Research Paper

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• Due Dec 13 by 11:59pm
• Available until Dec 13 at 11:59pm

Research Paper

Topic

You are NOT required to use the same topic from the Research Proposal, but you should; any material generated for the Research Proposal can and should be used on the Final Research Paper.  If you are going to change you topic, do it sooner rather than later.

Rules for the Research Topic

• The topic is up to you;
  • The topic is subject to my approval; you may go against my criticisms, but you do so at the risk of the grade for this assignment and your Final Research Paper.
  • Choose a topic within your major OR a topic about which you are passionate; if it’s not important to you, the writer, it won’t be important to me, the grader.
  • No abortion papers, no medical marijuana papers (though legalization may be considered), no cloning papers, no papers that would be suitable for a high school English class
• Your topic requires at least one or any combination of the following elements:
  • An argument with one specific subject and one specific treatment;
  • A definition of one specific term or phrase;
  • Comparison and/or contrast with one specific similarity and one specific difference;
  • A cause-and-effect with one specific cause and one specific effect as a focus;
  • An analysis of testimony from one specific source OR a comparison and contrast between two sources with one specific similarity and one specific difference.

Thesis

Your thesis is up to you, but remember it must have at least one or any combination of the following elements:

• An argument with one specific subject and one specific treatment;
• A definition of one specific term or phrase;
• Comparison and/or contrast with one specific similarity and one specific difference;
• A cause-and-effect with one specific cause and one specific effect as a focus;
• An analysis of testimony from one specific source OR a comparison and contrast between two sources with one specific similarity and one specific difference.

Sources

Sources for the Research Proposal must adhere to the following:

• You must include at least 6 sources.
  • Print must-have original page numbers from their original publication.
  • You will need at least one Book and at least one Academic Article.
  • Books and E-books must be obtained through the SAC Library
  • All-Academic Journal articles must be obtained through the SAC Library; articles found on EBSCOhost will count as print sources if an only if they are in PDF form.
  • You may use 1 source from our textbook, 1 web-based source (i.e. websites; EBSCO is not a web based-source, it is a search engine for Print Sources), and 1 media source like a documentary or interview.
• NO dictionaries, encyclopedias, wikis, or textbooks from other courses
• NO sources obtained through Google and Wikipedia.

Length

The essay should be no longer than 6-8 pages.  Your essay must be a minimum of 6 Full pages.

Basic Requirements for All Formal Academic Papers

For any Formal Academic Essay to receive full credit, it must meet the following requirements.  Any derivation will result in a lowering of your essay’s grade:

• Typed, no hand-written essays whatsoever;
• 12 point font, no other font sizes whatsoever;
• Times New Roman, no other fonts whatsoever;
• 0 spacing, no single-spaced essays whatsoever;
• All essay must be submitted online;
• All essays must be submitted to Turnitin.com and receive a score of less than 15% on an originality report;
  • Essays with reports above 15% will be investigated on an individual basis and may be cleared;
• All essays must be turned in through Canvas; no email or other digital submissions, except with my permission or by my request;
• All essay be the full length as required by the directions;
• All essays, should they require research, must have the required number of sources;
• Any research must be from approved sources as outlined in the instructions;
• Must have the proper heading on page 1 and page 1 only;
  • Your name;
  • The class (ENGL 101);
  • My name (Geoffrey Arnold);
  • The due date;
  • A title of your creation (be creative; don’t bold, underline, or change font size; just center it);
• All essays should have page numbers and your last name on each page;
• The essay should NOT have any gaps between the heading, title, and paragraphs;
• Essays should NOT include a title page (waste of paper) or plastic jacket (waste of money)