Research Paper Assignment Guidelines and Expectations
A research paper is persuasive or argumentative. It is not intended to be an expository/explanatory report. 
–The research paper for this course should be between 900 and 1,100 words and written in MLA format.
–The research paper should be on the topic selected for the Bibliographic essay. It should have an effective, topic-specific title.
–The research paper should feature at least three distinct professional or scholarly sources (from the Bibliographic essay) cited in the body of the paper, either directly (quotation) or indirectly (summary or paraphrase). 
–The research paper should have a first, introductory paragraph that introduces the topic and also presents a well-defined thesis statement that clearly articulates the purpose of the paper and/or defines the goal of the paper.
–The paper should reflect clear integration of the research with the student’s own writing and ideas, and the outside sources should be used either to introduce concepts and ideas or to support and provide evidence for the student’s ideas and claims.
–The research paper should be organized into paragraphs, generally including a beginning paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. 
–The research paper should have a Works Cited list at the end of the paper that lists all sources
used and that is formatted according to current MLA standards (the list is usually the same as, or very similar to, the list from bibliographic essay)