You will produce a cause or effect essay that is 1,000 to 1.500 words long (that is approximately four to six pages not counting any graphics). The essay must be at least 1,000 words/four full pages long, but should not exceed 1,500 words/six pages.
The essay will focus on a claim/thesis while examining the causes or effects of a topic. You should choose a topic that personally impacts you or your family.
Write a thoughtful and worthwhile essay while attempting to prove the thesis. While essays are very much like arguments in court (intro=opening statement, body=evidence, examining, conclusion=closing statement), you do not have to prove your thesis beyond a shadow of a doubt like a lawyer would have to do in court. You just need to present a good case.
Three sources are required for the essay. You must use at least two sources from the Vol State library databases. Random websites are not acceptable sources. Government websites are acceptable, as well as websites from reputable organizations. You may include additional sources, but should not have more than five sources. The essay should be mostly your work with sources used to support the claims you are making.
Students must use quotes from each source in the essay.
You must follow the usual MLA guidelines: MLA heading/header, double spaced with no extra spaces between, size twelve Times New Roman font, and one inch margins.
Make sure you are using solid research. The databases located on the library’s website are good sources. Some are better than others. ProQuest, Academic OneFile, and EBSCOhost databases are large, general, excellent databases. America’s News and Newsbank are databases of reliable news you can use in your essay.
I would steer of clear of databases like Credo Reference or CQ Researcher, which are not written by experts and are more like encyclopedia entries. They are solid resources to learn about a topic, but not to use to support your claims.
Lastly, doing a search by topic will give you a list of the best databases for that subject/discipline. For example, choosing Criminal Justice in the first dropdown (once you are in the database list) will give you three to four of best databases for that topic.
