you will write an essay that analyzes an article of your choice selected from your research results so far. You will focus on one essay only. There should be no references to other sources in your paper. The exam should reflect your analysis of the text alone.

I will expect to see an essay with an introduction, body paragraphs (one of which should be a brief summary of the key points of the source, especially as relevant to your project), and a conclusion. This will likely look very much like a traditional 5-paragraph essay.

Introduction: The introductory paragraph should include an introduction to the article that you will discuss and must present your thesis for the essay, which is your assessment of the text—its reliability, suitability, and relevance.

Body:The essay’s first body paragraph should be a brief summary of the article based upon the article’s central idea, key terms, and other important ideas. Remain objective in the summary, reserving judgment and assessment for the following paragraphs.

You must assess the source, discussing its suitability as an academic source and its applicability to your research and project. Consider the author’s purpose and reliability, including some information about who the author is and why he or she is reputable. You may wish to discuss the reliability of the source itself. If it an article, for instance, what can you say about the credibility of the journal or magazine in which it is published? Is the source objective or biased? How so? Is it useful? Explain.

Reflect on the source. Consider how it fits in with your research. How helpful is the source? How do you see it fitting in with your project?How has it informed or otherwise changed or shaped your ideas?

Conclusion:The concluding paragraph will tie everything together and give readers an overview of your essay. It should provide a sense of closure to the essay.

As we previously discussed, this essay incorporates essential components of the annotated bibliography entries; however, your discussion in this exam will likely be more detailed and refined as you will have more space to elaborate on your discussion.