Writing Prompt:
Directions: Select one career you are interested in, do some research about it, and then write a short essay about what you learn.
*** THE CAREER I AM INTERESTED IN IS A PROFESSIONAL SINGER ***
Topics to Discuss:
1. What do these professionals do on a daily basis?
2. What kind of education do most of these professionals have?
3. What is the job outlook for this career? (In-demand now and in the future? Or not?)
Important: As you are researching, keep in mind that you will need to keep track of where you get information. You will need your source details later to create a Reference Page and in-text citations.
Please read the Source Requirements below for more instructions about your research.
Basic Writing Rules:
1. Use the font called Times New Roman
2. Use a 12 point size font.
3. Your paper should be double-spaced.
4. Your text should be aligned to the left.
5. Indent the first line of new paragraphs using the tab key.
6. You must indicate information from outside sources with in-text citations.
7. The paper should have three major sections:
* Title Page
* Your Essay (about two pages long)
* Reference Page
Source Requirements:
* Include at least 2 sources retrieved from public websites (please do not use websites that require usernames/passwords).
* Your textbook does not count as one of these two sources.
* Wikipedia cannot be one of your listed sources.
* All sources that you use or cite must be listed on the references page in APA format.
* Cite the course textbook on your references page exactly as follows:
Life Skills. (2020). https://www.excelhighschool.com
WRITING GUIDELINES AND RESOURCES
Part 1: The Title Page
The first page of your essay is very easy! Place the following information at the very center of the page.
1. Essay Title
2. Your Name
3. Course Name
It should end up looking something like this:
Part 2: The Essay
Now that your cover page is completed, break to a new page to start the written part of your essay! The following is a general outline of an academic paper. Use it to help you structure your essay!
Required Components Throughout All Paragraphs
* Use the font “Times New Roman”.
* Font size should be 12.
* The lines should be double spaced.
Introduction Paragraph (3 to 4 sentences)
Discuss: What is this essay about? What are the main points of the essay?
Requirements:
* Introduce the topic using a “hook” that grabs the attention of the reader. Look to the right to see ideas of common attention grabbers.
* Up to 3 sentences that introduce the topic, outline the major points that will be discussed, and present a clear thesis (main idea) for the entire essay.
Body Paragraph #1 (4 to 5 sentences)
Discuss: The first main point of your essay.
Requirements:
* Topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
* 3 to 5 sentences that include details supporting that main idea.
* At least 1 in-text citation to reference the source of your details. (More on this later in Part 3: References & In-Text Citations)
Body Paragraph #2 (4 to 5 sentences)
Discuss: The second main point of your essay.
Requirements:
* Topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
* 3 to 5 sentences that include details supporting that main idea.
* At least 1 in-text citation to reference the source of your details. (More on this later in Part 3: References & In-Text Citations)
Body Paragraph #3 (4 to 5 sentences)
Discuss: The third main point of your essay.
Requirements:
* Topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
* 3 to 5 sentences that include details supporting that main idea.
* At least 1 in-text citation to reference the source of your details. (More on this later in Part 3: References & In-Text Citations)
Conclusion Paragraph (3 to 4 sentences)
Discuss: What does the information you’ve presented reveal?
Requirements:
* Summarize the key points you’ve made in the paper.
* Finish with a sentence or two that gives the reader a sense of closure.
Great job! Now let’s move on to
Part 3: References & In-Text Citations
This part will firstly focus on creating a references page with sources structured in APA format. Secondly, we will learn how to use the information on your references page to create in-text citations, which can be added to the body paragraphs of your essay.
Source Requirements:
* Always include the course textbook on your references page. Note that it does not count as one of your two online sources.
* Include at least 3 additional sources retrieved from public websites (please do not use websites that require usernames/passwords).
* All sources that you use or cite must be listed on the references page.
* Wikipedia cannot be one of your listed sources.
In-Text Citations
In an academic essay, in-text citations are used to link the information in your paper to the sources on your references page. When you add in-text citations, you are pointing specifically to evidence that backs up what you say. This is a necessary part of supporting the content of your paper.
Creating In-Text Citations
In-text citations are formatted in the body of your essay as follows:
(Author, Date).
If no author is provided in your source, follow this format:
(Title, Date).
If there is no publication year you can find, include “n.d.” to signify that no date was available. For example: (Nguyen, n.d.)
Using the sources on our new references page, we will now make in-text citations that would be added to the body paragraphs of the essay.
Using In-Text Citations
* Each of the body paragraphs in your essay should have at least one in-text citation. In addition, you use in-text citations when quoting or paraphrasing information from one of your sources.