and turn in all drafts. Review carefully your peers’ comments before
submitting the final essay to me.
12. Review your Safe Assign report for plagiarism BEFORE turning in your final draft!
13. Reread your essay one last time and make any final edits or changes before turning in your final!
Helpful Resources
The English Corner has several handouts that can help you draft your essay. Please see the English Corner
website: http://richlandcollege.edu/worldlanguages/english-department/english-corner/handouts/
Plagiarism
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism includes failing to cite a direct quote with quotation marks and an
in-text citation, borrowing someone else’s work without a correct citation, bad paraphrasing (Safe Assign will
not identify a good or fair paraphrase), purchasing a paper, having someone else write your essay, or turning in
the same paper to two different classes. Any paper with plagiarism, even accidental (I forgot to cite that!), will
receive a zero as a final grade. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite correctly. See both MLA citation
PPTs on eCampus or visit Purdue OWL for more help https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/