Your research paper is to be a referential classification.
Create a topic of your own with my approval, assuring the scope is not too broad or too narrow.
The topic must be easily divided into three parallel subtopics (categories).
Use the same content focus for each category.
Start out by posing a question about your categories.
What is to be gained by exploring these subtopics?
How can you add to the current conversation about the topic?
How is this question important, and to whom is it important?
You must underline your thesis: it will introduce your categories.
Your conclusion will make some statement about the subtopics: evaluation, prediction, or significance.
The paper should interest and enlighten your audience.
It is a research-based paper, but your own ideas of organization and importance are what bring the essay together.
Use quotations when you want to call attention to the source or when the wording of the material is important—don’t pad the paper with direct quotations and simply make a patchwork of research.
Remember that correct and accurate citation is essential for this project. Be specific and be interesting.
Use the tone of a documentarian, and write in the third person only.
Do preliminary research before deciding on a topic to ensure you can find appropriate sources and are actually interested in what you’re writing.
More specific instructions will be addressed in-class lecture and Blackboard links. Always ask questions about the assignments—don’t guess.

Sample topics
Topic: Alternatives to Casket Burial
Categories: Green | Cremation | Aquamation
Focus: Process | Cost | Environmental Impact
Topic: Nursing Careers
Categories: Licensed Practical Nurse | Registered Nurse | Nurse Practitioner
Focus: Education & Certification | Primary Duties| Average Salaries

Things I need to do:
Clear thesis, underlined, that sets up the classification.
5-8 credible sources.
At least one print source.
At least two sources from Austin Community College databases that are notebooks.
(Encyclopedias and dictionaries must be cited if used, but they do not factor into the source count.)
Personal interviews, if applicable, must be conducted with experts. Use the third person, even when referencing an interview.
An interesting title that matches the thesis.
Works Cited—MLA 8th edition.
Signal phrases.
Each source used at least once.
At least two direct quotations, properly introduced.
Parenthetical citations.
Clear topic sentences that relate to the thesis (organization).
The conclusion summarizes the paper and makes a statement of evaluation, prediction, significance.
Proper mechanics (italics and quotation marks, for example).
MLA format
1,000-1,500 words

Things I am absolutely not allowed to do

Topics and subtopics that have not been approved.
Sources without credibility.
Sources in Works Cited that aren’t used in the essay.
Wikipedia or content farms.
Overuse of sources.
Out-of-date information.
Stacked quotations.
Dropped quotations.
Direct quotations over four lines long.
Quotations as topic sentences.
Improperly paraphrased information.
First or second-person point of view.
Unnecessary information.
Casual language.
Exclamation marks (unless inside a quotation).
Major grammatical errors.
Typos.

Instances of plagiarism, even “accidental plagiarism” or absence of parenthetical citations and proper Works Cited will result in a 0 score for the paper.

Finally, when citing your essay use the title of the source I provided in parentheses.