Final Informative Paner

The objective of an informative essay is not to present your view, but ”to inform or educate the audience on a given topic” ( The KU Handbook for Writers, 2008, p.102).

Your informative essay might

• explain something most readers don’t know
• present the latest research on a topic
• define a complex term
• compare and contrast opposing viewpoints
• analyze a cause-effect relationship
• teach readers how to solve a problem or apply knowledge

For this course, your informative essay should be 3-5 pages in length and use at least four sources. You should also use a formal academic writing style, avoiding contractions like won’t and presenting evidence objectively instead of saying I think or relying on personal experience.

For your proposal, you need to state your proposed topic, write a tentative thesis statement, detail your intended audience, and list four potential sources for your research. For your sources, you will need at least two periodicals, one of which will need to be a scholarly journal. One of your sources should be a current event article, sourced within the last two years. See the following example:

Proposed Topic: Substance Abuse

Tentative Thesis Statement: Substance abuse among soldiers has increased drastically due to uninformed medical personnel on base, alcohol sales outlets are more prevalent, and soldiers are resorting to alcohol to deal with PTSD instead of seeking counseling.

Intended Audience: United States citizens who are ill-informed about the substance abuse problems in the US Military; Service 11members who are currently dealing with substance abuse problems

Potential Sources: (You must have at least four)Zoroya, G. (2012, September18). Military needs to better address substance abuse by troops, study says. Detroit Free Press.