The Explanatory Essay

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The Explanatory Essay

• What you need to know

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Physical Requirements

• Your essay should be at least four pages in
  length, and formatted in proper MLA style. 
• A works cited page is required.  There must be at
  least 4 current journal articles referenced in
  your paper.  Remember that works cited means
  these articles have actually been cited in your
  paper.  You may also refer to and cite a web page
  and/or a book, but these should not be your
  primary sources.

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Parenthetical Citations Required!

• Your essay should have parenthetical (in text)
  citations referring your reader to sources listed
  in the Works Cited.  Review parenthetical
  citations at the bottom of page 249. See also
  page 595.

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Parenthetical Citation

• In MLA style, referring to the works of others in
  your text is done by using parenthetical
  citation. Following a quotation from a source or
  a paraphrase of a source's ideas, place the
  authors name followed by a space and the
  relevant page number(s) in parenthesis
• Human beings have been described as
  "symbol-using animals" (Burke 3).

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This element is required

• In your Explanatory Essay. Every semester
  several students send in essays with no works
  cited pages and no parenthetical citations.
• Such papers do not meet minimum requirements, and
  will receive a failing grade!

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Works Cited Page

• Your in-text citation (parenthetical) will
  correspond with an entry in your Works Cited
  page, which, for the Burke citation above, will
  look something like this
• Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action
  Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley
  U of California P, 1966.

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It may seem obvious but,

• Primary articles, which you have used most
  often in your paper
• Are listed in your works cited page. Right?
• If youve sent in three primary articles, we
  will find find the authors of those articles many
  times in your paper via in text citations!

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Current Research Articles

• When you send in your essay, please include at
  least three of the primary articles you used to
  research your essay.
• Primary means these are the articles which are
  cited the most often in your paper.
• As we noted in your assignment, please do not use
  WEB PAGES as primary sources.

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Your Primary Sources

• As we will outline in your Explanatory Essay
  assignment,
• Your primary sources should come from EbscoHOST
  or another of the librarys professional
  databases.
• Your essay should be the result of ACADEMIC
  research not GOOGLE.

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The Works Cited Page

• Is a PART of your paper.
• If the Explanatory Essay is four pages in length,
  the works cited page will be page number 5.
• When you email your rough draft to me, the works
  cited page should be included as part of that
  file, not as a separate file.

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AND, OBVIOUSLY

• When you mail in your final draft
• Along with your 3 (minimum) primary articles
• And your self-addressed, stamped envelope
• Your final draft will INCLUDE
• The complete works cited page.

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Lastly, remember

• Everything you cite in your paper must be listed
  in the works cited page.
• Everything you include in the works cited page
  must actually be cited in your paper.

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Dont Forget

• I wont be able to grade your paper if you have
  not submitted a copy to Turnitin.com by the paper
  deadline.
• Here is the link to your assignment.