A Few Good Men
Research Paper Assignment
A research paper is a formal written explication that uses credible scholarly sources to support a thesis. The research paper will examine the assigned primary literary text. Students will support their claims and arguments about the primary text through citing any combination of sources from library databases and other sources approved by the course instructor. Primary texts serve as catalysts for a variety of cross-disciplinary lenses, including sociological, psychological, literary, historical, philosophical, scientific, as well as other critical approaches. Writers must evaluate their sources, situate themselves in a critical debate, articulate a thesis, and support their claims.
Purpose: Analyze a subject related to or based on an assigned literary text
Content: Synthesis of key aspects of a topic related to or based on at least
one assigned literary text. Note that research topics must receive the approval of course instructors.
Language and Style: To establish credibility with the audience, the language and style of academic writing must be formal.
Length: 5 – 7 pages excluding Works Cited
Format: MLA 8th edition for all aspects of the research paper:
Number of Sources: 1 assigned primary source minimum and 3 peer-reviewed/scholarly secondary sources minimum
Types of Sources: Only assigned texts can be used as primary sources. Secondary sources must be peer-reviewed and scholarly. Wikipedia, blogs, and other non-peer reviewed sources such as study guides, GradeSaver, Schmoop, and CliffNotes and similar resources cannot be used as any of the sources