MUST BE IN MLA FORMAT!!!!! FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS CLOSELY!!!

TOPIC: THE STORY OF Candide by Voltaire (I HAVE ATTACHED MY TOPIC TO THE POST)

Research Paper Directions

Due Date: Upload Research Paper by the end of Week 8: Unit 1

Instructions

Your research paper should be an argumentative essay that makes a specific claim regarding an

interpretation of one of the course readings. Support this claim and argument in a well-

developed, well-written, and well-organized essay of at least 2000 words (roughly 6-8 typed,

double-spaced pages). To support your argument, incorporate quotes, summaries, or paraphrases

from at least five secondary sources accessed through the GMC library, as well as the literary

work or works you are discussing. In order for you to successfully complete this assignment,

read and reread the following directions:

-Reread the texts you enjoyed or that interested you and take careful notes. Then, brainstorm,

journal, free-write, and research to develop your own interpretation and argument. All of these

things will help you narrow down and then fully develop your topic.

-Once you have decided on a topic, begin doing preliminary research (you will need to do a lot

of research for this assignment anyway). Read what other literary critics have said. This will

help you to further narrow down your topic, and even to find some of the sources you will end up

using in the paper. Remember that you are a literary critic too—this means you should feel free

to question and disagree with the interpretations you read in articles from our library databases.

-Make sure your thesis is an arguable one, something that readers might actually agree or

disagree with. Don’t be afraid to take a leap and put forward a new, creative, and/or unique

interpretation. Remember that any argument can be a good one if you properly support it with

evidence from the text.

-Note that you need to use five secondary sources in your paper. These are sources that provide

interpretations of your author and their work. Note that summaries and overviews of your author

and their work do not count, because they simply provide information that could be found

anywhere. In addition, the literary work or works you are writing about are considered primary

sources, so they do not count towards your five sources.

-Your paper must incorporate information from outside sources found through the GMC library.

Remember that you have three methods for incorporating outside information into any paper:

you can quote (use the source’s exact words), paraphrase (put the source’s words into your own

words), or summarize (boil down information from a source to a 1-2 sentence summary in your

own words). If you need to review these topics, check out the information at the Purdue OWL

here http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/

-Avoid unnecessary plot summary and biographical information. Assume that your reader has

already read the work you are discussing, and assume that your reader knows important

information about the author’s life as well.

-Play the numbers game. Remember that your paper must be at least 2,000 words (not counting

the Works Cited), and the paper must include at least 5 secondary sources accessed from the

GMC library. Note that sources like Wikipedia, Sparknotes, and other open-web sources are not

appropriate for this paper. Conduct your research through the library like a real researcher,

rather than relying on Google to find open-web sources that may not be appropriate.

-MLA formatting for paper style, in-text citations, and the Works Cited is a significant part of

this paper. Review the Purdue OWL MLA section

(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/), and other MLA guides for examples of

what your paper should look like.

-Organize your argument to maximize its effectiveness. Your introduction should include a

thesis. Each paragraph of your paper should include a topic sentence that references your thesis.

Each sentence in each paragraph should directly support that paragraph’s topic sentence.

-Finally, don’t forget the little things. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be perfect.

Edit and revise your work. Manage your time efficiently to allow yourself the opportunity to

read and reread your final paper multiple times.

-As always, contact your instructor whenever you have questions.

-The Research Paper is worth 200 points, or 20%, of your final course grade. The general rubric

for the Research Paper is provided below:

Argument/Interpretation 60 points

Use, Quality, and Correctness of Research,

including MLA formatting

 

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