TOPIC GUIDELINES

Any debatable topic is acceptable for this assignment. Due to the length requirements, complex topics such as gun control, immigration law, abortion rights, and capital punishment are not recommended. If these issues interest you, find a specific instance or aspect of the topic to research. For example, you might want explore how other cities and states responded to the recent laws concerning immigration rights in Arizona; such a project is more focused (and more interesting) than addressing immigration rights in general.

Consider addressing a topic that is personally important to you, including issues related to health, beauty, family life, and career decisions. The more relevant your topic is to your priorities, the more likely you are to write in an engaging, compelling way.

To find ideas for debatable topics, consider these sources:

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Step 1: Conduct  your research

Using the Internet, locate two articles (2-3 pages in length) for each part of the topic that you are comparing or contrasting. In other words, you need to find at least four articles that share the points on your topic that you wish to compare or contrast. Be sure to select articles that are from reputable sources such as news magazines, scholarly journals, or well-known blogs.

As you search, keep a record of all the articles you consider by providing a citation or a link to each one.

Step 2: Summarize each article

Summarize what you learned from the articles addressing one side of the issue. Be sure to cite the articles used in this assignment according to MLA style.

Then, summarize what you learned from the articles addressing the opposite or a different side of the issue. Be sure to cite the articles used in this assignment according to MLA style.

Your summaries should be neutral; that is, your opinion on the topic should not be evident in either summary.

Step 3: Prewrite

Complete the prewriting strategy for comparison-contrast papers described in the course, and select the pattern for your essay.

Step 4: Draft a compare-contrast essay

Using your plan from Step 3, complete the draft of an essay comparing and contrasting the articles. This draft will be the basis for your research essay.

• Your introduction should provide a brief overview of the research topic.
• Your thesis should indicate whether your draft will focus on the similarities, differences, or both between the articles, and it should prepare readers for the body paragraphs. It should also indicate which side you prefer.
• Your body paragraphs should include specific evidence (summaries, paraphrases or quotes) that help readers understand the points you are making.
• Your conclusion should indicate the effects of the disagreements on this topic. Why is compromise possible/desirable or not?

Step 5: Revise

After you finish your draft, leave it alone for at least a few hours and preferably a full day. If possible, get feedback from several friends. Reread your draft. Copy and paste a second version of the draft in the same computer file; in this copy of your draft, make changes that improve the thesis, the topic sentences, and the transitions in your paper as recommended in any feedback you’ve received.

Make sure that your own thinking is more evident than the material you have borrowed from your sources, which should have the appropriate in-text parenthetical citations.

In other words, 30-40+% of the draft you generated in Step 4 should be different in this draft.

Step 6: Edit

After you finish your draft, leave it alone for at least a few hours and preferably a full day. Copy and paste a third version of the draft and “Works Cited” in the same computer file; in this copy of your draft, make changes that improve:

• sentence construction (correct errors related to nouns, pronouns, verbs, modifiers, phrases, and clauses)
• word choice (tone, correct words, homophones [their/there/they’re, two/too/to, etc.], etc.)
• punctuation use (commas, end marks, colons, semicolons)
• mechanics (spelling, abbreviations, italics, capitalization, incorrect spacing between words or at the beginning/end of sentences, etc.)

Strategies that may be helpful in checking for the problems mentioned above:

1. Read your paper aloud from the last sentence to the first sentence. That is, read the very last sentence of the paper aloud to make sure the sentence sounds right and has all the right parts and punctuation. Now, read the previous sentence. Keep going backward until you reach the paper’s beginning.
2. Use the “Find” tool in the word processing program to search for marks of punctuation (like commas) so that you can be sure they are used correctly. You can also search for commonly misspelled words and words that can usually be omitted (there is/are, it is, clichés).
3. Confirm that you have addressed every bullet point in the assignment instructions.
4. Review the MLA checklist(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. to make sure you have formatted your paper correctly.

In particular, make sure that you are consistently using present tense to discuss the articles. Save the final version in a separate document, using the file name specified in the “Descriptions” section above. This version is the one that will be graded for writing quality.

Before submitting your paper, review this video (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. about Unplag to ensure that all citations are formatted correctly. Submit your draft to obtain your first Unplag report (this video (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. will show you how). Unplag highlights anything that is either plagiarized or incorrectly cited. Correct your draft based on your Unplag report, then run your essay through the Unplag report again. You may obtain up to three Unplag reports. Submit your final draft only when it shows a high originality score.