Research Paper

Research Essay (due 9 April): For this assignment, you will write a well-developed
argumentative research essay (1000-1200 words) that supports your thesis/stance, and refutes
any counter-arguments. Your topic must be chosen from the following list:
• Should Canada’s Universities offer free tuition?
• Should Newfoundland and Labrador be investing in wind energy rather than hydro
electricity?
• Should the Federal Government provide a guaranteed income to citizens?
• Should Canada’s military focus on peacekeeping or on engaging in war?
• A topic of your choosing (must be approved by the instructor)
As this is a research essay, students are expected to draw from at least 4 appropriate and
relevant sources. Essays must contain a Works Cited list that adheres to MLA standards
and conventions.
The assignment itself will be graded using the following rubric:
• Organization (20pts): this metric reflects how well the essay is structured, but also
encompasses length and formatting. For an essay to get an 80% or higher in
organization (16/20 or more), it needs to have a clearly articulated thesis statement,
and be well-structured, appropriately spatialized (no long blocks of text or too many
choppy paragraphs), correctly formatted (MLA), and not too long or too short.
• Mechanics (15pts): Mechanics refers to the quality of the writing in terms of grammar
and punctuation. For an essay to get an 80% or higher in mechanics (12/15 or more),
there must be minimal/no obvious mistakes at the sentence and word levels. This most
notably includes spelling, word choice, comma issues (too many, too few,
inappropriately placed – this falls under punctuation, but it’s so common that it
deserves special mention), awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, improper punctuation
(colons, semicolons, apostrophes, etc).
• Evidence and Analysis (15pts): Evidence and Analysis (Ev/An) refers to the
sophistication of the examples and reasoning provided to make the case and prove the
thesis. For an Essay to receive an 80% or higher in Ev/An (12/15), it must use
effective and relevant examples to support its points, and must demonstrate sound
logic in its analyses.
Proposal (due 19 March): The research essay proposal is a short summary (225-300 words) of
your intended research topic for the final paper. It should be written in complete, grammatically
correct sentences and give an overview of both what you are going to argue (your thesis
statement), and how you are going to prove it (by outlining your main arguments and counterarguments, and overall paper structure). A working bibliography (called a “Works Cited” list,
in MLA style) containing at least 4 sources must also be included. The proposal will be
graded on:
• Content: proposal gives an overview of both what you are going to argue (your thesis
statement), and how you are going to prove it (by outlining your main arguments and
counter-arguments, and overall paper structure) (2 marks)
• Mechanics: proposal is written in complete, grammatically correct sentences (1 mark)
• Works Cited (WC): proposal includes a properly-formatted Works Cited list with at least
4 items (2 marks)