The paper must clearly lay out what the focus of the paper and what the paper accomplished.   Ideally, you will have one or more introductory paragraphs, one or two laying out the key points of the paper, and finally a paragraph laying out what the paper accomplished and transitioning to the body.  This is why the introduction is usually the last thing revised.

 

For this class you will need to identify you issue or problem and offer both lessons from the arguments you make and solutions or recommendations to resolve the issue or problem.   That is I don’t want just a lot of background or information, but a clear problem statement and a clear solution or recommendation or recommendations at the end, fully supported by what you present in the body.

 

The paper should be at least 7 to 10 pages in duration. The paper length is determined by the parameters the student sets in his or her introduction and the amount of writing necessary to fully develop the topic, and the conclusion one reaches.  All sources of information must be documented and selected bibliography of all sources used or referenced expected.  In short, a paper is as long or as short as it needs to be, no more, no less.

 

I do not expect nor want an abstract, but I do ask for a bibliography in addition to your reference page.   One secret to successful academic and professional writing is keeping a working bibliography, and annotated bibliography/note file going from the start.

 

A reference page is only that material you are citing in the paper.   A bibliography will show the extent of your research, that information was corroborated, and the material you had made your choices for in the body of the paper.  The bibliography includes the material from the reference page.

 

As always the paper must be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format.

 

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

 

A bibliography is required in addition to your reference page.