Write your exploratory paper (2-3 pages long) on the same topic you presented for your oral proposal. Narrow down your topic. (see How to Narrow Down Your Topic on blackboard) Use the Student sample as a guide for writing your paper. Your paper should be in MLA format : that is, double spaced and with in-text citations and a works cited page. The Exploratory Paper: The exploratory paper identifies at least three positions on an issue and allows you to get an idea about where you might stand. From the sources that you found for your issue proposal, choose three to summarize more thoroughly. Make sure that the three sources you choose present three different positions on the issue or three different ways of looking at it. You should include some direct quotations in your summaries; choose quotes that make the main points in the article, but do not over-quote. See the pages on MLA in PA in the Appendix to Chapter 12 for help with quoting. Remember, you are not talking about your own position here; rather, you are reporting what others have said and how their positions fit together (or not). In your conclusion you can talk about why this was persuasive for you.
