ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH ESSAY

The essay assignment for this course asks you to take a leadership role by identifying a problem or issue in which you are personally invested, engage purposefully in research on this problem or issue, and write an essay that effectively advocates change on this problem or issue. Put simply, you have the freedom to write a well-researched essay on an issue of your choosing, and must construct a clear and effective argument on this issue.

However, you are not expected to accomplish all of this in your Initial Draft. For this first draft, focus on getting your thoughts on paper and organizing the different pieces of your argument in a cohesive way. If it helps you get organized and see the pieces of your argument, feel free to write this Initial Draft as a detailed outline. Look at these examples of research essay outlines for guidance: Georgia Tech Outline Guide (Links to an external site.) and Walden University Outlining Strategies (Links to an external site.).

Your Research Log, Annotated Bibliography, and Literature Review would be good places to start for producing your Initial Draft. They are roadmaps of your essay, explaining your general topic, argument, and outside research. Draw from these texts you’ve already written as jumping-off points for this first draft. Draft an introductory paragraph that introduces your topic and your main argument on this topic (thesis statement). Lay out the different supporting ideas you’ll explore to support this main argument (body paragraphs). Summarize points of evidence you’ll use to support these ideas. Include quotes from your research sources that you plan on using to back up your evidence.

You must also use ProWritingAid (Links to an external site.)as a tool for reviewing your essay prior to submission. Access the free version of this writing support software, upload your draft into the interface and look through the different tabs at the top to get feedback on the mechanics, style, and readability of your essay draft. Review areas of improvement generated by the ProWritingAid report and include a reflection on the enhancements you plan to make to your draft after reviewing the recommendations.

Your paper should be 3-5 pages in length and should follow APA guidelines. Following your 3-5 page essay, your reflection on ProWritingAid should be no less than two paragraphs.

ENG 124 ESSAY
ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH ESSAY
MINIMUM 5-7 PAGES 4-6 CREDIBLE OUTSIDE SOURCES 12 PT DOUBLE-SPACED, APA FORMAT DUE: WEEK 6 ON CANVAS
OVERVIEW
The essay for this course asks you to take a leadership role by identifying a problem or issue
in which you are personally invested, engage purposefully in research on this problem or
issue, and write an essay that effectively advocates change on this problem or issue. Put
simply, you have the freedom to write a well-researched essay on an issue of your choosing,
and must construct a clear and effective argument on this issue. Your chosen essay topic should be an issue or question you care deeply about, for whatever reason, as that will make your path through the assignment (and the course) much more successful.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Make use of the following steps and questions to guide yourself through your essay:
1. Explore potential topics. What do you care about? What issues or problems do you have a personal investment in? What questions are you genuinely curious about? What communities are affected by these issues or problems? Don’t just immediately choose a “standard” research essay topic that you think will get you a good grade. Think of topics personal to you!
2. Choose one topic and focus it down. What makes you genuinely curious/interested/ invested in this question (i.e. focusing “video games” down to “representations of gender in video games” or “possible influences of video gaming on problem-solving capacities”).
3. Research your topic/issue and gather 4-6 credible sources that speak to or address different sides of this topic/question.
4. Read your sources intently; summarize, analyze, and evaluate each source.
5. Put these sources into interaction with one another, creating a conversation that incorporates
multiple points of view on your question/topic. In what ways do these sources agree with one
another? In what ways do they disagree?
6. After surveying what current sources are saying about your topic, insert yourself, and your own
opinions/viewpoints into this conversation, and advocate for your own viewpoint. Some ways that you can enter into this conversation are by asking:
What viewpoint do you think the current research is missing that you want to add? What viewpoint/opinion do you think needs to be further emphasized that you want to highlight?
What information on your issue do you think needs to be further explored that you want to contribute?
Your Final Draft
The final product of this path will therefore take the form of an argumentative research paper, in which you must:
• Briefly acknowledge and discuss the differing viewpoints on your issue. What is the conversation?
• Clearly inform the reader of your own viewpoint/argument towards your issue(your own thesis statement). What are you adding to the conversation? How does your argument relate to the current threads of the conversation? Where does it fit in?
• Use the credible outside research you found to either support your viewpoint/argument, or serve as an opposition for you to argue against or refute (ideally both).