Touchstone 3.2: Draft an Argumentative Research Essay
ASSIGNMENT: Using your outline and annotated bibliography from Touchstones 1.2 and 2.2, draft a 6-8 page argumentative research essay on your chosen topic.
As this assignment builds on Touchstone 2.2: Create an Annotated Bibliography, that Touchstone must be graded before you can submit your research essay draft. Although unrelated by topic, Touchstone 3.1 must also be graded before you can submit your research essay draft.
Sample Touchstone 3.2
In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI.
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines. Refer to the Sample Touchstone for additional guidance on structure, formatting, and citation.
1. Argumentative Thesis Statement
- ❒ Have you included a thesis in your introduction that includes a clear, arguable stance and supporting reasons?
2. Argument Development
- ❒ Are all of the details relevant to the purpose of your essay?
- ❒ Is the argument supported using persuasive rhetorical appeals and page/paragraph-numbered source material (i.e., direct quotations, paraphrasing, and summary)?
- ❒ Is your essay 6-8 pages (approximately 1500-2000 words, not including your references or reflection question responses)? If not, which details do you need to add or remove?
- ❒ Does the essay consist of at least seven paragraphs – an introduction, five body paragraphs (with at least one for the counterarguments and rebuttals), and a conclusion? Are the body paragraphs ordered logically to strengthen the argument, and do they all contain accurate evidence from credible sources?
- ❒ Do your topic sentences make original and supportable points? Do your topic sentences directly support your thesis statement?
3. Research
- ❒ Have you introduced, contextualized, and cited outside sources effectively using at least some direct quotation, summary, and paraphrase techniques and included page/paragraph-numbered parenthetical citations?
- ❒ Are the sources incorporated smoothly, providing the reader with signal phrases and context for the source information?
- ❒ Have you referenced a range of at least 7 credible sources, and does each source have at least one accurate in-text citation in the essay?
- ❒ Have you properly formatted your citations according to APA style guidelines?
- ❒ Have you included an APA style reference page below your essay and do the sources listed there match those cited in the essay?
4. Reflection
- ❒ Have you answered all reflection questions including specific and concrete examples that provide thoughtful insight in all responses?
- ❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?
B. Reflection
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.
- Provide one example of a place where you have used rhetorical appeals or source material to support your argument. How does this enhance your essay? (2-3 sentences)
- Touchstone 4 is a revision of this draft. What kind of feedback would be helpful for you as you revise? Are there parts of your draft that you’re uncertain of? (3-4 sentences)
D. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:
- Composition must be 6-8 pages (approximately 1500-2000 words, not including your references or reflection question responses).
- Double-space the composition and use one-inch margins.
- Use a readable 12-point font.
- All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
- Composition must be original and written for this assignment.
- Use of generative chatbot artificial intelligence tools (ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Bard) in place of original writing is strictly prohibited for this assignment.
- Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
- Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.
- Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
- Acceptable file formats include .doc and .docx.
- Your annotated bibliography must be graded before your research essay draft will be accepted.
E. Additional Resources
The following resources will be helpful to you as you work on this assignment:
- Purdue Online Writing Lab’s APA Formatting and Style Guide
- This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation types.
- Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style
- This page on the official APA website addresses common questions related to APA formatting. The “References,” “Punctuation,” and “Grammar and Writing Style” sections will be the most useful to your work in this course.
- APA Style: Quick Answers—References
- This page on the official APA Style website provides numerous examples of reference list formatting for various source types.