Parameters:
- 1000 words minimum, 1750 words maximum
- Use/incorporate at least 5 sources from reliable, relevant, and academic sources (does not have to be peer reviewed); these should be used as support in the body of the essay. Sources can be from our library but do not have to be. If they are from the web, they need to end in .edu, .org, or .gov. (if you include .coms I will deduct points)
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- Further, I need to be able to access your source or to see it that it exists (excluding hard copy books). This means any online article link needs to be functional and accessible to me.
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DO NOT use .com sources.
- Notes: use signal phrases to introduce source material (quotes, paraphrases, and summaries)
- Synthesize source information (meaning you reference more than one source per main idea as support for those main ideas ideally showing how those sources are related.)
- Do not rely on anecdotal evidence. Every major main idea (i.e. paragraph) should have source evidence to help you support it and back it up.
- Document and cite all information that is not common knowledge, you didn’t generate yourself, or otherwise was obtained from a source.
- Do not reference Wikipedia. Do not use sources that are questionable in credibility.
- Not all .orgs are equal. Some are just as bad as .coms. Be choosy.
- Sources referenced in the intro or conclusion will be not be counted as one of your 5 minimum sources unless you also use them in some way in the body.
- MLA formatted in-text citations
- MLA formatted works cited page (does not count towards word count)
- Have a clear thesis which makes a claim about an issue of cause and effect.
- Address at least one condition of rebuttal.
- Essays should have a solid introduction, well-developed body paragraphs that logically build on one another in a coherent manner, and a strong conclusion paragraph that sums up the major points, restates the main claim and offers final insight.
General Prompt: Write an argument about an issue which explores the implications of causes and/or effects, making a clear claim about those implications. Ultimately, the only real parameter as far as topic is that it is an issue in which the most significant element of the thesis statement makes a claim related to causes and/or effects. 🙂