challenges and opportunities of Electric vehicles in Canada

Instructions

Learning Outcomes:

1. Learn to evaluate an argument’s effectiveness thoroughly based on Kent Lewis’ chapter introduction 5 and 8 from Word and World, including the argument’s techniques, its evidence, and other concepts included in the chapter introductions.
2. Write clear, concise prose that is organized appropriately into headings, subheadings (if required), and written in business paragraphs of 100 words each.
3. Format the report correctly and logically into headings and subheadings.
4. Use APA correctly throughout.

Assignment:

The COMM 3321 research report builds on the skills and knowledge you have from COMM 1101.  It goes beyond being an information-based report on the topic to being an evaluative report of research sources.  Of course, you must understand the topic, but the purpose of this piece of writing is to provide an evaluation of the research sources based on concepts from Word and World chapter introductions 5 and 8.

The Arguments, Evidence and Techniques section of the report, how well the authors argue as opposed to what they argue, is the focal point of the report.

For your research report, please use the same 6 sources that you used in the research proposal.  That said, if you want or need to change sources, by all means do so.  Your research report will introduce the topic, and then analyze the techniques and their effectiveness that the six authors use to present their arguments and convince their audience. using the introductions to Chapters 5 and 8 from Word and World to provide the theoretical framework to your analysis.

Length:  The length will vary from student to student depending on spacing and other format matters, but the approximate length of each section is given after each heading.

Format:

• Single-space your paragraphs but double-space between them.  Use paragraphs for each section of approximately 100 words each.
• Use page breaks after the Title Page and Table of Contents but not in the report itself.
• Centre justify the main sections (headings) of the report. Also centre justify the title of the References list.
• Left justify the subsections (subheadings) of the report.
• Use a Running header, a title page, and appropriate page numbers following APA format.

Diction:

Professional tone, no slang or contractions, no use of 1^st person (“I”, “we”, “us”, “our”)

Report Components:

• Title Page (1 page) Use APA format requirements as outlined in the Owl Purdue Writing Lab or Cites and Sources. The Title Page is the first page of the report, and is numbered according to APA requirements.  Use the correct pagination for the following pages to the report.

• Table of Contents (1 page) Use the standard format for reports, indicating all headings and subheadings

• Introduction (2 – 3 paragraphs):  Introduce the report topic (do not repeat the Purpose Statement from the proposal report!) and indicate the overall plan or organization of the material.

• Background (2 – 3 paragraphs):  Summarize some basic facts or background about your topic using a variety of sources to explain the topic.  Describe what the issue is and why it is important.

• Arguments, Evidence and Techniques (6 – 8 pages of 100-word paragraphs):  This is the main section of your report. Evaluate the argumentation strategies and whether they are effective. Kent Lewis’s introductions (W & W) to Chapter 5 on “Questions” and to Chapter 8 on “Argument” will provide you with the analytical tools that will help give your discussion the level of complexity and professionalism that it needs. Other chapter introductions are also useful for this particular task. Use Lewis’s terminology in your report so that your analysis is clear.

• Conclusion (2 – 3 paragraphs): Relate back to the material in the introduction by summarizing the main ideas and making clear how they relate to your overall viewpoint.  Your conclusion should bring everything together in a manner that is interesting and convincing.

• References: Develop an appropriate References List as the final element in the research report.

Sources:

The same requirements apply from the research proposal.

Documentation:

Use in-text citations in the research report as required, including information from the sources and from Lewis’s Word and World, even when the source you are referring to is clearly indicated within the paragraph or section.  Include a References list at the end of the assignment.

Assignment Submission:

Submit your assignment into Moodle using a Word document (NOT a pdf). Use Times New Roman and size 12 font.

Please upload a copy into the course Moodle using the following file identification: last name_first name_ResRep.

Marking and Grading:

Your work will receive a percentage based on the NAIT marking grid, and will include brief comments of writing strengths and weaknesses using the following criteria:

Content:  Clear, complete and comprehensive; all evaluations and criteria in place; all report components in place

Structure: Clearly organized and formatted for readability; paragraphs correctly structured and logically ordered

Diction:  Professional tone, no slang or contractions, no use of 1^st person (“I”, “we”, “us”, “our”)

Grammar, mechanics, spelling and other writing matters correct

Format: Correctly formatted following the assignment guidelines and APA style

Documentation: In-text citations and References entries according to APA guidelines

80 -100%: Excellent – Outstanding. The answer is clear, concise and comprehensive; it includes all important details; it is logical, focused and objective; it demonstrates a clear understanding of the information in the required readings (news/academic articles and Lewis chapter introductions); it uses well-written and polished prose correctly structured into paragraphs; it uses documentation correctly.

70% -79%: Good.  The assignment is clear, concise and comprehensive, but it may have missed important details; it may lack conciseness or make errors in analysis; the writing may contain grammatical or structural errors; work is documented but there are small format errors; the chain of knowledge is still clear.

60% – 69%: Fair. The assignment is clear, but it may lack comprehensiveness in content; it may lack important details or have incomplete explanations, annotations or analysis; it is documented but the chain of knowledge may not be clear or accessible due to missing format elements or citations/entries.

50% – 59%: Pass. The assignment is focused but may be too long, too abstract or too incomplete; it may miss key details or slide into logical errors; the writing may be characterized by a weak or poor command of grammar or structure; the work is missing documentation either in-text or in the References list so that the chain of knowledge is not clear or accessible.

Under 50%: Fail. The assignment has no focus, is too personal, or shows a misunderstanding of the information or a bad argument; it is very poorly written, and does not meet the content requirements in an important or major way; it is missing documentation so significantly that the chain of knowledge is not clear or accessible, or is missing completely.