Workplace Writing II-Touchstone 3: Draft a Persuasive Proposal

Touchstone 3: Draft a Persuasive Proposal

ASSIGNMENT: Using your outline and annotated bibliography from Touchstones 1.2 and 2.2, draft an argumentative research essay on your chosen persuasive topic.

As this assignment builds on Touchstone 2.2: Create an Annotated Bibliography, that Touchstone must be graded before you can submit your persuasive proposal draft.

Sample Touchstone 3

In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI.

A. Directions

Step 1: Draft Persuasive Proposal

Your persuasive proposal should include your persuasive thesis statement, involve argument development, and incorporate research. Remember that this topic addresses a problem or issue in your community or workplace. Refer to your feedback from the previous Touchstones to aid you in composing this assignment.

Your draft persuasive proposal should include the following components:

Persuasive ComponentsQUESTIONPersuasive Thesis Statement

Include a thesis in your introduction that includes a clear, arguable position and supporting reasons.

Argument Development and Support

All details are relevant to the purpose of your essay.

Support the argument using persuasive rhetorical appeals and cited source material (i.e., direct quotations, paraphrasing, and summary).

Essay is 6-8 pages (approximately 1500-2000 words), not including your references or reflection responses. If it does not meet this requirement, which details do you need to add or remove?

Research

Introduce, contextualize, and cite outside sources effectively using quotation, summary, or paraphrase techniques.

Incorporate sources smoothly, providing the reader with signal phrases and context for the source information.

Reference a range of at least 7 credible sources.

Properly cite your sources according to APA-style guidelines.

Include an APA-style reference page below your essay.

Step 2: Reflection Questions

Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.

Provide one example of a place where you have used rhetorical appeals or source material to support your argument. How does this enhance your essay? (2-3 sentences)

Touchstone 4 is a revision of this draft. What kind of feedback would be helpful for you as you revise? Are there parts of your draft that you’re uncertain of? (3-4 sentences)

Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

Argument Development and Support
? Is your argument focused on an arguable community or workplace issue?
? Is your argument thoroughly developed with highly relevant details to support it, including the use of rhetorical appeals and source material?

Research
? Did you cite all outside sources appropriately in APA format?
? Did you incorporate credible sources smoothly and effectively through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary?

Organization
? Did you include an introduction with relevant and engaging background information and an argumentative thesis statement?
? Did you include an adequate number of body paragraphs with effective topic sentences?
? Did you include a body paragraph addressing counterargument(s)?
? Did you include a conclusion with an effective closing thought?

Conventions
? Have you double-checked for correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, formatting, and capitalization?
? Have you proofread to find and correct typos?

• Reflection
  ? Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses?
  ? Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?

Before You Submit
? Have you included your name, date, and course in the top left corner of the page?
? Is your essay between 1500 and 2000 words in length (6-8 pages)?

C. Requirements

The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:

Composition must be 6-8 pages (approximately 1500-2000 words).

Double-space the composition and use one-inch margins.

• Indent the first line of each paragraph by ½ inch.
• Use a readable 12-point font.
• All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.

Composition must be original and written for this assignment.

Use of generative chatbot artificial intelligence tools (ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Bard) in place of original writing is strictly prohibited for this assignment.

Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.

Sources must be cited following APA guidelines. Refer to the Unit 3 Applying Evidence and Citing and Reference Techniques tutorials for instructions and examples of proper citations.

Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.

• Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
• Acceptable file formats include .doc and .docx.
• Your annotated bibliography must be graded before your research essay draft will be accepted.
• D. Additional Resources
• The following resources will be helpful to you as you work on this assignment:

Purdue Online Writing Lab’s APA Formatting and Style Guide

This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation types.

Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style

This page on the official APA website addresses common questions related to APA formatting. The “References,” “Punctuation,” and “Grammar and Writing Style” sections will be the most useful to your work in this course.

APA Style: Quick Answers—References

1. This page on the official APA Style website provides numerous examples of reference list formatting for various source types.