Purpose
The most common assignment in college classes is the research paper. Research papers tend to fall into two categories—the argumentative and the informational. In this class, we will practice putting together a research paper that is more informational in nature. Its main goal is to practice assembling sources in a way that adequately explores a research question from various sides but does not (necessarily) take a strong stance on the “correct” answer. The paper can lean in certain directions if that is where the scholarly conversation leans, but it is not necessarily trying to persuade the audience of one specific point of view. The point of the paper is to assemble a scholarly conversation around a research question and then synthesize possible answers to the research question.
Research question: How does social
media consumption influence the mental well-being of adolescents in terms of
depression, and what measures can be taken to mitigate its effects?
The ILR course itself takes you through the necessary steps to create this final paper.
Task
Compose a 1000-word essay in APA citation style.
You must use a minimum of six cited sources. Three must be from peer-reviewed academic journals. Popular sources, including magazine articles, newspapers, secondary scholarly summaries of topics, or government or institutional literature may be allowed if deemed appropriate as per the lessons on source evaluation and rhetorical needs of the paper.
Cite your sources on a standard format APA reference page.
Submit your essay as a Word document, .pdf file, or a .rtf only.