Essay 3 Analytical Research Essay 1st Draft Due: Friday, November 19 Final Draft Due: Wednesday, December 8 Length Requirement: 5-7 pages Audience: Consider your subject matter, then decide who would be the best or most likely audience for such a topic. Imagine that your audience includes experts in the topic you are discussing. Your tone and voice should be appropriate for someone addressing experts in the field. For instance, if you chose to discuss how the concerns of farmers weigh into the decisions of politicians, you might consider your audience to be farmers as a whole and others in the agricultural industry. On the other hand, you might want to consider politicians or the electorate as your audience. Determining your audience depends on who you think needs to hear your report. It is possible that once you get into the revision process, your perception of the appropriate audience may change. And ideally, your overall thesis should evolve as you gather evidence and revise your essay. Your Assignment: The goal of this assignment is to choose a topic of personal interest, then utilize the library database and other credible sources to provide a comprehensive, objective analysis of the research material. You will start your research very broad, and then become more specific as you locate sources. Determine your thesis statement based on the exercises and research done prior to this assignment. Your thesis should present an original viewpoint on your subject matter. This is not an argumentative or persuasive essay. You will utilize and interpret sources to support your analysis of the topic. Choose sources that provide supporting facts, definitions, or anecdotes. You should not use sources to make your point for you. Present your viewpoint without personal bias or emotional language, but instead with logical reasoning. Your essay must utilize at least 3 academic/scholarly sources. Other sources may be included, but they will not count toward the 3 sources required by the assignment, and they must be credible. You must utilize at least 3 quotations in your essay. Block quotes are highly discouraged. Format: MLA or APA format, Times New Roman, 12-point font, one-inch margins, double spaced. Number your pages and include a header at the top left corner of the page with your name, my name, the class name, and the date. Provide a Works Cited page for any and all sources referenced (not included in page count). Keep in mind that there are proper ways of citing your own primary research in both MLA and APA formats. And as always, please give your paper an appropriate title. Be creative! Objectives: This assignment is designed to address the following Learning Outcomes: The ability to write in a range of genres, using appropriate rhetorical conventions. Competency in reading, quoting and citing sources, as well as competency in balancing the writer’s voice with secondary so ...

1. Essay 3
Analytical Research Essay
1st Draft Due: Friday, November 19
Final Draft Due: Wednesday, December 8
Length Requirement: 5-7 pages
Audience: Consider your subject matter, then decide who would
be the best or most likely
audience for such a topic. Imagine that your audience includes
experts in the topic you are
discussing. Your tone and voice should be appropriate for
someone addressing experts in the
field. For instance, if you chose to discuss how the concerns of
farmers weigh into the decisions
of politicians, you might consider your audience to be farmers
as a whole and others in the
agricultural industry. On the other hand, you might want to
consider politicians or the electorate
as your audience. Determining your audience depends on who
you think needs to hear your
report. It is possible that once you get into the revision process,

2. your perception of the
appropriate audience may change. And ideally, your overall
thesis should evolve as you gather
evidence and revise your essay.
Your Assignment: The goal of this assignment is to choose a
topic of personal interest, then
utilize the library database and other credible sources to provide
a comprehensive, objective
analysis of the research material. You will start your research
very broad, and then become more
specific as you locate sources. Determine your thesis statement
based on the exercises and
research done prior to this assignment. Your thesis should
present an original viewpoint on your
subject matter. This is not an argumentative or persuasive essay.
You will utilize and interpret
sources to support your analysis of the topic. Choose sources
that provide supporting facts,
definitions, or anecdotes. You should not use sources to make
your point for you. Present your
viewpoint without personal bias or emotional language, but
instead with logical reasoning. Your
essay must utilize at least 3 academic/scholarly sources. Other
sources may be included, but

3. they will not count toward the 3 sources required by the
assignment, and they must be credible.
You must utilize at least 3 quotations in your essay. Block
quotes are highly discouraged.
Format: MLA or APA format, Times New Roman, 12-point font,
one-inch margins, double
spaced. Number your pages and include a header at the top left
corner of the page with your
name, my name, the class name, and the date. Provide a Works
Cited page for any and all
sources referenced (not included in page count). Keep in mind
that there are proper ways of
citing your own primary research in both MLA and APA
formats. And as always, please give
your paper an appropriate title. Be creative!
Objectives:
This assignment is designed to address the following Learning
Outcomes:
The ability to write in a range of genres, using appropriate
rhetorical conventions.
Competency in reading, quoting and citing sources, as well as
competency in balancing the

