Research Paper Assignment | Online Assignment

Your title will
be “How to Write a Research Paper” and your thesis will be “Three steps in
writing a research paper are prewriting, writing, and rewriting.” These will
become your required three major headings, and your lettered subheadings will
state the points involved in each area. ( I. The first step is prewriting. I.
A. Decide on a subject and gather and organize sources. II. B. Write a thesis
and an outline. / II. The second step is writing. II. A. Write the introductory
paragraph. II. B. Write the body paragraphs following the outline. II. C. Write
the concluding paragraph. II. D. Write the Works Cited. / III. The third step
is rewriting. III. A. Ensure that the outline and the paper follow the same
order and meet paragraphing requirements. III. B. Check that your quotations
follow MLA guidelines. III. C. Be sure that all sources referred to are on the
Works Cited as required by MLA and that no sources remain on the Works Cited
that are not correctly referred to in the paper. III. D. Revise wording as
needed. III. E. Correct grammar and spelling errors.) Remember that you will
need a separate paragraph in your essay for each of the lettered subheadings in
your paper, so group your points as suggested.
Don’ t worry about everyone’s having the same outline since I’m not deducting
points on the outline unless you don’t have one at all, and I am not giving
extra grades for creativity. (If you try to “do your own thing,” you might
forget to discuss the outline or the thesis as students have previously for
many points off.)
Since your exam essay must have an introductory paragraph, try a 3+ sentence
attention-getter before adding your thesis. You might try something like the
following: “Help!” cried my friend Billy Bob. “I have to write an essay and I
don’t know how!” I replied, “No problem! All you have to do is to follow three
simple steps.” Then add your thesis. Again, don’t worry if you use some version
of this idea since all I need is to be confident that you know how to write a
documented research paper! You then will write a body paragraph for each of the
subheadings on your outline. Your wording, details, and examples must be your
own so I won’t think that you had help or just copied someone else’s essay! (I
know everyone’s style of writing by now.) You could also use Billy Bob for
transitions and continuity throughout your essay. (After completing his
prewriting, Billy Bob began writing his paper.) Billy Bob is really helpful
when you write your concluding paragraph since you can simply write a sentence
telling what he did at each of the three major stages and then conclude: “By
following these three steps, Billy Bob made an “A”! (Add variety by changing
Billy Bob’s name in your paper.)