The ability to do effective research is necessary in many fields. Successful college students need to be able to write research papers that look at a topic in a careful, analytic way and present the results of that research in a well-written, carefully documented paper.

For this course you will complete a research paper on one of the following topics:

1. Will distance learning change American education?

2. Should Pre-K be available to everyone?

3. How does social media impact bullying?

4. A rewarding career does not have to be highly paid.

5. What will our libraries look like in ten years?

6. How will technology change the health care field?

7. What is the future for electric cars.

You are permitted and encouraged to narrow your topic and give it your own focus. At any point, if you are unsure of how to proceed, ask your instructor.

As the semester proceeds, you will be asked to submit some interim assignments. They are as follows:

• Research Proposal: End of Week 7
• Annotated Bibliography: End of Week 9
• Rough Draft of Paper: optional at any point
• Final Paper: End of Week 13

Grading

Your paper will be graded according to the approved English Department Rubric. In addition, you should meet the following criteria:

* Papers should be 5-8 pages. That is approximately 1700 words

* Papers should be edited to perfection.

* You must follow the most recent MLA format. It is available online and, most easily, via our library. You must use MLA format for in-text references and citations at the end.

* You must use 4-8 sources. (You can and should use some more than once.) At least two of the sources must be in the past 18 months.

* At least one of the articles you use must be from The New York Times

* The paper must be turned in on time.

* Successful papers will synthesize the research on the topic and draw a conclusion.

* Pay attention to the steps along the way to help you: proposal, annotated bibliography, rough draft