Your essay should have an introduction, body, conclusion, and works cited page.

Your essay should have an introduction, body, conclusion, and works cited page. It should also be in MLA format, including in-text citations. It will be a minimum of 5 complete typed pages and a maximum of 7, not including the Works Cited page.
Your introduction should:
Grab the reader’s attention and introduce the issue or problem in a focused way. Do not assume that your audience is familiar with the issue–you need to explain it to them. Give a clear thesis statement: this gives your clear, strong opinion in response to the assignment prompt. This statement will control the body of your paper. It is good to draft a “working thesis statement” and then adjust it as necessary after you have written the body. Here you should identify the issue in a clear and purposeful manner and offer a solution or set of solutions. The body of your paper should:
Consist of several paragraphs that clearly prove your thesis (aim for at least three to four body paragraphs)
Contain body paragraphs that lead with your ideas
Give several main points/reasons (expressed in clear topic sentences dominated by your voice). These topic sentences clearly state the point/reason and connect to (prove) the thesis
Contain specific (not just general) examples, reasoning, and evidence that clearly support your thesis and main points. This evidence is drawn from our class readings and from sources in the databases listed above. When quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing, be sure to use proper MLA in-text citations. Remember to fully discuss each piece of evidence–it is better to have 2-3 quotations, summaries, or paraphrases per body paragraph that you discuss in a complete manner rather than jam the paragraphs with excessive quotations. Less is more. Lead with your voice! Follow the structure outlined in the Recipe to the Body Paragraph handout located in the Pages section of our course site.
The conclusion of your paper should:
Sum up your argument and give your final thoughts. There are many interesting ways to conclude a paper. A few ideas are listed below.
May answer a question that you posed in your introduction
May comment on a story that you used in your introduction
May end with the discussion of a quotation that illustrates your thesis (never end with a quotation, end with your discussion of it)
May include a call to action that asks your audience to do something differently (this is a strong way to end a problem to solution essay)Assignment requirements for introduction, body and conclusionNot DoneNeeds WorkFairWell Done
Introduction grabs the reader’s attention, introduces the topic, and is dominated by the writer’s voice (personality)
Give a clear thesis statement: this gives your clear, strong opinion in response to the assignment prompt
The body consists of several paragraphs that lead with the writer’s voice, clearly prove the thesis, and address the assignment prompt
The body gives several main points/reasons (expressed in clear topic sentences dominated by the writer’s voice). These topic sentences clearly state a claim/reason and connect to (prove) the thesis.
Body paragraphs contain specific (not just general) examples, reasoning, and evidence that clearly support main points/reasons and thesis. This evidence should be drawn from our course texts or from sources in the databases listed above.
The essay uses at least one source from our class list and four credible outside sources from the library’s databases to help support the argument (no credit will be given in this category if you use sources notfrom the database system).
Employ college-level vocabulary and style
Uses the third person point of view: avoids using the first person (I think…) and second person (You know…)
Use strong attribution (signal) verbs for introducing summaries, paraphrases, and quotations
Clearly explain quotations, summaries, and paraphrases and show how they support your argument
Includes a memorable conclusion
Is a minimum of 5 complete, maximum of 7 typed pages, not including the Works Cited page
Mechanics—As a writer, you should…
Proofread carefully so that sentences are clear, concise, and free of errors—pay special attention to your personal error patterns
Paraphrase skillfully so that the author’s meaning remains true but sentences and words are significantly different (not just a few words changed)
Use “quotation marks” when including an author’s exact words
Include MLA style in-text citation when you use ideas from others—this includes paraphrasing and summarizing as well as quoting
Follow MLA format: standard 12-point, Times New Roman font; proper heading; proper, unique title; page numbers; double spaced; 1-inch margins; properly formatted Works Cited page, and no extra spaces between paragraphs (after spacing of “0” under “paragraphs” in Word)