Have a working title. Draft an original title that reflects what you imagine the paper will be over time.

his draft is worth points in the participation category. Drafts that are complete, meet the specifications below, and are submitted on time will receive full credit.
Specifications: 7-8 double-spaced pages
12 point TIMES NEW ROMAN font, 1-inch margins
MLA format for in-text citations and Works Cited page
Must include 8 sources.
Have a working title. Draft an original title that reflects what you imagine the paper will be over time.
Begin with a section on the Introduction and/or Background. The Introduction should:
Provide a (sourced) crash course in your topic that orients the reader
Include a statement of your refined research question
Mention the theoretical framework/s that you will use
Explain the importance of your question(s). Think of your paper as intervening in a pre-existing topic with the goal of adding a new understanding. Where does your paper come on the scene in relation to what’s already known? Where are you jumping into the conversation? Give this some thought.
End the intro with the current version of your hypothesis
Note: it is also possible to have a more elaborate discussion of the background and history of your topic in a section after the introduction. For topics that rely heavily on the analysis of historical events, this is a viable option.
The Body of the paper should now have sections identified by a subheading:
Each subheading should include at least 2-3 sources
Each subsection should consist of at least two or three paragraphs, with the first paragraph containing a clear statement of the project or argument that will be covered in that section
In the Body of the paper, you should improve on everything you did in your first draft. Some of the elements to include in the body are the following:
Provide background that explains key facets of your topic
Use case and theoretical materials together — here, you should rely on the frame/case method of analysis where you are using concepts and cases together. In utilizing the method, you should work with multiple sources;
Support claims with evidence
Open paragraphs with a topic sentence, and keep paragraphs are focused on a single issue. Too many ideas in a single paragraph will create confusion around your argument.
Put different sources in conversation with each other—most of your sections should reference at least two sources
At least 2 of your sources should offer counter-arguments, differing perspectives, or ask questions that complicate or add new layers of analysis to the issue. This is one key to doing well in this course. Real-life situations are generally not tied up with simple either/or thinking but are much more complex and nuanced.
You are still not ready to write a Conclusion. However, you might reserve the last section of the paper, and call it “Conclusion.”
End with a Works Cited page, written in MLA or another format, on a separate additional page. This page does not count towards your required 7-8 pages.
Key elements to focus on:
Put effort into devising a strategic plan for laying out the organization of your paper. This means you need to pause and think about it for a while.
You are revising and extending Draft 1, not only by lengthening but also by layering. This means developing existing points, adding a new perspective to them, or even replacing information and arguments with new and better information and arguments. As mentioned before, you might begin to address possible objections.
Support claims with EVIDENCE. Evidence can take the form of data gleaned from research, quotation, examples, etc. Watch out for conjecture, assumptions, and guesses masquerading as analysis.
Your paper should begin taking a clear position in response to your Research Question. Similarly, your subsections should present original analytic claims related to the central argument or research question. This requires presenting various positions and analyzing them as opposed to merely summarizing.
Explain your plan explicitly in your paper. This explanation is called “signposting” and usually comes after the introduction/background, and at the beginning of subsections. For example: “This research will analyze the arguments of X, Y, and Z as they relate to the problem of A. The first section “title” looks at L, in order to lay the foundation for my argument about M and N, which will be treated in the final two sections of the paper.”