Your goal in this assignment is to write a research paper in which you engage the topic that you focused on for your literature review, in a more focused and original manner, and showcase your own ability to write an academic paper in your field. This will not be a revision of your Literature Review nor will it be another Literature Review. Instead, you will use credible research to support your own argument, and you will make a contribution of your own to the discourse on your topic. This essay should build on the work that you have done throughout the semester:
It should thoughtfully build on the Journal Analysis you did of writing in your discipline in Module 4. I suggest you make use of the conventions of format and style that you noted in the journal you examined, in order to produce a piece of writing that looks and feels like something in your discipline, to the best of your ability.
You should also make use of the research you did for the Literature Review in Module 5, as well as doing further research to support your specific thesis: there should be a minimum of 6 credible sources in your paper, including at least 2 new sources that you did not use in your Literature Review.
Work hard to make your essay a unique contribution that builds on the work of others to offer something new to your discipline. (Note that you need my approval and supervision for any interviews or surveys: please contact me in advance for approval.)
Please take into account peer and instructor reviews of your thesis ideas/statement in Discussion 6 – Thesis. Also take into account my comments on your previous work.
I will look for improvement on any writing, formatting, or citation issues I noted in previous assignments; lack of improvement will affect your grade
Finally, be sure to use what you learned about integration of sources and documentation in Module 3. As a research paper that aims at meeting the norms of academic writing in your field, your Final Paper will need to use a number of credible, relevant sources to support your thesis; and will need to correctly use the citation style and format typical of your field. Quotes, Paraphrases, Summaries: please read this document on use of Quotes, Paraphrases, and Summaries carefully.
Preparing to Write the Paper: See the resources under Reading, and Listening for assistance, including the sample research papers in different citation styles.
REMINDER: This paper is NOT a revision of your Review of Literature. Do not copy large portions of your Review of Literature in the Final Paper. It is a different paper on the same topic, with a focused thesis, which will both draw on research as support and will offer some kind of original contribution on the topic. Also, do not use a paper you have written for another class: this is Academic Dishonesty and will result in a zero on the paper and you may fail the course. Finally, do not string together many quotes: quotes should only be used sparingly in any paper and should not comprise more than 15% of any paper.
NOTE: Your essay will follow the norms for writing in your own field (e.g. English, History, Sociology, Health Sciences, Biology, etc.). Throughout this semester we have examined writing styles, organization, content and citation styles typical of different academic fields. This is your chance to demonstrate your understanding and mastery of the norms for writing in your field. So you will need to think about issues such as:
what will your title page or opening page look like?
will you include an abstract?
will you include page numbers and running headers? will they fit the citation style used in your field?
how will you organize your paper? what parts will you include? will you use headings for different parts?
how will you phrase your thesis statement? where will you place it?
in what way will you make a contribution to the discourse on your topic?
will your writing style be concise and straightforward, or more elaborate and varied?
will your essay be largely expository, argumentative, or a combination of both?
what kind of diction will you use? will you include technical terms typical of your field, or imagery and metaphors?
what kinds of evidence will you include and how will you integrate the evidence into your paper?
will you include some quotes or mainly paraphrases and summaries of sources?
what new research will you do as you focus your topic and refine your thesis?
will you incorporate any visuals such as images, charts, graphs, or tables? (Note: please place any visuals at the end of the paper, with Figure numbers, rather than in the text–they do not count toward the length requirement.)
will you do any interviews, surveys or gather any primary data for your paper? (Note: due to University regulations concerning use of human subjects, you will need my approval and supervision for any interviews or surveys: please contact me to discuss any use of human subjects)
what citation style will you use?
what will your reference list, bibliography, or works cited page look like? How will you label it?
what kinds of sources will you use? (Here you will draw on your literature review–but you will also need to do further research to support your particular thesis). Note that your paper must have a minimum of 6 sources, with at least 2 new sources that you didn’t use in the Literature review.
Requirements
This essay should be 6 full to 7 pages long, double-spaced, in 12 pt font in Times New Roman, with 1 inch margins, and use the style most appropriate for your field for citations and format, whether that is APA, MLA, CMS or CSE. (A title page, abstract and reference list do not count toward the minimum length. If you use any images or charts, these should be placed on a separate page at the end of the paper with figure numbers and also do not count toward the minimum length.) Please include a title and identifying information either on a title page (for APA) or on the opening page (for MLA)–follow the citation style you are using for title page/opening page format, as well as for running headers. For those of you using APA, use of an abstract is optional, only. All essays MUST have page numbers. Most essays will be a combination of expository and argumentative writing.
Your essay will have both in-text citations (either parenthetical or footnotes, depending on the citation style you use) and a works cited or reference list (for those of you using footnotes in CMS, footnotes with full bibliographic information will be sufficient). Quotes should be used only sparingly and should not comprise more than 15% of any paper. Use more paraphrase and summaries, instead, with in-text citations. All quotes MUST be clearly marked with quotation marks and in-text citations with the page number included; all paraphrases & summaries from sources must also be cited in the text and written IN YOUR OWN WORDS. A reminder that there is zero tolerance for plagiarism in this class.
The essay should be coherent, fully developed, and well supported by specific evidence. It should have clear and well thought out organization that includes: a clear introduction with a concrete thesis statement, well-developed paragraphs with topic sentences, and a conclusion that follows plausibly from the development of the argument. Essays should be revised and edited for format, organization, mechanics, tone, voice, diction, fluency and spelling.
