Final Persuasive Research Essay
The essay assignment is to write a 15-page persuasive essay that applies information, examples and evidence from at least 7 academically acceptable outside sources* that work to prove your point or perspective on a focused topic.
You can choose whatever topic you want for this assignment, so long as that you are able to develop a thesis that can be supported with evidence to convince your reader of your point of view. Avoid topics that are based on opinions, religious views, or subjective moral codes. The thesis (central claim) should be debatable, plausible, and consequential.
Your essay should be organized:
- Start with an introductory paragraph that explains your topic and ends with a clear thesis that is relevant, and debatable.
- Remain focused on the thesis throughout the essay with each body paragraph giving a new example/reason that supports the thesis by including outside evidence that is correctly documented (cited) to back up your reasons.
- End with a concluding paragraph that sums up your argument and leaves your reader with something to think about
Your essay should make good use of sources:
- Your essay must include at least 5 academically appropriate outside sources that are cited both within the text and in a Works Cited page at the end of the essay. At least 3 of these sources must be retrieved from the library database. No more than one video source is permitted.
- The essay should not rely too heavily on any one source but, rather, synthesize ideas, claims, information and quotes from all the sources to build the argument.
- The sources should be used to support YOUR ideas and your argument; the essay should not be organized around the sources, but rather around your argument.
Your essay should be written clearly and correctly:
- Proofread for grammatical errors and to ensure that all sentences make sense. Be sure to follow standard rules of writing such as italicizing titles, capitalizing proper nouns and using punctuation correctly.
- The essay should be at least 8 pages long, Times New Roman, 12" font, double spaced, standard margins.
*see the section on sources for the guidelines regarding what is acceptable
