Research/Synthesis
The writing assignment:
In your future courses, you will rarely be given a tightly-limited topic assignment. You will need the
basic skills of finding and limiting a topic, formulating a thesis, and researching material to support
your thesis. This research/synthesis paper asks you to demonstrate those skills.
For this paper you will select and narrow a topic, find research material, and write a six-page
research paper with appropriate MLA documentation of your outside resources.
Mechanical details:
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The final product will be typed and double-spaced according to
MLA format.
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Length: Minimum 2000 words not counting title, your name, etc. That’s about a
six-page paper. There is no maximum, but try to keep it under 3000. Papers significantly under the
minimum (80% or less) will not receive the best possible grade. The Works Cited page does not count
as part of the word count.
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Outside sources: The essay will have MLA in-text citations and an MLA Works Cited
page which cites at least four outside sources. The MLA documentation will count for 25
points.
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The final copy of the paper will be submitted through the
Blackboard drop box. To
submit your essay, open the Course Essentials folder at the top of our Blackboard page and
find this essay’s drop box in the Written Assignment Drop Boxes folder.
Due dates:
- Proposal memo due: Monday, November 2, 2026
- Thesis memo due: Wednesday, November 11, 2026
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Analyzing your draft: Bring your rough draft of Essay #4 to class Monday, November 30, 2026
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Peer Editing: Bring
two paper copies of your
rough draft of Essay #4 to class Wednesday, December 2, 2026
- Final Flight Check: Friday, December 4, 2026
- Final Copy Due: Monday, December 7, 2026
The finished essay is worth 175 points. Of these 175 points, 25 are the MLA documentation.