Research and the Rough Draft

In a previous module, you crafted three "mini-essays" for a Writing Portfolio, and your course instructor provided extensive feedback for each essay in the Writing Portfolio.

In preparation for submitting the Research 102 Final Essay, you will choose either the Expository Mini-Essay or the Persuasive Mini-Essay from your Writing Portfolios and expand upon the information to create a full essay. You already have feedback for the Mini-Essay submission, so you will be able to use your instructor feedback to inform the additional paragraph(s).

In order to complete the Rough Draft for the full essay, you may need to gather more sources, using the research process. Then, you will use your instructor feedback to revise and craft a Rough Draft of the full essay.

Review of the Rough Draft Process

During the rough draft process, the writing does not have to be perfect, but there are questions to ask throughout the process:

Do I have a clear thesis that meets all of the thesis requirements?
Does all information and evidence in my body paragraphs directly relate to the respective topic sentence and support my claims?
Does each body paragraph have a conclusion sentence?
Did I make sure my introduction and conclusion are not simply summaries?
Do all of my topic sentences directly relate to the thesis statement?

Using the brainstorm outline is helpful for creating a rough draft because when a writer rewrites the outline in paragraph form, the paper will have all of the necessary elements needed after adding the analysis of evidence. The analysis portion of the rough draft is very important. Analyzing evidence should not be a summary of the evidence—the analysis should reveal how the evidence proves the claims.

Thesis: Serving the President of the United States of America has several benefits but contains aspects some people do not prefer in a career.

Body 1 Topic: The President of the United States has a great amount of power which appears beneficial in certain situations.

Develop: The president can go wherever he wants at any point in time by making a single phone call.

Evidence: Today, “[t]he President of the United States must be ready to travel anywhere in the world on a moment’s notice. Fortunately, modern presidents have access to a variety of transportation options - including flying aboard Air Force One” (“Air Force Once”).

Analysis: The president has his own airplane that he can use, so he can travel around the world whenever he wants or needs. Having an airplane at one’s disposal reveals power that few people have.

Transition: Furthermore, the President can veto a law if he does not want the law in the country.

Evidence: In government, “[e]very bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President of the United States; if he approves he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it with his objections…” (US Const. amend. 1 sec. 7).

Analysis: The president does not have to allow a law that he thinks is not good for the country. The ability to choose what laws are helpful reveal the great amount of power the President holds.

Research 102 Rough Draft Requirements

5 Sources from Reliable Website or Texts
MLA format
Introduction
Paragraph form
Proper thesis statement
Topic sentences that relate to the thesis statement
On topic development and transitions
Evidence that supports claims
Integrated evidence
Correct in-text citations
Analysis of evidence that does not summarize
Conclusion sentences for each body paragraph
Conclusion paragraph that does not summarize
Proper Works Cited page

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.