1. Research essay
Active voice
How to be more concise
Portfolios due

2. Research essay specifications
You will develop a specific and interesting argument (your thesis)
You will structure this argument logically and
Support it with evidence
Your evidence will be derived from at least three appropriate sources. You must also use at least three of the following four source types:
Scholarly book
Scholarly article
Journalism
Government document
Your essay will follow essay conventions, including an introduction and conclusion.
You will follow the style guide for a citation style of your choice
You will use 12 pt. Times New Roman font, and double-space your prose. You will also follow the formatting specifications of your chosen citation style (for example, APA requires a title page, whereas MLA does not).
The essay will be in the range of 1,500 words (approx. 5 pages double-spaced)

3. Thesis
Clarity
Specificity
Originality
Argumentation
Quality of argument
Logic
Use of secondary sources (use of evidence)
Persuasiveness
Research
Reasonably thorough
Well-chosen sources
At least three sources
At least three of the required source types
Engages with the argument or information presented in each source (i.e., it’s not enough simply to cite three sources – you must indicate an understanding of the context of the quotes you use)

4. Organization
Progression of argument
The order in which supporting evidence is provided
Paragraphing
Transitions (between paragraphs, sentences, and ideas)
Writing Quality
Clarity and concision
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, sentence structure
Appropriate word choice
style
Citations
All sources are cited according to a standard citation style
Correct parenthetical citations
Correct Works Cited/Reference list/Bibliography
Mechanics and formatting
Capitals, hyphens, and other mechanical details
Pagination, font, title, etc.

5. Structuring your argument and using evidence to support your claims
This means that . . .
In other words, . . .
Because . . .
This suggests that . . .
Make the connection between your evidence and your claim explicit
Example…
Mental health is important. Unfortunately, Canadians’ mental health is on the decline. This paper will show that improving mental health services is essential for our collective well-being.
Poor mental health contributes to significant economic loses. This paper argues that improving mental health services is essential for the country’s economic health as well as the well-being of its citizens.

6. So what do they do?
Make it a verb
“One of the studies done was to compare ”
so what did they do, in one word? What’s the key verb here?
One of the studies compared

7. You should avoid the passive tense

8. Due to the fact that the passive voice is beloved, there will appear in many papers that have been written by undergraduates a large amount of unclear sentences.

9. Passive voice says:
“Within the article a comparison was made between [this and that]”
Who or what made the comparison?
Active voice says:
“The article compares [this and that]”

10. (Groups of 3-4: how can we improve these sentences with active voice?
“My first kiss will always be recalled by me as how my romance with Shayna first begun.”
The topics discussed in this paper include youth unemployment and unpaid internships.
When reading one of Stephen King’s novels, it is easy to become frightened.

11. ADVERBS describe how an action is performed
(She ran quickly)
ADJECTIVES describe nouns
(She was quick)

12. The road to hell is paved with adverbs.

13. “I’ll want the mule now,” the gunslinger said simply” (Stephen King, The Gunslinger, 77).
“The boy threw it down quickly and violently” (182).
“I’ve spilled out my share of adverbs in my time”---Stephen King, On Writing, 127
----OOOPS!

15. How can I make this shorter, clearer, and more direct?
“This is an article in which the topic related to the use of GMOs is presented in terms of the benefits and disadvantages of GMOs for human health.”
“The is is an article in which the topic related to the use of GMOs is presents ed in terms of the benefits and disadvantages of GMOs for human health.”

16. Next week:
Final peer editing session
Pairs
2 parts: online and in class
Exchange s with your pair and decide on a deadline (that is, when is the latest they can accept your draft and have time to comment on it?)