Online English 2020 Paper 3: Thesis, Outline, Annotated Bibliography

Online English 2020

Paper 3: Thesis, Outline, Annotated Bibliography

Purpose of the Paper

 

Paper three will represent some finalizing of the groundwork for paper four by providing a detailed outline of the structure of paper four along with specifics about your arguments and thesis. It is worth up to 250 points, or 25% of your final grade.

Instructions for Paper Three

 

The First Part:

At this point in the term, you will have researched your topic in detail and have a clear idea about what you want to write about. Now you are required to finish the semester with the topic you present in paper three. The details may change between papers three and four, but not the topic. You should know by now whether the topic will work.

Paper three, which is worth up to 250 points, will present five things:

(1) the title of your final paper on the title page. Be sure to include your section number.

(2) a discussion your topic, any changes you’ve made, and your (almost) final argumentative thesis statement.

(3) a description of your audience, its interest in the controversy, and its education level.

(4) a detailed outline of your final paper, and

(5) at least ten reference entries, each one annotated.

Specifics:

• The Title:The title should give a clear, specific, and concise indication of the topic the report will cover. A title is usually around four to seven words in length and should be no longer than 12 words. Be careful that your title is not overly generalized. For example, the titles “Depression” and “Recent Trends in Combating Forest Fires” are too general in nature. Have your title reflect your argumentative thesis statement. Avoid titles which include humor or contain puns, or which ask a question — make a definitive statement. The title should stand alone so that the reader can easily understand what the paper will be about.
• The Essay and the Thesis Statement:How has your thinking evolved since you chose the topic? What problems do you anticipate solving in the final paper? How do you feel about the importance of the controversy now? Make sure the thesis statement gives your position on the controversy and is only one sentence long.
• The Audience Statement: When you write your final paper, you should have a clear audience in mind. That is, you should be cognizant of who will be reading your paper so that you can appropriately present the topic information. Review p. 38 in INQ. Depending on the complexity and sophistication of your topic, I suggest not writing to a general audience with a high school education because you will end up spending a lot of space in your paper explaining basic concepts and defining terms. Specify your audience’s education level and degree of interest in the controversy. Note that I will be reading your report too, so I should also be part of your targeted audience.
• The Outline: A detailed outline will aid you greatly in producing a highly organized and concise paper. If you are not clear on how an outline looks or what it is supposed to cover, check online for help, or see the Writing Center. Your word program probably has an outlining program.

Your outline should include these sections and follow this pattern:

1.  First, an Introduction, which states the issue, some background, and ends with your thesis,
2. Next, the opposing position, fairly described, with expert support, followed by your rebuttals,

III. Third, your position (arguments) in detail, with rebuttals from your opponents,

1. And last, your conclusion, which should sum things up briefly and call for action (if appropriate)

Break down each capital roman numeral into an A. and B., and at least 1. and 2. for one of the capital letters, thus:

I.

A.

B.

1,

2.

The more you give me here, the better my help will be.

The first part should be about 5 pages in length.

 

The Second Part: References

Your references for this paper, in addition to following APA formatting, will be annotated. An annotated reference list presents each source and follows the entry with a concise paragraph (3 or 4 sentences, or >75 words) describing the entry.

All or part of the following items may be described in an annotation:

• the content (focus) of the source,
• the usefulness of the source for your argument (either pro or con),
• any limitations the source may have,
• the audience to which the source is addressed,
• the methods (research) and their evaluation used in the source,
• the reliability of the source,
• the author’s background and credibility,
• the conclusions drawn by the source,
• your reaction to the source,
• how and where you may use this source in your thesis.

At least ten sources must be annotated.

The second part should be 4 or 5 pages in length, depending on how many reference entries you present.

 

Grading Criteria

• A descriptive, professional sounding title.
• A thesis statement that is carefully worded, argumentative in nature, and only one sentence long.
• A statement of audience that clearly specifies the readers and their range of education.
• An outline that is clearly detailed and shows careful planning and thought.
• An outline that shows how you will fulfill the argumentative requirement (see the structure stated above).
• The references are in correct APA format.
• Each of the references has a well written annotation.
• A total of at least 10 authored sources are given.
• At least five of the references are from a scholarly source.
• Word choices, spelling, sentence structures, grammar, and punctuation reflect college-level abilities.

Note: The sources you present now are not necessarily the final sources you will use in paper four, but most of them probably will appear in paper four. You may need to add or eliminate sources later, as circumstances dictate.

 

Paper three is worth up to 250 points.