Budgeting in any organization, whether it is for-profit, nonprofit, or even a governmental agency, is important for: income planning and monitoring; revenue versus expenses; resource management; and
ENGLISH 1020
DR. PHILLIPS
ESSAY #4: RESEARCH PAPER
Format: Double-spaced, 10 or 12 point plain, professional font (Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, etc.) One-inch standard margins all around. First page heading should have your name, course name and section (ENGL 1020-##), professor’s name, and date. Save your document in Word (“.doc” suffix), Rich Text Format (“.rtf”) or PDF. Label your file as “Lastnameresearchpaper.doc.”
Use MLA format for in-text citations and “Work Cited” page. You should have at least 5 sources. At least one of them should be a primary source, and the others should be secondary.
Length: 1200-1500 words, 5-6 double-spaced pages. The “Works Cited” page does NOT count towards this page count.
Due Date: 11:59 pm Monday, July 2 in the Dropbox.
OBJECTIVES:
Creating a focused, compelling research question about a topic
Creating a credible thesis that answers the research question
Developing a persuasive argument for the thesis, using logos, ethos, and pathos
Finding and using valid academic sources for information and evidence
Using direct quotations and accurate, comprehensible paraphrases appropriately
Using MLA in-text citations and Works Cited entries correctly
THE ASSIGNMENT:
Choose either your Proposal or Evaluation essay to develop into a 5-6 page research paper that is an academic argument. This means more than just adding additional sources, quotations or paraphrases. You need to look deeper into your topic, possibly changing your research question and thesis. Here are some suggestions for doing this:
Maybe make your research question more about the ideas behind your question. For example, instead of just stating who is the greatest athlete in your sport, define what greatness means, and how your chosen athlete fulfills that. Instead of simply proposing college athletes should be paid, maybe explore what they bring to a school’s reputation and finances and whether that’s enough to deserve payment as well as a scholarship.
Research and develop the context or background of your subject. Look more into causes of your problem and past attempts to solve it. Or look more into the history and characteristics of horror films before stating why your choice is the best one.
Research some common objections to your proposed solution or evaluation and develop them more fully. State what solutions were used in the past and why they succeeded or failed. Look at other candidates for “the best” in your category, and why they were labeled that.
Develop your rebuttal or answers to the objections fairly and fully. Be fair in acknowledging what may have worked but why your solution is better. Or admit that past examples of the best were actually the best, although context or your criteria may have changed.
Acknowledge the flaws and/or limitations of your solution or choice. You can still explain why you think the audience should consider your solution would work, or your choice for the best is valid.
USE OF SOURCES:
You may not end up using quotations or paraphrases from all of your sources; sometimes some sources are just useful in giving you background or basic information about your topic. But you should use evidence to back up your claims whenever you can. You also use sources to show what others have said about your topic, such as their proposed solutions or candidates for the best.
At least one of your sources should be a primary source. Some primary sources, like video of a game, recording of a song, performance in a film, etc, need description and explanation to prove your point.
Know the difference between direct quotations and paraphrases and when to use them. As a rule, use direct quotations when the original language can’t be improved upon, or you are focusing on the language in the quotation as part of your argument. Paraphrases are good for summarizing, simplifying complex or overly technical language, or demonstrating that you understand the concept. Paraphrases are also used when the information in the source is more important than the language used.
