GEN:499 Final research paper

Final Research Paper

Research the responsibility of a critical thinker in a contemporary society. You may choose any topic that deals with a contemporary social concern. Examine the principles of critical thought in relation to the chosen societal concern, and consider the importance of ethics, moral reasoning, a research-based process to search for truth, and the advantages of information technology in gathering data.

Potential social concerns include, but are not limited to health (e.g., obesity, smoking, or underage drinking), poverty (e.g., homelessness, basic needs, or transportation issues), family relations and dynamics (e.g., teen violence, physical abuse, depression, or suicide), social media (e.g., privacy), immigration (e.g., illegal), and education (e.g., plagiarism and/or cheating).

Your Final Research Paper should:

1. Include a literature review of three scholarly sources based on the selected contemporary issue. Analyze the validity of the author’s arguments and/or biases.
2. Explain how academic knowledge impacts the social elements and institutions of both local and global communities.
3. Assess how the principles of active citizenship could impact the contemporary issue during the next five to ten years.
4. Include at least one reference to a multimedia component (i.e., podcast, interactive website, blog, or video) and evaluate the relevance of this piece in relationship to academic knowledge and the selected issue.

The paper must be 12 to 14 pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least 12 scholarly sources, six of which can be found in the Ashford Online Library.  Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page. For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.

Writing the Final Research Paper
The Final Research Paper:

1. Must be 12 to 14 double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
   • Title of paper
   • Student’s name
   • Course name and number
   • Instructor’s name
   • Date submitted
3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
6. Must use at least 12 scholarly sources, including a minimum of six from the Ashford Online Library.
7. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
8. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Instructor Guidence: …………………………………………………..

Research the responsibility of a critical thinker in a contemporary society. You may choose any topic that deals with a contemporary social concern. Examine the principles of critical thought in relation to the chosen societal concern, and consider the importance of ethics, moral reasoning, a research-based process to search for truth, and the advantages of information technology in gathering data.

Potential social concerns include, but are not limited to health (e.g., obesity, smoking, or underage drinking), poverty (e.g., homelessness, basic needs, or transportation issues), family relations and dynamics (e.g., teen violence, physical abuse, depression, or suicide), social media (e.g., privacy), immigration (e.g., illegal), and education (e.g., plagiarism and/or cheating).

Your Final Research Paper should:

1. Include a literature review of three scholarly sources based on the selected contemporary issue. Analyze the validity of the author’s arguments and/or biases.
2. Explain how academic knowledge impacts the social elements and institutions of both local and global communities.
3. Assess how the principles of active citizenship could impact the contemporary issue during the next five to ten years.
4. Include at least one reference to a multimedia component (i.e., podcast, interactive website, blog, or video) and evaluate the relevance of this piece in relationship to academic knowledge and the selected issue.

The paper must be 12 to 14 pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least 12 scholarly sources, six of which can be found in the Ashford Online Library.  Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page. For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.

Writing the Final Research Paper

The Final Research Paper:

1. Must be 12 to 14 double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
• Title of paper
• Student’s name
• Course name and number
• Instructor’s name
• Date submitted
3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
6. Must use at least 12 scholarly sources, including a minimum of six from the Ashford Online Library.
7. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
8. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Intellectual Elaboration and Additional Resources:

Guide to Revising Essays

This is a guide to revising a draft of a researched paper. You can use this guide for revising any academic paper. Note that if you need to lengthen your essay, you can give more examples, more details, and more evidence. You can always add evidence and explain how it supports your claim!

Revision means to “see again,” so there are several things you should do to complete the revision process.

To prepare to complete your final draft, you should:

• Re-read your research materials.
• Re-read your rough draft from beginning to end.
• Read over the comments that you got from me.

