Assignment 4.1: Research Paper

You may select your own topic for this research paper.
A two- to three-page (500- to 750-word) research paper – Steps 1-6 you do on your own to prepare your research paper. You only submit your final research paper with correct 7th edition APA formatting which includes an abstract and Reference page. Be sure to use scholarly resources and use in-text citations. You also must have page numbers and a separate title page.
Step 1 Conduct research.
Using your course materials and the Internet, locate an article (two to three pages) that takes a stand on your argumentative research topic. Then, locate a second article that takes the opposite or a different stance on your topic. Use the following to guide your research:

Be sure to select articles that are from reputable sources such as news magazines or scholarly journals.

Step 2 Summarize each article.
Your summaries should be neutral; that is, your opinion on the topic should not be evident in either summary.

What did you learn from the article addressing one side of the issue?
What did you learn from the article addressing the opposite or a different side of the issue?
Be sure to cite both articles used in this assignment according to APA style.

Step 3 Prewrite and plan your essay.
Perform prewriting for your paper. Then, use an outline strategy to plan your essay.
Step 4 Draft an essay.
Using your plan from Step 3, complete the draft of an essay about the two articles. In your draft, be sure to address the following:

Your introduction should provide a brief overview of the research topic.
Your thesis should indicate whether your draft will focus on the similarities, differences, or both between the two articles, and it should prepare readers for the body paragraphs. This draft should also indicate which side you prefer.
Your body paragraphs should include specific evidence (summaries, paraphrases or quotes) that help readers understand the points you are making.
Your conclusion should indicate the effects of the disagreements on this topic. Why do these two sides exist? Why is compromise possible/desirable or not?

Step 5 Revise the essay.

Copy and paste a second version of the draft in the same file; in this copy of your draft, make changes that improve the thesis, the topic sentences, and the transitions in your paper as recommended in any feedback you’ve received.
Make sure that your own thinking is more evident than the material you have borrowed from your two sources, which should have the appropriate in-text parenthetical citations.

Step 6 Edit the essay.

Copy and paste a third version of the draft in the same file; in this copy of your draft, make changes that improve your sentence construction, word choice, and punctuation use.
Specifically, make sure that you are consistently using the present tense to discuss the articles. This version is the one that will be graded for writing quality.