Research Essay

ENG 102 Spring 2017 The Research Essay Assignment
Research Essay Due on MONDAY APRIL ______ (date to be announced) at 11:59pm on
Blackboard only.
The research essay counts for 20% of the final grade, and it must be at least 1,400 words in
length, with in-text citations and a Works Cited page.
THE GOAL. Your goal in writing a research essay is to express an informed argument (claim or
thesis), try to persuade the reader to care about your findings, and to accept your conclusions
on your original question.
What are the components of the research essay? Your research essay should include a title, a
body where you present your research and conclusions, in-text (parenthetical) citations, and a
Works Cited page in MLA style. The essay should be at least 1,400 words in length.
In terms of its content, your essay should include an original claim supported by reasoning and
evidence (“I Say”), and discussions of how your claim responds to the research you have done
in the text itself and in secondary source(s) (“They Say”).
You will need to use direct quotations from the text itself to support your thinking. Exceptional
essays might also include some reflection on your research process, describing how your
thinking on the topic/question evolved in the course of the project.
Timeline: Peer Workshop on essay drafts IN CLASS ONLY on ________(date to be announced).
Final Research Essay due on Monday, APRIL _____ 11:59 PM on Blackboard. Late essays lose 5
points for each day late. No essays will be read after Monday, April _____ (after one week late).

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