Clearly developed thesis statement that takes a position in response to what's college for An introductory paragraph that presents the thesis statement and frames the thesis within the context of a "conversation" related to the class's closed research theme Arguments in support of the thesis that include evidence from the articles "How to access the real payoff of a college degree" by Scott Carlson "Do the benefits of college still outweigh the costs?" By Richard Deitz & jaison R Abel Annotated mini bibliography my Thesis statement for my researched argument : While some suggest that the benefits of a college degree may not outweigh the costs, Research and statistics show that higher education yields numerous long term personal and financial advantages making it a valuable investment for individuals or independent library research, and effective reasoning that explains how the evidence proves the argument, clarifies ideas and perspectives, and/or elaborates on what the writer means Effective use of transitional words and phrases to show the relationships of ideas between and within paragraphs In-text citations of "They Say" summaries and quotations of the closed research theme readings, background readings, and/or independent library research Use of at least 3 sources, at least 1 of which comes from the 4 approved databases (Opposing Viewpoints, Points of View Reference Center, Research Library ProQuest, and/or Academic Search Complete) found in the Ivy Tech Library databases. The other 2 should be closed research theme readings or background readings from our class. (For the final draft, you will need 4 sources: 1 from one of the 4 approved databases found in the Ivy Tech Library databases, 3 from our closed research theme readings and background readings.) APA or MLA style formatting, as specified by your instructor, with a References (APA) or Works Cited (MLA) page Observation of the conventions of Standard Written English 600-700 words (no more, no less) for the half draft (Works Cited or References list does not count in the minimum word-count requirement) See the assessment rubric in the assignment page "M07 Writing Project 3 Argument: Half Draft" for an understanding of how the half draft will be graded