Writing Assignment: Research-Supported Cause-Effect Essay
Writing assignment will be an essay supported by research in which you analyze either causes or effects of a phenomenon.
You are encouraged to use your field of study to help in generating a topic for this essay. Some sample topics are listed below:
• the effects of the Internet or day trading on stock prices
• the causes of instability in financial markets in a particular industry
• the effects of human resource management practices on employee turnover
• the causes of job dissatisfaction among employees in a particular industry
• the effects of cause-related marketing plans
• the effects of tourism marketing on tourism patterns
• the effects of sports marketing on the entertainment industry
Organization
The essay should have the following elements:
• an engaging introductory paragraph. You might even want to cite sources in the opening paragraph to make your opening engaging to the reader.
• an effective and clear thesis statement
• a statement of definitions and background on the topic on which you are writing.
oYou will want to define any terms necessary for the reader.
oYou may want to provide a historical background on your topic.
• unified, supported, and coherent body paragraphs that defend the thesis
• sources cited throughout the body paragraphs that support the arguments in the paper
• an effective conclusion
• a "references" page that lists the sources cited. The references should be listed in APA format.
In addition, the paper should be formatted according to APA style in accordance with the video tutorial you observed in class, How to format your paper according to APA style.
Length: 1500-2000 words
• Use one-inch margins.
• Double space.
• Use size 12 Times New Roman font.
• Include a running head.
• Include page numbers.
• Include a title page.
• An abstract is not required.
The sources and citation format for this essay
You are required to use at least six sources for this essay.
At least four sources must be acquired through the databases subscribed to by UMUC's Information and Library Services. In addition, at least three sources are to come from scholarly journals.
Keep in mind that if the sources are scholarly, the argument you make in the paper will be more persuasive. For this reason, feel free to use all scholarly sources if you can.
In addition, please feel free to cite more than six sources. You may find that seven or eight sources (or more) are necessary to establish your argument and defend your thesis. Please do not feel limited to using only six sources. Use more if you would like to or need to.
Please cite your sources and list them at the end of your paper using APA format.
Persuasive or Expository
This essay can be a persuasive essay, in which you try to persuade the reader of a particular position. Or it can be an expository essay that synthesizes material, an essay in which you give information to the reader and synthesize the different viewpoints on an issue. The following examples help illustrate these two approaches.
For example, if you were to write on the effects of video games on students' learning abilities, the following would be options:
You could write a persuasive essay in which you take the position that video games should be integrated into school science curricula to teach middle school students. You would cite articles that demonstrate research studies and other pieces of evidence to support the claim that video games can enhance instruction in science classes and will help middle school students learn science more effectively.
If you write a persuasive essay, please follow one of the following three options for organization:
• Classical (deductive) approach
• Inductive approach
• Refutation approach.