Make sure that you are using current sources. I would talk about how things change with each president and the moral vs legal issue. Minimum Writing Requirements 1500 minimum – 3500 maximum (concision is vital: see L6 in Handbook of NFG) Avoid first person at all costs. Allowed in intro or conclusion if we/our/us (first person plural) has already been specifically defined in the sentence Ex: American citizens, American voters, people living in America, Westerners, college students, working adults Contractions – no more than three, or else you should expect a 60 Second person – Nope. Not at all. Never. Unless in a quote. Automatic 50 if used even once. Use CTRL+F to find them! Passive voice – Minimal/rarely/never – A quality Moderate frequency – B quality Excessive use – C quality or below Multi-paragraph format (introduction with thesis statement, body paragraphs, conclusion). See pp. 313-314 for editing paragraphs. Minimum of two citations in every body paragraph (preferably three). This minimum will force you to accomplish two things: 1) stick with the evidence and avoid mere opinion, and 2) develop your body paragraphs sufficiently. You may incorporate citations into your intro and conclusion as well, but this is not required. Every body paragraph must have a topic sentence that states the overall claim of the paragraph. This means that no body paragraph should begin with a quote, a statement of fact, or a question. Typed in size 12 Times New Roman font. Submit to Google Classroom and to eCampus as .docx. One-inch margins, double-spaced, header, heading, etc. Proper heading, page numbering, etc. All format must follow MLA. MLA documentation and in-text citations required MLA Works Cited required, in proper format Minimum research requirements: A minimum of 4 sources, all of which pass TRAAP test. A mix of: peer-reviewed/scholarly journal article(s) book(s) webpage(s) This means that you need at least one of each of the above, but you must have at least four. General encyclopedias or dictionaries do not count. Such sources are too broad/general. This includes print and electronic editions of works like World Book, Wikipedia, Websters, and Encarta. A specialized encyclopedia, such as the Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, does count as one of the required sources. All internet sources must be credible, expert, authoritative, reliable, academic sources that pass the TRAAP test. Do not use sites such as , WebMD, eHow, , , etc. Avoid Google altogether (unless its Google Scholar). Accessing/Finding Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal Articles: To find peer reviewed articles, go to and access Academic Search Complete. Click on Academic Search Complete. Log in using your name and ID number (follow instructions on the page). The system now requires that you log in with your DCCCD Outlook login. This is the account that you set up at the beginning of the semester using the link provided in the syllabus. Enter your search terms. On the left, find the Limit to filter section. Click on Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals to filter it only to peer-reviewed article results. Make sure that the article you choose has the icon that says Academic Journal (not Periodical or Book review). When you want to view the full article as it appears in the journal click View Full Article or Download PDF Full Article. You must cite the page numbers! Things that will HURT your grade: NOT having a strong, clear claim (thesis) Poor organization(thesis, topic sentences, logical paragraphs) Wordiness, redundancy, deadwood. Be concise. Never say in 10 words what you can say in 5. See L-6 in your textbook. Excessive use of passive voice. Use active voice. Quotes from your source with no explanation or connection to the thesis Quotes that are not embedded: dont expect higher than a C if you fail to embed quotes Failing to address your oppositions potential claims Using weak sources or sources that are not academic/credible/reliable Asking rhetorical questions. Essays should answer questions, not ask them. Dont ask your readers questions give them answers. Things that will result in a FAILING GRADE: Failure to use all required sources The lack of citations from required sources in every body paragraph Not following the formal tone guidelines described on page 1. The lack of a Works Cited page in proper format giving full credit to your sources (It is your responsibility to consult your textbook and Purdue OWL to compile your WC properly) Use of sources that do not appear on the WC page. Inclusion of sources on the WC page that are never cited in the paper (its called a Works Cited page for a reason) Overuse of quotes (85%-90% should be your words). Quotes/specific details from your source without parenthetical documentation A mere summary of the issue/topic (which would be informative, not argumentative) Exact words from a source without quotation marks (which is plagiarism) Failure to meet the minimum length requirement Plagiarism ? automatic zero Late submission without prior approval ? automatic zero