For this research paper, you will use your personal experiences as well as academic research to answer a research question related to something in your own life. For example, if you want to quit smoking, your research question might be, “How can the physical and mental effects of tobacco withdrawal be mitigated?” You would then detail your experience quitting tobacco using any quantitative examples (your own numbers, statistics, measurements, stories (anecdotes) from your experience); and descriiptions of your physical and mental state. (To do this you will need to choose something you have experience with).
You would also use academic research to show the more universal experience: what do studies show about tobacco cessation and the brain? The body? About stress? About the mental state? About the experience of withdrawal? And finally, you would use research to show what measures can be taken to lessen the negative effects of withdrawal. If you have time, you could also try some of these techniques and include descriiptions of your experience with the techniques.
The research paper must be in MLA style and 4-5 pages long, with 1-inch margins, 12 pt. font, double-spaced, and on 8.5 x 11 pages. It must include a properly formatted Works Cited page in MLA format and in-text citations in MLA format. The paper must reference at least four sources and must list these sources in the Works Cited page. For evidence, the essay must include the following:
• Statistics OR descriiptions OR anecdotes
• Statistics drawn from study data or other valid academic sources such as journal articles.
• Facts drawn from study data or academic sources such as journal articles.
• Expert opinion drawn from academic sources OR survey data drawn from academic sources OR personal anecdotes drawn from academic sources.
How you balance your personal experience and your academic source data is up to you, BUT you must have at least four citations and your research question must be answered in a thorough and detailed way that satisfies your audience’s curiosity. The structure of the essay must be logical with clear transitions from idea-to-idea or from answer-to-answer.