4. writer’s voice with secondary sources.
The ability to employ flexible strategies for generating and
revising your writing.
Engage in multiple methods of inquiry.
The ability to assess a piece of writing, identifying arguments
and recognizing strategies for
improvement, both in the works of others and your own work.
Produce texts that: have a clear purpose; respond to the needs of
intended audiences; assume
an appropriate stance; adopt an appropriate voice, tone, style,
and level of formality; use
appropriate conventions of format and structure.
Work with others to improve your own and others’ texts;
balance the advantages of relying
on others with taking responsibility for your own work.
Employ appropriate conventions for structure, paragraphing,
mechanics, and format;
acknowledge the work of others when appropriate; use a
standard documentation format as
needed; control syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

5. Locate, evaluate, and use primary and secondary research
material, while employing
appropriate textual conventions for incorporating ideas from
sources (e.g., introducing and
incorporating quotations; quoting, paraphrasing, and
summarizing).
Use strategies—such as analysis, interpretation, synthesis,
response, critique, and
design/redesign—to compose texts that integrate your ideas
with those from appropriate
sources.
Assessment:
Your paper will be evaluated on the following four criteria:
1. Content/Purpose – The content of your essay should be
appropriate to the subject matter.
Be sure that all information provided is pertinent to the point
you are trying to make.
Extraneous information may confuse your message and cause
you to lose your audience.
Please state your purpose in a direct thesis statement in your
introductory paragraph. It

6. should be clear the point you are trying to make, and that it is
significant.
2. Coherence – Read and re-read your work to make sure you
are getting your points across.
Have a friend read it as well to ensure they can understand it.
Use appropriate transitions
between paragraphs. Your readers must be able to follow your
progression of thought, so
be sure to make it clear why you are moving from one point to
the next. It’s okay to
remind your reader of what has come before, so long as you are
not insulting their
intelligence. Ask yourself why you shift from one piece of
information to the next and if
that reasoning is clear in your writing.
3. Language/Mechanics – Use your spelling/grammar check.
Minor errors will be excused
but noted. Errors that confuse your message will lose you
points. Incorporate feedback
from your peers and utilize the school’s Writing Commons and
Academic Success Center
for further help.
4. Format – See formatting instructions above.
Rubric:

7. This is a qualitative rubric, meaning no specific points are
assigned to the listed levels of
achievement. The rubric demonstrates how essays will be
evaluated, providing a descriptive
scale, from left to right, of essays that would receive a lower
grade to essays that would receive a
higher grade. It is based on the above explanations of
assessment.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Content/Purpose The focus of the
essay is broad and
fails to make a
clear analytical
thesis statement.
Essay is guided
primarily by
subjective
interpretation,
and does not
employ clear
logical reasoning.
No quotations are
included, or if
they are, they are
dropped in
without clear
reason.

8. The focus of the
essay is a bit
broad, failing to
home in on a
specific aspect of
the subject. The
author provides a
viewpoint on the
subject, but not
necessarily an
analytical thesis.
Author maintains
an objective
viewpoint for
some of the
essay, but allows
subjective
interpretation to
guide some
portions of their
reasoning.
Reasoning used to
justify the thesis is
not explained
clearly.
Quotations are
not integrated
correctly, and are
used primarily to
provide basic
facts rather than
presenting unique
explanations or
wording.

