The Digital Divide

Description

RESEARCH PAPER:

A requirement for ENG101 by both the college and the state is that students write a formal research paper.
All ENG101 students will write a formal research paper that is at least 6 full pages not including the Works Cited page. This research paper will use the MLA Style for both formatting and documentation.

Here are the details:

1. The research paper will need to be at least 6 pages long, not including the Works Cited page at the end. If you desire to go over the 6 pages, please ask your instructor. Instructors will vary in how much over the page limit students may go.
2. The paper will have MLA Style for documentation of sources and formatting. Please refer to the resources located in this unit for assistance. Also, please do not hesitate to contact me individually by email with any questions you might have.
3. Your instructor will provide guidance on the topic of this essay. Some instructors will allow great freedom in choosing topics, while others will limit topics or have a selection of topics to choose from. This freedom on topics will vary depending upon the instructor, so please ask your instructor if he or she does not make this clear.
4. The paper will need to have a Thesis to keep the paper focused and organized. Unit 3 explains how to develop the thesis and use it for an organization.
5. Include a visual aid such as a picture, graphic, table, chart, etc. in the research paper and give credit to the source of this visual aid. In the six pages this assignment requires, the graphic should take up no more than one-half of one of those pages. (That really means 5.5 pages of writing with .5 of a page allowed for the visual aid). This visual aid requirement is to be in compliance with state guidelines for the class.
6. The paper needs to have at least 4 outside sources. At least half of the sources you use need to be non-internet. By non-internet, this means general web pages found through a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. It is acceptable to use library sources that are accessed online, such as the college's system of OhioLINK and the EGCC Gateway. Please refer to the links below for assistance in accessing these library sources.
   https://egcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ONLINE-LIBRARY-QUICK-START.pdf
   https://egcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/PASSWORD-LINK-information-Oct-06-2017.pdf
   GUIDANCE: The purpose of the research paper is to argue your position on some issue/problem. Because you have to to research for this project, make sure your topic is researchable and that there's a debate regarding the topic. I've listed below some more topics if some of you are still undecided.
   Paper Length: At least 6 pages not including works cited (double-spaced, MLA documented)
   Sources: At least 6
   Here's the outline for the paper:
   1) Introduction and thesis: In the introduction, try to get the reader's attention by introducting some facts that might shock him or her. The purpose of the introduction is to convince the reader that the issue you've chosen is an important one. At the end of the introduction, provide your position which should say something like the following:
   Homelessness in the US is rising for three reasons: A, B, and C. The consequences of growing homelessness are X, Y, and Z. The most effective way to fix the problem is by doing A and B.
   Your thesis must provide arguable claims. Avoid using cliched language such as good or bad or pro or con. Be specific about what you are arguing.
   2) Facts regarding the problem: In this section, you should give facts that prove the existence of the problem. Provide statistics and summaries of studies to prove that the problem exists. Feel free to use tables and graphs but make sure to cite them. Make sure your facts show the complexity of the issue. For example, don't just say that X number of people are homeless; be specific about who these people are. How old, what ethnicity and so on.
   3) Argue THREE causes of the problem: In this section, you should provide three causes of the problem and support those causes by evidence. Make sure to discuss each cause in a different paragraph and start each paragraph with a topic sentence.
   One major reason for growing poverty in the US is A. According to the CDC, millions of people became homeless after the 2008 recession….

4) Argue THREE consequences of the problem: In this section, you should argue what the three consequences of the problem are and provide evidence to support each in a differnt paragraph.
5) Discuss pragmatic solutions: In this section, you should discuss pragmatic solutions. Don't just say, Let's all help those who are struggling: hoping for people to do X or Y is wishful thinking, so come up with specific solutions that you think have a chance of working.

Consider the outline above a checklist so make sure your paper has all the different parts listed. Don't forget to compose a work cited page also according to MLA style criteria.

Sample Solution