Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

Argumentative Research Paper Length: 10-15 pages of text excluding the Works Cited, notes, outlines, images, etc. Format: MLA manuscript format; 12 pt Times New Roman font; Double space throughout; 1 inch margins. It must follow MLA guidelines for citation as well. Content: The essay is an argumentative essay taking a position on a chosen issue. The issue must be relevant, current, and worthy of discussion. The issue must also be arguable. Certain topics are not allowed (existence of God, abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage); some topics are discouraged (marijuana legalization, death penalty, gun control, euthanasia) Note: the discouraged topics may be considered with new approaches and new academic journal information; however, the same tired tirades will not be effective. Be sure to get approval from the instructor for the topic in advance either through email or the topics discussion board before proceeding too far with the topic. ALL topics must be approved. The essay should be written to an audience that does not agree with the author; however, the audience is open and willing to read logical, well thought out arguments for the author’s position. They are willing to be convinced. The author is responsible for writing logical reasons for his or her position and for providing sources to support those reasons and the position. The author should also address opposition and offer concessions and rebuttals as appropriate to the topic and view point. *Sources should not be the argument or the reasons, but the support and evidence for those reasons. The thesis statement and all topic sentences must be the author’s original thoughts. All sources whether paraphrased, summarized, or quoted must be framed with an appropriate lead in and a parenthetical citation at the end. Sources: The final draft should have between 10-15 sources. The final draft must include sources from each of the following databases: Academic One File, Opposing ViewPoints in Context, and Credo Reference Center. These are NOT optional but REQUIRED. Additional databases may be used as deemed appropriate by the author for the topic chosen. Students should include a few (very limited number) of www sources, but they must have full citations and be properly chosen using the process described in the text for choosing online sources. Sources must also include books. This may be a mix of physical books and e-books. E-Book citations should include the database or other location where the ebook was accessed. If a required resource is not found for a topic, the student is responsible for consulting with the instructor in advance of the Annotated Bibliography due date to either a)seek help finding source or b) choosing a different topic