Then, start writing a research paper in which you argue your own point of view on the topic in response to your chosen research question.

• This is a research paper, and I expect that you will be entering a scholarly discussion on your topic. You therefore need to take into account previous work and opinions on your topic, and you should cite those sources in your paper using proper MLA formatting as described in the latest edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or Diana Hacker's online guide at <http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s1.html> (in-text citations) and <http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s2.html> (Works Cited).
• You should cite at least four sources (as described above for your Annotated Bibliography).  They need not be the same sources that you listed in the Annotated Bibliography if you have found others that work better for you.  At least two of your sources must be peer-reviewed articles from academic journals .
• Assume that your audience is a smart, educated person who is not an expert on your topic but is very interested in academic discussions of your topic. As you write, it might help to think of a smart friend of yours as your audience.
• All papers must be written in Microsoft Word (available in all UWB computer labs) and must run between 900 and 1200 words (not counting the mandatory Works Cited page), according to the word count tool in Microsoft Word. Do not use Microsoft Works. It must be Word.
• Please do not use a cover page or footnotes. If you wish to quote, do so sparingly, and only after reading Becky Reed Rosenberg's document, "Using Direct Quotation" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Quotation.html>. If you paraphrase or quote one of the authors about whom you are writing, you can provide just a page number if it is obvious whom you are citing (such as when you refer to an author in the text of your sentence). Be sure you cite correctly according to MLA format according to the latest edition of the MLA Handbook.
• Before you submit your paper, but after getting close to a final version, do some careful editing and proofreading. (I recommend that you wait until you get your ideas organized and on paper before worrying about the less-important mechanics of prose.)
  • Because all teachers have their own idiosyncratic preferences for writing, you should review what mine are by re-reading "Tips for Better Prose" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Prose.html>. Reading this document is a required part of the assignment.  I recommend printing that document, and, after you finish writing your paper, check the items off one by one to make sure your paper is as mechanically sound as you can make it. Although the mechanics of writing are less important to me than the ideas expressed, the mechanics inevitably improve the effectiveness of your communication of ideas, which, after all, is your ultimate goal with each piece of writing that you do.
  • As a formal piece of university writing, your paper should be typed and double-spaced throughout, using a standard font (like Times New Roman) in 12-point size, and with margins of one inch all the way around each page. In the top, left-hand corner of the first page, place a heading that includes (using one line per item) your name, the course number (BIS 367), the date, and my name (Prof. David S. Goldstein). (See item #20 in "Tips for Better Prose"; a link appears below.) Provide a meaningful but brief title for your paper (not "Research Paper" but rather a short hint of your paper's main argument) that is centered just one double space beneath the heading on the first page and in plain type (no underlining, bold, italics, or quotation marks). (See item #22 in "Tips for Better Prose.")
  • If I think your paper is at least a middle draft, then when I return your paper to you, I will indicate patterns of problems that I noticed in your paper, using a list of codes such as "T1," "T2," and so forth, which refer to the numbered items of the "Tips for Better Prose" document.  (If your paper is still in the early-draft stage, you will have more important things to focus on, and can take care of editing and proofreading after you do the major rewriting.  There obviously is no point in worrying about small matters of prose mechanics if you will be doing major rewriting.)
  • Do a final word count (in the Tools pull-down menu of Microsoft Word) to make sure you are within the stated word count requirements. To count all of the words except the Works Cited page, highlight all of the text except the Works Cited page before using the word count tool. If you are not within the required parameters, then please edit appropriately.
  • Needless to say, your work must be entirely original. Using another person's ideas or words without proper attribution, whether intentional or accidental, constitutes plagiarism, and will result in a zero on this assignment. Please review "Policy on Academic and Behavioral Conduct," which was the first reading assignment for this course.

• To provide time for a revision prior to the final version that you will submit in your final learning portfolio, you must bring two complete, stapled copies to class at 1:15 p.m. sharp on Wednesday, May 21.  We will conduct peer critiques in class that day.

 

 

Stage 4: Revision