You should follow the samples of documentation and writing found in The Little Seagull Handbook, including (but not limited
to!) the examples we went over for the Annotated Bibliography, Works Cited page, citations, etc.
2. Remember that your introduction should consist of the most significant portions of your Informative Essay, including any
anecdote or background information, definition of terms, etc., that you used in that paper’s introduction. This portion of
the argumentative essay should be at least three paragraphs. If you feel you must use a source here, do so briefly, since
this is where we should hear YOUR voice strongly.
3. I will look for you to have an argumentative thesis statement, clearly stating your claim. This thesis should appear by
the END of your introduction, in a separate fourth paragraph.
4. Introduction of Source (IOS): This policy is the same as it was for the Informative Essay. The FIRST time you use a
source, either by quotation or paraphrase, you MUST introduce it with the full name of the author(s) and some sort of
“credibility” before you give the point of view or information. This also applies to sources “without authors” (giving the
article title instead of an author). For subsequent uses of a source, you should refer to a source by author’s last name. If
the use is a paraphrase, introduce the last name into the text, to indicate the beginning of the paraphrase. If a quote, you
have the option of using the last name in the parenthesis at the end of the quotation, with the page number (or not, if the
source is from the Internet and has no page number).
5. You should use quotations sparingly, and according to the guidelines on page 82 of your handbook. All quotations must be
documented IN THE TEXT with parenthetical citations, or the appropriate means for some Internet sources. This is true for
paraphrased material as well. Be sure to review the material on paraphrasing on p. 82 and pp. 85-87 in your handbook.
6. Since this is an argument, you must acknowledge at least one opponent, preferably with reference to a source which
expresses this opposition. You must also reply to this opposition in a separate paragraph. Therefore, this portion of your
essay should be seen in two separate and clearly distinguished paragraphs. We will be practicing this with the use of a
Worksheet on Opposition and Reply.
7. Your paper must be a MINIMUM OF FIVE complete pages (no more than ten), in 12 POINT FONT, WITH STANDARD MARGINS ON ALL
SIDES. To avoid confusion in paper’s length, do not use “Courier” or “Courier New” fonts. Rather, use Times New Roman for
consistency. Anything less than five properly formatted pages will receive a deduction in the grade before any other
evaluation is made. This is a minimum, and should not be seen as deserving, automatically, of a grade above a “C.”
8. Remember that your paper should have a balance between the material derived from outside sources and “your text.” Remember
that “your text” includes: reasoning, your response to source material, your own experience, others’ experiences which you
are narrating, and hypothetical examples. It’s better to have more of “your text” than the opposite. I will watch carefully
to see that this balance is maintained in order for you to receive a grade higher than a “C.”
9. All Works Cited entries must follow MLA format as described in your text and as practiced in the Annotated Bibliography
and Informative Essay. Any deviations from regular format must be discussed with me in advance.
10. Plagiarism, in any form, is a serious offense, and one that we have discussed from the beginning of the semester. Any
instance of plagiarism (including, but not limited to unacknowledged use of a source, “paraphrasing” without citing a source,
lifting text from a source word for word, etc.) will be grounds for an “F” grade on the paper, and therefore failure of the
course.
11. Your essay must contain at least two paraphrases from a source or sources, other than the use of the Interview. These
paraphrases must be supported by screen shots or photocopies of the pages of the sources you used. This will be clarified
towards the end of the semester.
12. You must submit your essay to Turnitin.com no later than the announced deadline, which I will clarify at the end of the
semester. Failure to submit your essay to Turnitin.com will result in an F on your essay, and will therefore mean an F in the
course.
