ENG 102Research Essay Outline Instructions At this point you have chosen your topic and found a question at
issue and thesis. Through your preliminary research report and annotated bibliography,
you are continuing to research and learn about your topic and support that
thesis. Now it is time to begin drafting an outline to help you consider the
structure and content of your ideas, and where
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ENG 102
Research Essay Outline Instructions
At this point you have chosen your topic and found a question at
issue and thesis. Through your preliminary research report and annotated bibliography,
you are continuing to research and learn about your topic and support that
thesis. Now it is time to begin drafting an outline to help you consider the
structure and content of your ideas, and where you will use the sources you
have found. Note that at this point you cannot change your topic, although
changes to your thesis, shifts in focus, or other modifications within your
topic are encouraged as you develop your essay.
For this assignment, you will need to construct a structured
outline that will serve as a guide for your essay draft. Outlines are
beneficial in the writing process because they serve as a roadmap of sorts for
the drafting process, ensuring that the author has a clear sense of direction
as she writes because her thoughts are already developed in large part. An
outline is also useful because it helps the author determine where sources will
be used, where the counterargument will be located, and how the author will
rebut the counterargument. In short, a developed outline will look very similar
to a rough draft.
With that in mind, it should be noted that the final draft of an
essay may look significantly different from the outline. This is perfectly
acceptable, since the drafting and revising process requires writing and rewriting,
changing ideas and moving ideas around. In fact, the final draft of an essay
should look different from the outline because that signifies the author has
made meaningful and substantial revisions to the rough draft. Your outline
should serve as a roadmap for the rough draft, but it is not set in stone.
For this assignment, please do the following:
1.
Use a formal alphanumeric outline structure to create a
fully-developed structured outline of your essay. Your outline should present
the question at issue and a clear and focused thesis at the top of the page
under the title of the assignment. You can find an example of a formal,
alphanumeric outline in the PDF version of this assignment (see above for the
link), as well as here: https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20081113013048_544.pdf (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
2.
Your outline should be thorough. It should contain major
sections, points, and sub-points, as well as examples and sources where
necessary. Be sure to use complete sentences. Your outline
should not be written in fragments or include placeholders like
“Counterargument goes here.” You will only need to include one sentence per
section, point, or sub-point. Do not forget to include clear sections for your
introduction and conclusion.
3.
Your outline should contain one outlined paragraph set aside for
a counterargument. This section should demonstrate an understanding of the
counterargument and should not attempt to rebut it in that paragraph.
4.
Your outline should address the counterargument in a second
outlined paragraph, located directly after the counterargument paragraph. This
paragraph will rebut the counterargument.
5.
Make sure your outline demonstrates a logical chain of
reasoning. The reader should be able to see how the paragraphs connect and
create a line of main ideas and supporting points that prove your thesis
statement.
6.
Cite your sources. Use in-text citations at the end of each
section and be sure to include a MLA compliant work cited page at the end of
the outline.
This outline should be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font
with a clear heading at the top of the page.
Rubric
Argumentative Research Essay Outline Rubric
Argumentative
Research Essay Outline Rubric
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Criteria
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Ratings
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Pts
|
This
criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeHow
effectively is the outline organized? Does it follow the formal outline
structure demonstrated in the example provided with the instructions? Does it
present a clear question at issue and focused thesis statement at the top of
the page under the title?
|
5.0 pts
Full Marks
|
0.0 pts
No Marks
|
|
5.0 pts
|
This
criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDoes the
outline use clear, complete, declarative sentences? Does it avoid fragments,
phrases, questions, or describing sentences (“In this section I will…”)? Does
the outline avoid using multiple sentences in a single point?
|
5.0 pts
Full Marks
|
0.0 pts
No Marks
|
|
5.0 pts
|
This
criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDoes the
outline contain clear introduction and conclusion sections? Are they
adequately developed?
|
5.0 pts
Full Marks
|
0.0 pts
No Marks
|
|
5.0 pts
|
This
criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDoes the
assignment indicate an outlined paragraph where the essay will introduce a
counterargument? Does it reserve one section for the counterargument and a
second section for the rebuttal? Are each of these outlined paragraphs
adequately developed?
|
5.0 pts
Full Marks
|
0.0 pts
No Marks
|
|
5.0 pts
|
This
criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeHow
effective and clear is the logical chain of reasoning in the outline? Does
the location of the paragraphs and their contents make sense? Does the
structure of the outline seem to support the thesis statement?
|
5.0 pts
Full Marks
|
0.0 pts
No Marks
|
|
5.0 pts
|
This
criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDoes the
outline contain MLA-compliant in-text citations and a work cited page? Are
the citations accurate?
|
5.0 pts
Full Marks
|
0.0 pts
No Marks
|
|
5.0 pts
|
Total Points: 30.0
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