INSTRUCTIONS: RESEARCHED ARGUMENT ESSAY
Issue and Topic: the same issue you selected for the Proposal assignment. The topic may be adjusted as appropriate to this assignment.

Length: TEN pages:
• The RAE must consist of a minimum of ten text pages (approximately 2,500-3,000 words).
• In addition to the text pages, prepare an APA Cover page. It is not included in the page count.
Sources:
• Secondary research only (no primary research such as interviews, questionnaires, surveys, or on-site observations).
• Preferably, use the MC Library Articles Databases. Many of your topics will benefit by using the Business Source Complete database. The largest and most reliable general database is Academic Search Complete.
• Using the databases has several benefits: its content is curated by librarians, so it is reliable; it returns relevant material in response to your search terms (unlike the Googled web, which returns a million hits which you have to comb through for relevant items); it provides documentation guidance.
• If you use an internet source other than .gov, .edu, or .org, you must qualify the source for academic research by completing the Internet Research Source Evaluation form. Don’t forget to attach this form to your essay (not included in the page count).
Documentation:

• Use APA documentation style. NOTE: APA style contains many document elements. You don’t need to use all of them. Use only this essay’s required elements—cover page and source documentation.
• Use a minimum of ten research sources.
• Write a Research Source Review for each source. It will become part of the citations page at the end. It is a form of annotated bibliograpy.
Sources:
• Ten sources are required. Three of the sources must express a position counter to your position.
• All must be from the MC Library Online Databases or from a U.S. federal or state government “.gov” site, a “.org” site, or an “.edu” site, or from an Internet site for which you have completed the Internet Source Evaluation form establishing it as an appropriate source for an academic essay.
• All sources must be recent – dated no earlier than 2009.

Graphics:
• End the Conclusion with the Argument Structure Chart (claim, reasons, evidence)
• If you include other graphics, they must be created by you (no clip art or cut/paste) and may not occupy over 10% of the total paper length

Required Format: Use this outline to organize the essay –

1. APA style cover page (not included in page count)
2. Introduction
3. Discussion of Research Findings – – an analytical report, with an extended focus on using logic and evidence to support an argument in the form of claim, reasons, and evidence. Include in this section acknowledgement of Opposing Views or Counter-arguments. and a rebuttal of these counter-arguments.
4. Conclusion (text and graphic)
5. Research Sources Review (annotated bibliography)

The table below represents a typical layout of a ten-page-minimum Researched Argument.
Page zero

APA cover page Page 1

Introduction: four parts

Page 2-8

Discussion of Research Findings including Counter argument Page 9

Conclusion – text and graphic – in argument structure
Page 10+

Research Source Review
(annotated bibliography)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH SECTION

1. APA Documentation Style Cover Page

For examples of APA manuscript style, including APA cover page format, see the Purdue University Online Writing Laboratory section on APA style for research papers: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

2: Introduction: Selecting and Shaping a Research Subject (use essay paragraph style) [ 1 page]

The content of the introduction section may be new to you. The Introduction is a sort of “administrative information” section. It explains to the reader what you’re trying to do and how you plan to do it. Begin by explaining the issue, your approach to the issue, the narrowed topic, the question you’re trying to answer, and your plan of work. This type of introduction is typical in college and university-level research essays. Answer these questions, in paragraph form, in the Introduction.

A. Topic. What is your research topic? State the topic in the form of a question. Why is it important or significant? Provide the context of the general issue and explain how you arrived at your specific research topic.

B. Purpose. What is your research objective or purpose? What kind of information are you looking for? Are you going to present a balanced view ending with a logical conclusion or present and prove a position?

C. Research Method.—
• • Sources. Describe the general range and type of research resources you surveyed for your subject. For example, how many databases did you use? Which was most useful? How many internet sources did you use? What type – scholarly, popular media?
• • Search Terms. How did you find your most effective search terms? What are they?
• • Evaluation of Evidence. Describe your logical method of assessing the validity of your research sources and organizing the evidence collected from the sources.
D. Writing Method. How will you organize your findings? (Examples: narrative, cause-effect, comparison, analytical, problem-method-solutions.)

3: Findings including counter-argument (use essay / paragraph style) Treat this section as a mini-essay. [6 – 7 pages]

At this point, you should have a very solid idea of what the research information means, what is significant about it, and maybe even what should be done next, in terms of more research or in terms of actions. In other words, you should have an argument in mind. Structure this section as an analytical essay that supports an argument. Use the Three T’s (see the Resources for Writing on our website). Your thesis statement should be the claim of your argument. It is the response to the topic question. The body paragraphs should present evidence, led by a topic sentence. Transitions should signal the logical links between the analysis and evidence.

Include in this section a counter-argument: opposing or different views — evidence or information that disagrees with your interpretation of the evidence. Acknowledging the counter-argument increases your credibility as a researcher and demonstrated that your research was thorough. Place the counter argument after you have completed your argumentative points, before the conclusion. Rebut each counter-argument. Note: three sources supporting a counter-argument are required. For simpicity’s sake, consider selecting one counter-argument supported by three sources, rather than three different counter-arguments, each supported by one source.

Words of Wisdom: Perform the source review before you write the findings.

This step improves your understanding of the material and helps to find the most important words and phrases that you will probably quote or paraphrase.

4: Conclusion — Text and Graphic [1 page]

This section concludes the Discussion of Findings, but its focus is no longer primarily on the evidence. The focus is sharply on the argument structure, claim, reasons, and evidence, boiled down to a concise persuasive summary. This is your “closing argument,” your most powerful statement of your claim and your most persuasive appeal to the audience. This section may be as brief as one or two paragraphs. End the Conclusion section with a simple graphic representation of your argument. Use the same graphic structure that we used for the Career Analysis Essay.

5: Research Source Review (use complete sentences. Use numbered list format. [2-4 pages]

The Research Source Review, a type of annotated bibliography, is placed here, in the traditional location following the findings. But you should perform the source review before you write the findings. As you collect source material, you should be using the Source Review as a test to see whether you’re using appropriate material. If it fails the test, don’t use it. It will be most helpful if you draft the Source Reviews while you are choosing sources.
The source review, which is an annotated references list, replaces the APA References citation list.