Essay 4 (with Extra Handouts)

Here's the link for your last major essay assignment in this class, your argumentative research paper assignment, Essay 4:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STNkN6RWVQUE1reGM/view?usp=sharing.

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Now, since Essay 4 is a formal research paper assignment, let me give you a few links to help you with this kind of assignment.

First, here's the link to the school library website, where you can find all those databases that can help you search for articles to use in a research paper:
http://www.nvcc.edu/library/.
(Remember: Click on "Articles," then "Recommended Databases for Most Topics," and under this heading, you'll find a list of fairly general databases. The best and broadest of these are probably Academic Search Complete and Proquest.)

Okay, got a few articles to work with? Now, are you wondering how to start putting your materials together and work toward an essay? Here's a sample preliminary plan that a former NOVA student made for a research paper that she wrote:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STR2g0d1NadnJQU2c/view?usp=sharing.

-- Feel free to use this student's example directly. But even if you don't follow this kind of organized plan for your essay, at least notice how this student builds her argument from all the essential pieces that a good research paper has.

Next, here's a link to a handout that shows you how a research paper is often organized in a college class:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STN1NnNUJTRV9Wdms/view?usp=sharing.

-- Notice: This hand out is kind of jokey, kind of corny. But it shows you where everything goes, as well as how it looks, in a formal research paper.

The next handout that I want to show you is a sample research essay with marginal notes, to help you see what the writer is doing at every turn:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STSjUtYkFaNWFld0E/view?usp=sharing.

-- Now, I'm not in love with everything this student does in this sample annotated essay, but I have to admit that the essential moves in this essay make for a decent overall piece of work.

The last link that I want to give you is for our very own library's MLA Citation Guide:
http://libguides.nvcc.edu/MLACitationStyle.

-- When use this guide, remember that you should start with specific articles that you're already looking at in your essay. This guide is intended mostly for getting your Works Cited citations and your in-text citations right.