Cause and Effect Essay Instructions

Overview: Write an essay that directly addresses either a single cause and its 3 effects or a single effect and its 3 causes. Develop a thesis of causation and support this thesis in the body of the paper through causal analysis.

Topic:  The topic will be your choice, although local and current themes are often the least covered and most interesting. If you choose something that everyone likely already knows about, however, such as “the effects of smoking,” you must avoid explaining the obvious (as if your audience does not know the effects include bad teeth/breath, cancer, shortness of breath, etc.). Remember your audience and that this is a college writing course; your topic will directly reflect your intelligence and capacity for critical thought.

Format: Use the provided outline for help. Your paper should be written in MLA format and should be a FIVE paragraph essay:

• Introduction- one paragraph with a hook, background info, and thesis statement
• Body- three supporting paragraphs, each with a topic sentence that mentions both items being discussed
• Conclusion- one paragraph consisting of a summary and a final thought

Length: The essay must be 3 full pages minimum. Format: Use MLA 9 format for title, heading, citations, and the Works Cited page. Your Works Cited page must be included but does NOT count as part of the 3-page minimum.

Word Choice: Use Third Person Point of View and a formal tone. Avoid using, slang, informal language, and contractions.

Do not use first person (I, me, my) or second person (you, your) pronouns.

Use transition words and phrases to strengthen points and showcase similarities or differences

Use correct grammar; ensure that all sentences are complete.

Research: Research No heavy research is required, but do quote, paraphrase or summarize information from TWO sources, and acknowledge the sources with correct in-text citations. You cannot use Wikipedia, Debate.org, ProCon.org, The Onion, or Daily Mail or any fake news website. Visit the Purdue OWL website and/or use our textbook for help.

Include an MLA-style Works Cited list.

Plagiarism: Your essay will be automatically submitted to TurnItIn to check for plagiarism. Plagiarized essays will earn a grade of 0. Please review the plagiarism policy as stated in the course syllabus.

Assessment: Your essay will directly reflect your capacity for critical thought and your ability to write for a college audience.

Grading: The final essay is worth 100 points.