Research Paper
should have an introduction which includes a strong and clearly-expressed thesis statement, a body of paragraphs developing your argument, and a conclusion.
In particular, the paper must have an argument. That is, the paper should take a position on the topic and defend that position in a scholarly manner. For example, a paper on the benefits of water would not be an argument (no one could say water’s not good for you), but a paper on the possible dangers of pharmaceuticals would be. Likewise, papers on government surveillance, the preservation of natural resources, or GMO foods would be argumentative, as there are at least two sides to each topic.
The paper should be in the neighborhood of six pages, double-spaced (not including the Works Cited page). The Works Cited page, listing at least 10 different sources and you should use a rich variety of material—books, journal articles, essays, films, literature— for your paper. The paper should be written in MLA format.