21w.012 Food for Thought

Instructor: Karen Boiko

Investigative Essay       

8-10 p. double-spaced (2400-3000 words)

Essay 3 is a researched essay focusing on a topic of your choice (with my approval). It gives you the opportunity to develop your investigative and critical skills and your ability to organize a longer essay, along with practice using sources responsibly.

• Your first draft must be a minimum of 6-7 complete pages, or it may be 8-10 pages with a couple of sections left like this: [to come]. Of course, it may also be complete.
• Whatever length draft you post and hand in, it MUST be accompanied by your Works Cited.

Citation

In Essay 3, we will use MLA citation—that means in-text citations along with a list of Works Cited.

• Note that using MLA style does NOT mean that when you quote or paraphrase you just do this (Author 123). You are to introduce authors to readers and use signal phrases to lead into or out of quotes and paraphrases.
• For more on how to integrate authors and quotes into your essays, see the handout “Style Matters” (Stellar – Materials – Resources on Writing)
• For MLA style for pagination, in-text citing and Works Cited, see the Purdue OWL. There’s a link under Stellar – Materials – Resources on Research
• MLA style asks you to number section headings—but that is not necessary for our assignment. And do not use the headings “Introduction” or “Conclusion.”

Additional resources you may consult to put your paper together:

• “What does your investigative essay need?” (Stellar – Materials – Resources on Writing)
• Our library page (linked on our Navigation Bar), as well as our librarians, Anne Graham and Chris Sherratt
• Making Good Arguments (Stellar – Materials – Resources on Writing)