About this Assignment
In this course, you’ve learned the fundamentals of academic and professional writing. You’ve learned how to evaluate and select sources for research, how to write and revise a paper, and how to deliver a presentation based on your research.
Through the remainder of the assignments in this course, you will demonstrate what you have learned by selecting a research topic, choosing your sources, developing your argument, writing a research paper, and delivering a presentation on your research.
For this assignment, you will select your research topic, evaluate and choose the sources you will use for your research paper, and summarize the information in each source and how you will use them in your paper.
Prompt
Select a topic, issue, or problem of your choice to research and find the best research to prove your point. For this assignment, you will identify three
unique sources and write one paragraph about each one, summarizing it and then citing it properly using MLA format.
As you choose the topic for your entire research paper, make sure to choose something that is arguable – a topic that presents two or more opinions.
You must be able to find qualitative and quantitative research on this topic, so if that does not exist, you should not pursue it as a topic .
After selecting an arguable topic, begin to research it on credible research databases. See below for more information about research requirements.
You must find at least three credible sources that you would like to use to support your argument.
After evaluating and choosing your sources, write a paragraph each paraphrasing the information in the source and summarizing how you will use it in your paper. How will it inform and persuade your reader in your research paper? There should be at least three paragraphs total, one for each source. Below each paragraph, you should cite the source according to MLA format.
Research Requirement
Please write your paper in MLA format. As part of your research, you must use at least one other credible source from a scholarly journal in addition to the essay you’ve selected as your topic. You may also refer to the course material for supporting evidence, but if you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in MLA format (including the lesson title and instructor’s name).
Please make use of the following resources to conduct your research:
- JSTOR – A digital library containing thousands of primary sources and journals for research purposes. You can sign up for a free account that you can use to access up to 6 articles per month.
- Google Scholar – A free resource you can use to access peer-reviewed journals and other scholarly resources.
If you’re unsure about how to use MLA format to cite your sources, please see the following lesson:
Grading Rubric
Your essay will be graded based on the following rubric:
| Category | Unacceptable (0-1) | Needs Improvement (2-3) | Good (4) | Excellent (5) | Total Possible Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choice of research topic (x1) | Topic is irrelevant or missing | Topic is present, but unclear or not arguable | Topic is clearly and succinctly stated and is arguable | Topic is clear, arguable, and compelling | 5 |
| Summary of sources (x1) | Fewer than three sources are listed; none are summarized | At least three sources are listed, but are not credible sources of information | Three credible sources are included that are appropriate for the topic; relevant info from sources summarized | Three or more credible sources are listed that are highly relevant and applicable for the thesis; relevant info from sources summarized with research paper in mind | 5 |
| Format (x1) | MLA format is not evident or has major errors related to citations. | MLA format is evident but has a number of errors related to citations. | MLA format is evident and has few to no errors related to citations. | MLA format is evident and has no errors related to citations. | 5 |
Before You Submit
Before you submit your assignment, please review the Academic Integrity Policy to ensure that you fully understand what constitutes plagiarism and its consequences.
Written assignments should be completely original, free of any plagiarism, and properly cited. Plagiarizing your assignments may result in an automatic zero for your assignment or course grade, and the potential termination of your Study.com subscription.
We recommend proofreading your assignment and verifying that it’s completely original by using an online plagiarism checker such as PlagScan or Duplichecker to make sure that your assignment is not too similar to any existing materials.