To work on your final draft, you should complete each of these steps, revising the paper as you go:

• Decide where you need to improve the development of support in your essay by providing more details.
• Decide where you need to improve the organization of ideas.
• Decide where you need to add transition words to improve coherence.
• Decide where you need to improve the unity of your essay. Measure the supporting statements in each paragraph against your topic sentences. Does each pertain to the topic?
• Reflect on the meaning of your sentences. Do they say what you intended for them to say?
• Review your essay to determine if your paragraphs follow a logical or sequential progression and revise appropriately.
• Check your essay to determine if the paragraphs are connected in a manner that reflects a smooth flow of ideas and supporting evidence from one paragraph to the next. Edit accordingly, using transition words and phrases such as “in spite of, on the other hand, otherwise, however, therefore, moreover,” etc.
• Check your essay to make sure you have cited the sources of your information, as well as all borrowed facts and ideas from those sources with correct in-text citations and corresponding reference entries. Review and edit to match citations with your reference list.
• Edit your paper so that it is free of grammatical and mechanical errors.

What I will be looking for as I grade your paper:

• Clear, strong thesis

• Writing pattern of claim, evidence and support, explanation (see “The Pattern of Academic Writing” below)

• Clear, strong, well supported argument

• Complete sentences (no fragments or run-ons)

• Appropriate word choices (don’t use the thesaurus too much!)

• Appropriate sources

• Incorporated quotes [introduce all quote with your own words, as in: Smith (2011) notes that “blah, blah, blah” (p. 22). ]

• Appropriate APA style

• APA in-text citations

• APA reference page

• Correct length

• Standard English (grammar and style)

Writing Academic Papers

Your paper should include an introduction with a thesis statement, a series of body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Thesis Statement Guidelines

What is a thesis statement? It’s the central claim of your paper—your main idea about your topic. Everything in your paper will serve to support this main idea.

Your thesis statement should:

• be a statement (not a question)
• be debatable (something that not everyone would agree with)
• be concise (say what you need to say without rambling)

The Pattern of Academic Writing: Body Paragraphs

All academic writing follows a particular pattern of Claim, Evidence and Support, and Explanation. Every single paragraph begins with a mini-claim that supports the overall thesis. Then you should give evidence to support that claim. That evidence can be personal experience, expert testimony, facts, statistics, or quotes. Once you have given the evidence, you must explain how the evidence supports the claim.

At this point, you can either move on to another paragraph, or, if you have more evidence, give the new evidence and explain it. You do this over and over until you have adequately supported your claim. Then you have a transition and make a new claim in a new paragraph.

So the writing pattern looks like this:

1. Make a claim

2. Give evidence that supports that claim

3. Explain why the evidence supports that claim

   (repeat steps 2 and 3 as necessary)

4. Have a transition

   (repeat steps 1-4)

(and so on and so on until your paper is done).

The following paragraph does a good job of employing this pattern.

Example:

Our first act of defense against youth violence must be education.  John P. Sullivan (2006) states, “programs that have more contact with youth families and communities are more effective” (45). Community outreach programs and parental youth violence classes are the first step in understanding and supporting a juvenile at risk for violent crimes. Therefore, parental education and involvement is essential for a juvenile’s rehabilitation. Lili Frank Garfinkel and Renelle Nelson (2004) stated, “Most advocates believe that the juvenile justice system needs more involvement from parents in order to deserve the best interest of the child.”  Some states have gone as far as requiring parents of juvenile offenders to take classes in youth violence in order to retain custody of their at risk child. Governor Schwarzenegger passed a series of bills to crack down on youth violence and gang violence. In the article “California gives Police new Anti-gang Powers” (October 15, 2007), it stated that: “The legislation provides that the services be designed to promote family ties, in addition to community restoration and accountability to victims and to produce youth who become law-abiding and productive members of society.” These sorts of programs, if backed by legal measures, will help ensure that the people closest to youthful violent offenders will get the education that they—and their child—need.

Additional Resources

Steps for Revising Your Essay. (2006-2013). Purdue Online Writing Lab. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/05/

Wilson, Libby. (2006). Editing Checklist. http://www.proliteracy.org/downloads/PL_NB_web_WW_0911-2.pdf