ENGV 306 Prompt for Analytical Research Essay 6-8 pages, in scholarly citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, or CSE) Note: the page length does not include the title page, works cited, etc. Partial draft (at least 3 pages) due by 11PM on 9/29 Final draft due by 11PM on 10/6 For this assignment, your main task is to report and analyze what other people say about your topic. As you likely know, “analysis,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a “detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.” In your Analytical Research essay, you will perform an analysis or detailed examination of the elements of the “conversation” that surrounds your research topic. In other words, you will analyze what is being said about your topic and how it is being said. Specifically, you will • Concisely, accurately, and fairly summarize each research source • Synthesize your sources and identify similarities, differences, and gaps between them • Examine how authors construct their arguments about your research topic • Understand how these arguments originate in, and respond to, their rhetorical situations. For a review of the elements of rhetorical situations, refer to Chapter 2 in Everyone’s An Author. To sum up: • your task in this essay is to analyze—to examine your research sources. Another way to think about it is you are “taking them apart” • this means your main focus is on what other people think about your topic, rather than what you think (as in your opinion). In your next essay, the Editorial, you will use all the research and analysis you’ve conducted in order to build up your own argument and express your opinion. Your tasks: 1. Choose a topic you would like to research. Choosing a small, recent, and less well-known topic might make your task easier and more fulfilling. If you’re stuck for ideas, think about issues in your academic field of study or in your nonacademic areas of interest. 2. Narrow your topic and frame an open-ended research question to guide your research. Your research question should be focused and open-ended. In other words, it should require more than a simple “yes” or “no” answer. The Research Topic Brainstorming Exercise will help you narrow your topic and frame a research question. 3. Perform research and take notes. Your research should include six sources, at least one of which must be scholarly. All your sources must be credible and relevant, and no more than five years old. • If there is a logical reason to include an older source, however, see me and I’ll consider it. Also, in some cases, I will accept an interview with an authority on your topic as a scholarly source. Please check with me if you’d like to do this, and I’ll point you towards resources about how to effectively conduct interviews. Your other five sources can be substantive newspapers and magazines. If it’s appropriate for your topic (if you are investigating a ...

1. ENGV 306
Prompt for Analytical Research Essay
6-8 pages, in scholarly citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, or
CSE)
Note: the page length does not include the title page, works
cited, etc.
Partial draft (at least 3 pages) due by 11PM on 9/29
Final draft due by 11PM on 10/6
For this assignment, your main task is to report and analyze
what other people say about your
topic.
As you likely know, “analysis,” according to the Oxford English
Dictionary, is a “detailed
examination of the elements or structure of something.” In your
Analytical Research essay,
you will perform an analysis or detailed examination of the
elements of the “conversation”
that surrounds your research topic. In other words, you will
analyze what is being said about
your topic and how it is being said. Specifically, you will
• Concisely, accurately, and fairly summarize each research
source
• Synthesize your sources and identify similarities, differences,
and gaps between them
• Examine how authors construct their arguments about your
research topic
• Understand how these arguments originate in, and respond to,

2. their rhetorical
situations. For a review of the elements of rhetorical situations,
refer to Chapter 2 in
Everyone’s An Author.
To sum up:
• your task in this essay is to analyze—to examine your research
sources. Another way
to think about it is you are “taking them apart”
• this means your main focus is on what other people think
about your topic, rather
than what you think (as in your opinion). In your next essay, the
Editorial, you will
use all the research and analysis you’ve conducted in order to
build up your own
argument and express your opinion.
Your tasks:
1. Choose a topic you would like to research. Choosing a small,
recent, and less well-known
topic might make your task easier and more fulfilling. If you’re
stuck for ideas, think about
issues in your academic field of study or in your nonacademic
areas of interest.
2. Narrow your topic and frame an open-ended research
question to guide your
research. Your research question should be focused and open-
ended. In other words, it
should require more than a simple “yes” or “no” answer. The

3. Research Topic Brainstorming
Exercise will help you narrow your topic and frame a research
question.
3. Perform research and take notes. Your research should
include six sources, at least one
of which must be scholarly. All your sources must be credible
and relevant, and no more
than five years old.
• If there is a logical reason to include an older source,
however, see me and I’ll
consider it. Also, in some cases, I will accept an interview with
an authority on your
topic as a scholarly source. Please check with me if you’d like
to do this, and I’ll
point you towards resources about how to effectively conduct
interviews.
Your other five sources can be substantive newspapers and
magazines. If it’s appropriate for
your topic (if you are investigating a topic related to popular
culture, for example), you can
also include a few popular sources as part of your research.
As you find and evaluate your sources, refer to Chapter 22 in
Everyone’s An Author and the
webpage “Critically Analyzing Information Sources,” which is
posted in the Week Three
Content section of d2l.
4. Compile an annotated bibliography. Your annotated

