Explore five categories of news: world, national, state/local, entertainment. Pick one story from each category and summarize it in three or four sentences. Then UPDATE each story in two or three additional sentences, creating a present-day perspective. Since this is a research-based essay, youll need to provide correct MLA documentation, including in-text citations and a Works Cited page. The news stories can be found in The New York Times archives and updates can be found via Google.
Newspapers: Although several major American newspapers have gone out of business in recent years, hundreds are still being published. But only a few are typically cited as sources in academic writing. Heres the list, a short one:
The Los Angeles Times The Wall Street Journal
The New York Times The Washington Post
*Archives*
A good research-based essay
Has a meaningful title that clearly identifies the topic
Opens with an interesting, attention-getting introduction that establishes the significance of the topic, and provides a firm thesis statement
Is organized into several body paragraphs, enough to fully cover the topic, and proceeds in a coherent, step-by-step way, focusing on one main idea at a time
Draws upon reliable sources of information
Employs paraphrase, summary, and quotation correctly, avoiding plagiarism
Closes with a smooth, meaningful conclusion that gracefully resolves the discussion by somehow relating back to the introduction
