Readings
Remember, the idea for your IEE is that…
- This research should help prepare you for challenges in your future career,
- To deal with a difficult and debatable issue,
- By considering different approaches,
- As suggested by academic scholars and elite researchers in your field.
Typically, these researchers will have differing perspectives on the topic. Your goal is to find and explain those different perspectives.
Thus, everything on this assignment depends on what scholarly research, published in academic journals, you can find.
When starting your research, some of you may find a lack of research on your issue, which may mean you’ll need to begin again from scratch with a different topic. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do to assist in such situations.
It is crucial, therefore, not to procrastinate, as you may find yourself needing to delve deeper — or along a different path — than you initially anticipated.
Remember, though, there are no excuses regarding this requirement.
Also, it’s important to note that broadcast news and opinions do not qualify as “scholarly research published in academic journals.”
When writing your essay, begin by providing a summary of the issue.
Proceed by discussing and comparing/contrasting four distinct stances on the issue. These positions should offer contrasting perspectives on the same topic.
Finally, conclude the essay by summing things up and presenting your own personal viewpoint.
To be clear, the Issue Exploration Essay primarily consists of restating/summarizing the research, then offering a brief quotation to illustrate and prove your point, followed by some analysis as you compare and contrast the experts’ perspectives, repeated throughout the essay. Your own opinions should only be offered at the very end, typically within a single paragraph, which should explain what you have learned from your research.
Part of being a proficient writer — and a mature, sensible adult — is the ability to examine and discuss points that may differ from your own. Therefore, it is essential to explain and cite the opinions of the experts, fairly and straightforwardly. Beware of logical fallacies. This aspect is crucial for achieving a good score on the remaining assignments.
MLA Citations
In general, the proper order for MLA citations varies depending on the source type (e.g., journal article, book, website). However, here is a general order for the elements:
- Author names
- Article title (in quotation marks for journal articles, italicized for books)
- Publication title (in italics for journal articles, books, or websites)
- Volume number (for journal articles)
- Issue number (if applicable, for journal articles)
- Year of publication
- Page numbers (for journal articles or specific sections in books)
- Database name (for online sources accessed through a database, such as academic journals)
- URL or DOI (preferred for online sources)
27 Proofreading Tips
Below is a listing of tips to help you proofread your own writing, now and in the future.
- Read the instructions. Follow them!
- Be certain that you understand your topic.
- Be certain your research applies directly to your topic.
- Make sure you have gathered important research by searching for related terms or synonyms.
- Focus on the topic rather than all the surrounding issues.
- Edit out extraneous summaries, especially in the first paragraph. Dive right in!
- Brief, focused paragraphs.
- Add appropriate transitions between topics.
- Organize topics carefully. Please note that you may further adjust the order to fit your specific needs or preferences.
- Add subheadings.
- Review essay organization; consider each topic once, and try to avoid being redundant.
- Offer specific details, such as statistics from official government sources.
- Explain abbreviations and technical terms from studies.
- Fill out the conclusion, including what you learned from your research. End the paper with a zinger.
- Soften overstatements, exaggerations, and hyperbole.
- Avoid grandstanding or sermonizing; just summarize experts’ research as published in academic journals.
- Attribute all claims to an expert, scholarly source.
- Try to use active verbs, instead of needless “Forms of Be” (“affects,” not “does affect”). Recite: Forms of Be
- Try to use the rhetorical principles of logos (specific details), which creates ethos (credibility), leading to pathos — an emotional impact for your readers.
- Review for clarity.
- Read aloud to polish phrasing.
- Review for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and other typos.
- Review the title. Is it engaging? Any typos?
- Vary common terms throughout (e.g., workers, laborers, patients, consumers, etc. instead of only “people”).
- Rephrase the thesis in the form of a question(s), if helpful. Answer the question(s) in your essay to follow!
- Underline your thesis statement!
- Always triple-check your first few lines for spelling or other errors.
Learning Grammar
Using proper grammar is a skill that can seem challenging, but it is necessary to gain credibility as a writer — and provide clarity to readers. Devoting two or three hours to studying the fundamental rules of grammar is usually all it takes for a lifetime of writing.
So please, if you have any questions, ask.
A Note on Specific Details
Sharing details from the thing itself — the readings, the experiences, the research, or whatever we’re writing about — helps engage readers logically and emotionally while making our writing seem authoritative, knowledgeable, and accurate.
Together, those elements help readers to form a “mental picture” of whatever the writing is about.
Indeed, it’s the same specific details that lend our writing logos, ethos, and pathos. When details are missing, the same writing seems vague, weak, and even dubious — even when the points are entirely true and correct.
Keep that in mind for your writing, as you write your Issue Exploration Essay, throughout your academic career, throughout your professional career, and throughout your life.
Readings for Unit Six at Purdue’s OWL
