1. Research work and Essay #5 Research Paper
Research Work Due Dates:
November 11: Topic Choice due
November 18: 5 source Annotated Bibliography due
November 25: Research Paper Outline due
December 6: 10 source Annotated Bibliography due
Research Paper Due Dates:
December 4: Drafts due for Workshop
December 6: Final copies due
Critical thinking, reasoning, and research skills are all fundamental parts of becoming a
successful college student and working professional. To that end, part of the requirements for
passing your required English courses at the college (and almost any college) includes
completing a substantial research project. For our purposes, the research project is an 8-10 page
research paper and some accompanying research work. The paper itself is worth 100 points
while the research work is worth 50 points.
Your topicfor the research paper will be based on the literary works we have read in class. You
should use the skills of literary analysis that we have been developing all semester and augment
your ideas with ten scholarly sources. You may, if you choose, build on work that you
completed in analysis of poetry or drama from Essays 3 & 4. The topic itself should be your
idea, not someone else’s. The research work exists to add depth to your project, not to decide
your topic for you. Your topicshould be argumentative in nature; we will discuss potential
topics in class and discuss how to formulate an effective thesis statement.
Part of the research work for this project includes completing an Annotated Bibliography of
your ten scholarly sources. You will find these scholarly sources from the library and the library
databases. Websites, encyclopedias, blogs, and other non-scholarly sources should notbe used
in the research work or the research paper. Part of your grade for the paper is based on your
research skills. An Annotated Bibliography is a list of your sources (in MLA format) with an
accompanying short paragraph that describes the source and its value to your project.
Keep in mind, as you work, that all sources must be cited in MLA format; this includes quotes,
summaries, and paraphrases. You should refer to your primary source (the literary text) and your
secondary sources (the 10 sources you choose to use for the paper).