4. bibliography should be
evaluative, rather than descriptive. Please see p. 504 in
Everyone’s An Author and section W-
14 in The Little Seagull’s Handbook for examples.
• In each annotation, 1) summarize the source; 2) evaluate the
source; and 3) state how
you will use the source in your essay and/or what the source
contributes to your
research. Please see the Annotated Bibliography prompt for
more details.
5. Complete an essay brainstorming exercise to help you
synthesize your research
sources and generate a working idea for a thesis.
6. Write a rough draft of your essay that is at least three pages
long.
7. Read and consider the feedback you receive from me, your
classmates, and other
readers, and write a revision memo.
8. Complete, revise, and submit your essay.
Important Due Dates:
• 9/8: Research topic brainstorming exercise due
• 9/15: Partial draft of Annotated Bibliography due
• 9/22: Final draft of Annotated bibliography and Brainstorming
Exercise due
• 9/29: Partial draft of Analytical Research essay due
• 10/6: Revision Memo and Final draft of Analytical Essay due

5. ENGV 306
Analytical Research Essay Grading Rubric
Expression
Mechanics
Superior Strong Competent Weak Unacceptable
Structure and
Content (60%)
The introduction invites the reader to
keep reading by giving a concise yet
complex overview of the topic and its
relevance.
The thesis elegantly and concisely
synthesizes the writer’s research
findings and provides a sophisticated
answer to the research question.
Throughout, the writer thoroughly and
insightfully analyzes the argumentation
of each source. The writer also
demonstrates how that argumentation

6. arises in, and responds to, the
rhetorical situation in which the source
was created.
The writer skillfully and appropriately
uses textual evidence to support their
points and employs a balance of
summaries, paraphrases, and
quotations.
Transitions are seamless.
The introduction gives a clear and
informative overview of the topic
and its relevance.
The thesis clearly synthesizes the
writer’s research findings and
provides a complex answer to the
research question.
Throughout, the writer thoroughly
and skillfully analyzes the
argumentation of each source. The
writer also demonstrates how that
argumentation arises in, and
responds to, the rhetorical situation
in which the source was created.
The writer uses textual evidence
appropriately to support their points
and employs a balance of
summaries, paraphrases, and
quotations.
Transitions are smooth.

7. The introduction generally gives a good
overview of the topic and its relevance,
but some important information seems
to be missing (or, alternatively, non-
essential and distracting information is
included).
The thesis synthesizes the writer’s
research findings and answers the
research question, but aspects of the
thesis could be more clear, complex,
and/or could more directly respond to
the research question.
Throughout, the writer thoroughly
analyzes the argumentation of each
source, and demonstrates how that
argumentation arises in and responds
to the rhetorical situation in which the
source was created. In some places,
however, the analysis could be more
complex and/or thorough.
The writer uses textual evidence to
support their points, but in some places
the evidence doesn’t quite fit or prove
the point and/or there could be a more
appropriate balance of summaries,
paraphrases, and quotations.
Transitions are functional.
The introduction is cursory or
confusing and doesn’t provide all the
information the reader needs to

8. understand the controversy.
The thesis is overly basic or confusing
and/or does not directly answer the
research question.
Throughout, the writer analyzes the
argumentation of each source, but that
analysis could be more complex
and/or thorough in several places.
The writer does not use textual
evidence to support their points or
there are several places where the
evidence isn’t appropriate or isn’t
adequately explained.
There is a significant imbalance
between summaries, paraphrases, and
quotations.
Transitions are occasionally jarring.
The essay does not respond to the
prompt.
Expression
(25%)
Ideas are expressed in a compelling
and striking way.
Prose is polished and elegant. Word
choice is precise and sentence
structures are complex and varied.

9. Writer builds credibility as a scholar
through the use of a sophisticated
academic tone.
The title is original, creative, and
Ideas are expressed in a clear and
precise way.
Prose is smooth and sophisticated.
Word choice is appropriate and
sentence structures are varied.
Tone is appropriate for academic
audience.
Title is original and informative.
Ideas are expressed in a clear way.
Prose is comprehensible but sentence
structures tend to be repetitive and/or
simple. Word choices are occasionally
incorrect and distracting.
Tone is occasionally inappropriate for
an academic audience.
Title is informative.
Ideas are expressed in an occasionally
unclear way.
Prose is awkward and sentence
structures tend to be repetitive and
simple. Word choices are often

10. incorrect and distracting.
Tone is often inappropriate for an
academic audience.
Title is inappropriate for the genre,
Ideas are expressed in an unclear way.
Prose is awkward and sentence structures
are repetitive and simple. Word choices
are incorrect and distracting.
Tone is inappropriate for an academic
audience.
The essay has a generic title (such as
“Analytical Research Essay”) or no title.
ENGV 306
Analytical Research Essay Grading Rubric
engaging. audience, purpose, and/or topic.
Grammar and
Scholarly
Citation Style
(15%)
The grammar and use of scholarly
citation style are flawless.
There are very few minor errors in
grammar and scholarly citation style.

11. Occasional errors in grammar scholarly
citation style.
Frequent errors in grammar and
scholarly citation style.
Frequent and serious errors in grammar.
The essay is not in a scholarly citation
style.