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Penn College NOW ENL111 (Bartlett/Brion): Informative Essay Assignment

Informative Essay Instructions

Your paper must be:

  • Typed, 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, two to three pages, MLA format
  • You must include at least ONE source in the Works Cited page.   You also need to cite this source internally.

Prompt:  Write a two to three-page paper about a famous person that is (or was) important in your career field.  For instance, if your career field is auto mechanics, you may want to research Henry Ford.  OR If you are having problems finding a person in your field, research a famous person who has inspired you to become a better person.  Either way, you need to address the person’s background (i.e. family, education, etc.) as well as what the person has done to contribute to your career field or inspire you to become a better person.

  1. Brainstorm possible topics. [If you need help, check out the LibGuide for Biographies: https://pct.libguides.com/biographies.  Here you will find biographical resources arranged by categories that should make finding a famous person in your area of study easier.]
  2. Conduct preliminary research to locate material on the topic. Remember that you must include at least ONE source in your paper. You may find that your topic is too broad and you may need to narrow it down.
  3. Locate the best source to use for your paper. Take notes from this source, using whichever method is best for your learning style. Be sure to use quotation marks around exact quotes from the text. Also be sure to write down page numbers.  Keep in mind that just because you find information from a source, you don’t need to use that information or that source.  This applies to any time you are researching.  You need to identify the BEST source(s) and information to use.
  4. Organize your notes according you your learning style (formal outline, working outline, etc.)
  5. Write a rough draft for your paper.  Include the source page (called Works Cited because we are using MLA citations) with your rough draft.  This page will always start on a new page.  Be sure to bring a PRINTED copy of your rough draft to class for the peer review.
  6. After the peer review, edit and revise your paper.

Finalize your paper for submission.  Be sure to submit your final copy as well as all pre-writing materials to the Dropbox in PLATO.

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