RESEARCHED ANALYSIS ESSAYFor this assignment, you will be researching a “hot” debatable topic;
Something with 2 arguable sides. Your job will be to break down the 2
sides for your readers through thorough analysis of your sources. A
personal connection to your topic Is Important as your Introduction should
show your readers why you care about your topic In the first place.
PURPOSE
A good researched analysis is not a report. A good analytical essay breaks
down its focus topic into its component parts and carefully examines each part
critically. It contextualizes each component part within the whole, providing the
reader with an understanding of both the larger topic and the inter-relationships
of its component parts. The writer defines and describes the issue clearly and
fully, and critically examines multiple perspectives on the topic. As in all good
writing, the writer engages in a process of discovery, leading both the writer and
the reader into a fuller understanding of the issues under examination.
RESEARCH
The research in a good researched analysis is thorough, appropriate and
varied. The writer finds sources that help define and explain the topic and its
multiple components. The sources chosen effectively help the writer to articulate
his/her understanding of the issue and its multiple perspectives. These sources
include all the following forms: library sources, Web sources, and field research
including an interview; surveys and direct observation may also be referenced.
The writer effectively evaluates the usefulness and the authority of each source,
not using or citing questionable sources.
CONTENT
In a good researched analysis, outside voices and the writer’s own thinking
are smoothly and effectively interwoven into a compelling, interesting and
convincing essay. Other authors’ ideas and words are not dropped into the
text, but are given context and relevance by the writer. The writer’s analysis is
clear, insightful, original, and presents multiple perspectives on the topic. The
writer effectively integrates researched materials into the text through summary,
paraphrasing and quoting. Quotations are used only when exact wording is
important. The writer engages the reader in a process of gaining a deeper
understanding of the issues involved. The essay is interesting.
ORGANIZATION
A good researched analysis has a strong thesis and an effective structure
which lead the reader to a clear understanding of the topic. The strategies
for organization used by the writer are appropriate to the issues discussed (e.g.
compare and contrast, or cause and effect analysis). The opening paragraph
serves as a “hook” to engage the reader. Within the first two or three
paragraphs, the reader will understand the definition of the topic and will have a
roadmap to the territory of thought the writer is engaged in. The body of the
essay both describes and analyzes the component parts of the topic. The
conclusion relates the analysis to the thesis and invites the reader to continue
thinking about the topic.
GRAMMAR and
CONVENTIONS
A good researched analysis demonstrates the internalization of correct grammar,
spelling, punctuation and in-text citation of sources. It is carefully edited and is
presented with pride as a public document.
WORKS CITED
A good RESEARCH PAPER cites only sources which are relevant,
appropriate and authoritative. The citations use MLA style and accurately
follow the conventions of the form.
Researched Analysis Essay
o Title: provides a clear idea of what will be encountered in this essay
o Lead: strong and engaging opening lines, the “hook”
▪ You may use a narrative (perhaps a personal anecdote that introduces the
topic and why it is of importance to you) or an expository opening section
in your essay. Remember that you must always ask what the expectations
are for every writing assignment in your academic and work careers.
▪ Within a paragraph or two, you should announce your topic clearly and
provide a blueprint of the essay for the reader.
o Body:
▪ Really strong and appropriate sources are key to the success of this
paper!
▪ Summarize the various opposing views you want us to understand.
• Organization is vital!
o How will you organize the two or more voices in this issue
dialogue?
▪ All one side, and then the other?
▪ A back-and-forth?
▪ This is not a report. It is an analysis. So:
• Where will you step in and help us navigate between these
opposing views, to help us understand what we are reading? In
other words—how will you integrate your own analysis into your
summaries of those opposing views?
o Concluding paragraph
▪ In an analysis essay, you may recap the salient points of each viewpoint,
and make a final commentary on those positions—your concluding
analysis.