Reading Assignment and Final Touches--Cleaning up your paper before you hand it in

Hi all,

The final draft of your first paper is due on Tuesday: you have until 11:59PM on Tuesday to email it to me.

Since we're back in class on Tuesday, you're also responsible for the following readings (short, but interesting):

This piece by Katya Soldak for Forbes:

Barbie Flu Spreading in Ukraine

This Article by Maureen O'Connor:

Is Race Plastic?

Since the final draft of your first paper is due on Tuesday, here are some quick pointers on what to pay attention to before you hand it in.

• Does your introduction contain a thesis? Is it clear how your chosen examples will prove useful?

• When you introduce a source in a body paragraph, do you provide the author's name and the title of the source in a sentence?

• Are you providing direct quotes from your sources to support your overall discussion?

• When you provide a direct quote, are you using strong signal phrases, like "He writes" or "She argues"?

• How are you connecting one source to the next in your body paragraphs? Are you moving from similarity to similarity? Are you highlighting differences?

• Parenthetical citations in the body of your paper should be in MLA format--head to the Purdue OWL for assistance: MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics

• Your Works Cited Page should also be in MLA format.

Remember to give your final draft a good once-over, and I'll see you Tuesday.

Greenlee