9. The essay
maintains focus
on relevant
material for most
of the essay,
though may
occasionally
include
extraneous
information or
broad view of the
subject matter.
Essay contains a
clear thesis, even
if not stated
explicitly. Author
maintains an
objective tone for
most of the essay,
though
occasionally may
include some
subjective
language or
viewpoints.
Author uses
reason and logic
to analyze
sources, though
some
explanations may
lack detail.
Quotations are
usually integrated
correctly, and are
relevant to the

10. author’s points,
though may
occasionally
include
information that
could easily be
The essay
maintains focus
on only that
material which is
relevant to the
thesis and does
not include
extraneous
information.
Includes a specific
area of focus,
rather than
speaking about a
broad subject
matter. An explicit
thesis statement
is included in the
introduction.
Author maintains
an objective tone,
free from bias,
and uses reason
and logic to
analyze sources.
Includes the 3
required
academic sources,
and any
subsequent, non-

11. academic sources
are considered
credible.
Quotations are
integrated
correctly, and
provide unique
viewpoints that
could not
otherwise be
paraphrased or
summarized.
restated by the
author.
Coherence There is
significant
difficulty
understanding the
author's points
and overall
message. The
thesis statement
is vague or not
present, and
cannot be easily
inferred by the
content of the
essay. Sentence
structure and
word choice lead
to frequent
confusion. No

12. clear reason for,
or transitions
between,
paragraphs. There
is no clear sense
of structure to the
essay. Relevance
of source material
is doubtful. The
author fails to
convey the
authority of their
sources, and does
not clearly
connect the
source material to
their ideas.
There is some
difficulty
understanding the
author's points,
but the overall
message of the
essay is clear. The
thesis may
contain vague
language, but can
be understood
through context.
There may be
confusion due to
sentence
structure and
word choice.
Transitions

13. between
paragraphs are
often abrupt and
it is not always
clear why the
author is moving
from one subject
to the next. The
author does not
always make clear
connections
between their
thoughts and
referenced source
material, and
sources may not
be introduced
correctly. It is
difficult at times
to follow the
author’s line of
reasoning as the
essay progresses.
The author's
points may
sometimes lack
immediate
connection, but
can be inferred
without great
examination.
There may be
occasional
confusion due to
sentence

14. structure. The
essay contains a
clear thesis
statement,
though may
include some
vague language.
Transitions
between
paragraphs are
logical, but may
sometimes be
abrupt. The shift
from one aspect
of the topic to
another is
sometimes
sudden, and may
not always
explore key
details to their
fullest effect. The
author makes a
clear connection
between their
ideas and
referenced source
material, though
source may not
always be
introduced to the
fullest effect. The
essay follows a
logical
The author's

15. points are easy to
follow and
proceed using
logic and reason.
The essay
contains a
definitive thesis
statement. There
are appropriate
transitions
between
paragraphs. The
presence of
source material in
the essay is
clearly justified by
the author’s
explanations and
is relevant to the
overall thesis. All
content pertains
to a logical
progression of the
author’s
reasoning for
their thesis
statement.
progression of
thought from the
author’s thesis.
Formatting Author does not
show signs of

16. following a style
guide. Incorrect
font and size
used. Margins and
spacing do not
meet the one-inch
or double spaced
requirements. No
header included.
Does not cite
sources. Does not
include a Works
Cited or
References page.
Title is missing or
simply says "Essay
3." Page count is
below the 5-7
page
requirement.
Author clearly
attempts to
follow some style
guide, though
specific style
guide may be
unclear. Incorrect
font and size
used. One-inch
margins, double
spaced. Header
included with at
least your name
and the date.
Includes a Works

17. Cited or
References page
for any and all
sources
referenced (not
included in page
count), that at
least attempts to
follow proper
MLA or APA
format. Title is
generic or does
not attempt to
appropriately
address the
subject matter.
Page count is
below the 5-7
page
requirement.
Clear attempt to
follow MLA or
APA format,
though there may
be some minor
errors. Times New
Roman, 12-point
font, one-inch
margins, double
spaced. Header
included with at
least your name
and the date.
Includes a Works
Cited or

18. References page
for any and all
sources
referenced (not
included in page
count), that at
least attempts to
follow proper
MLA or APA
format. Includes
an appropriate
title. Meets the 5-
7 page
requirement.
MLA or APA
format, Times
New Roman, 12-
point font, one-
inch margins,
double spaced.
Numbered pages.
Header included
at the top left
corner of the page
with your name,
instructor's name,
the class name,
and the date.
Includes a Works
Cited or
References page
for any and all
sources
referenced (not
included in page

19. count). Includes
an appropriate
and original title.
Meets the 5-7
page
requirement.