Writing Project #5: The Formal Research Essay

BACKGROUND

At this point in the semester you have worked on four culminating research projects. For Assignment #1 you learned how to engage with an academic source through the process of summarizing and critical engagement. Then, in Assignment #2, you used these previous skills and applied them to researching and interacting with five academic sources. In addition, you created a proposal that outlined a research question, purpose, and direction for the work that you'll be doing during the rest of the semester. Next, in Assignment #3 you worked to self-grading Assignment #2 and meeting on a one-on-one basis with your instructor. Then Writing Project #4 asked you to craft a first-person narrative that describes your exploration of a subject or question through academic research.

DIRECTIONS

Finally, for Writing Assignment #5: The Formal Research Essay, you will write an essay to support a thesis, take a position, or propose a solution in response to a question that you have developed. Assignment #5 is the culminating writing assignment of the semester. Therefore, you're encouraged to use all of the writing, source culmination, research, and other materials you've produced for this semester, on this final assignment.

Your essay should be between 8-10+ pages, double-spaced using MLA formatting rules. This essay also needs to include a separate works cited page. You will need to cite, at minimum, 7+ academic sources throughout your essay. You're required to use at least two in-text citations for each source.

GOALS

For Writing Assignment #5 you will accomplish the following:

1. Write a thesis-based research paper using multiple sources;

2. Establish the context and background needed for your audience;

3. Explore multiple research purposes and genres;

4. Practice outing and other prewriting strategies;

5. Use the conventions of an academic conversation as a guide for organization and tone.