These are the instructions and I will paste my past draft so you can write it kind of like the way I wrote it.
Overview
Think about your desired career path, industry, or job title. And then think about some current events that are affecting those things. What youre seeing in the news may seem like never-before-seen concerns, but there are probably parallels you could draw to other times, to other places, or to other areas of study.
By the end of this multi-part assignment, you will have written a strong essay that will provide context for this situation. You will make an argument that a professional in your field would find helpful in navigating current events.
Your argument should be descriptive (how things are) and also normative (whether that is good or bad). And you must use credible, authoritative, insightful sources as the basis of your argument.
Part 4/5: Draft
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Deliverables
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Rubric
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Step-by-step instructions
1. Check the Library Resource tab. On the left hand side of your screen is a blue link labeled “Library Resources.” Click on it, and then in the new window click on the name of our course. This will open the research guide for our course. Review what’s on the tab “Writing & Citing Resources.”
2. Revisit your outline. You’ve already done the brainwork of organizing your ideas. In Canvas, open your previous essay assignment submission. Re-read that outline from start to finish, before you write anything. Re-read any feedback from your instructors, too. Keep that window open until you’ve finished this draft.
3. Follow your outline. Write a complete draft of your paper. Follow your outline: mention those ideas in that order, but now use full sentences and paragraphs instead of bullet points. Here are some tried-and-true writing tips:
- Start with the first body paragraph, and write the introduction last
- This is counter-intuitive but easier and faster
- Otherwise it’s like trying to make a movie trailer (introduction) before the movie (paper) has been edited
- Good conclusions…
- Start by rewording the thesis
- End with the thought you want to leave the reader with
- Good introductions…
- Start with a story or description of the topic
- Then highlight complications or concerns (which you know your thesis will address)
- End with your thesis
A great resource on our campus to help with your writing process is the .
4. Include in-text citations. Whenever you summarize, paraphrase, or quote material from a source, add a citation in the text. If it’s not your idea, cite it it’s more impressive to show how many resources you’ve read than to show that you came up with any particular idea/insight.
Here are guidelines Dr. Jibson has put together for the most common styles. You’ve seen these before, but now you’ll use the second page, too.
NOTE: Failure to properly cite outside sources, whether deliberately or accidentally, is academic dishonesty and plagiarism it may even be grounds for failing the assignment or the course.
5. Do a read-through. Once you’re done writing (out of order), read it aloud (from start to finish). Catch things that copyeditors look for. Even though this is not the final draft, it is not a rough draft!
- Fix any typos everybody’s got them.
- Change any wording that was clunky don’t give yourself a pass.
- Smooth out any tone shifts this should sound professional all the way through.
6. Add your sources. On a new page at the end of the draft, copy and paste your formatted sources from your last assignment. Be sure they incorporate all the feedback they’ve received, from previous assignments.
7. Do a cross-check of your sources. Open a new blank document as a temporary workspace you’ll hop back and forth between this temp doc and your paper, in this step.
Copy your list of references from your paper, and paste them into the temp doc. Read your paper slowly and, whenever you come to an in-text citation, highlight in yellow the corresponding reference from the temp doc (don’t delete it). Once you’ve gotten to the end of your paper:
- If there is ever an in-text citation that does not have a corresponding reference on the temp doc, you need to add it to the list of references at the end of your paper.
- If you reach the end of your paper and there are still any references on the temp doc that are not highlighted, you need to cite them in-text in your paper.
Delete the temp doc once you’re done with this step.
NOTE: You need to use the same number of scholarly sources in this paper as required in the Sources assignment. You’re welcome to use more sources of any kind, if they fit.
8. Check your formatting. Follow .
In addition, add a “running header” with an automatically updating page number (you can google for help if you’re unfamiliar with “running headers”).
9. Turn it in. When you are satisfied with your work, upload your draft to Canvas in order to receive credit for this assignment.
10. Print two copies. You will be sharing your work in discussion with two partners, and they will each need a clean copy of your draft. Print two copies of your draft you can do this any time after submitting to Canvas and before meeting for discussion.
Notes & advicE
- First draft vs. rough draft
- Every draft deserves to be clean, complete, and proofread not rough
- We used to call this the first draft because we have another draft after it
- The better your first draft, the better your final draft
Requirements: 3-4 pages (in rubric)

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