1. Getting Started

First Things First - Assignment Requirements

Before you begin work on any research paper, examine the assignment closely for any requirements.

Q. How long is the paper?

Your paper should be 4-5 pages, plus a Works Cited page.

Q. How many sources?

You will need to use at least 4-5 sources for this paper. The Annotated Bibliography that goes with this paper requires 5 sources. You may use 2 paired sources from your earlier readings: Twenge/Guernsey OR Berenson/Lopez. If you use the paired articles, you will need 3 additional sources for the Annotated Bibliography, and use at least 2 of them in your paper.

Q. What kind of sources?

Choose quality, credible articles or books from the Library's databases or articles from reputable internet sites. You will do an in-depth evaluation of the sources you choose as part of your Annotated Bibliography. Find our more on choosing good sources in Step 6 of this guide.

Q. How do you cite sources?

Your instructor requires you to use MLA format for your citations. You may want to remind yourself what information you need to create the MLA Works Cited page and in-text citations.

Q. What is due?

You will be doing a paper, as well as an Annotated Bibliography.

Q. When is it due?

How long do you have to work on this paper or project? Is there one due date for everything or are there multiple due dates for different parts of the assignment? Plan out your time, so you don't get stuck doing all the work at the last minute. Plan extra time in case you have problems or get stuck.

Selecting Your Topic

You will be selecting one of two topics for ths research assignment:

1) Argue for/against federal marijuana legalization in the United States

2) Argue for/against the dangers of social media/smartphone usage by teenagers and/or adults