MIS 401 - Writing Instructions for Doctrine Mini-Paper

“Doctrine Mini-Paper: Write a five page (dbl. sp.) research paper in good form (according to the latest ed. of Turabian) and style on one of the research questions provided at ontruth.com. A minimum of five sources are required. One of the sources may be the course textbook. At least one source must be a printed journal article. At least one source must be a book on Christian doctrine. Only one internet source may be used. This assignment is due on Sep 28” (MIS 401 Syllabus).

This paper must be accompanied by a cover sheet. It must be printed in Times New Roman 12pt font. It must be double spaced with the exception of block quotations and footnotes. It must be stapled in the upper left hand corner. It must not have a blank sheet of paper between the cover and page one. It must not have a table of contents. It must have a list of cited works at the end of the paper that includes only the works that were cited or referred. It must have one inch margins all around on every page. It must be at least five pages, but it must not be more than five and a half pages (not including cover sheet and works cited page). It must have page numbers located on the upper right corner of every page (except cover sheet and works cited). There must be no split infinitives, misspelled words, sentence fragments or contractions. There must be no uses of first or second person in the paper. The formula for entries in footnotes and works cited are different and must be entered according to the latest edition of Turabian. Every assertion (except assertions in the introduction and in summary statements for each main argument for the thesis) must be documented in footnotes. The writer of every quotation must be identified in the body of the paper itself. See above paragraph for instructions about the number and nature of required sources.

This writing project is a research paper designed to answer a very narrow question. The narrow question is, “How are the beliefs of a particular religion different from Conservative Evangelical Christianity (CEC) on a particular question?” It is not a report that summarizes the various beliefs of a religion. It is not a report that summarizes a particular belief of a religion. It is, rather, a research paper that focuses on differences between a particular religion and CEC. It is a research paper that sets forth a thesis and defends that thesis by making statements that are supported by expert writers.

The introduction must be half of a page or less. The first sentence of the first paragraph of the paper must read something like, “Islamic beliefs about Allah are very different from Conservative Evangelical Christian beliefs about God.” Or, “Theravedan Buddhist beliefs about Sunyata are very different from Conservative Evangelical Christian beliefs about God.” (The paper does not necessarily have to present a thesis for these particular questions. There are thirteen possible questions. These are only two examples.) This statement constitutes the answer to the research question. This answer is the thesis of the paper.

The next series of sentences in the introduction must summarize the best arguments that support the thesis. They must read something like, “Muslims believe that Allah is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, but Christians believe that God is AAAAAAAAAAAAA. Islam teaches that Allah is bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb, but Christianity teaches that God is BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB. Muslims also claim that Allah is cccccccccccccccccc, but Christians claim that God is CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC.

The rest of the paper must evenly marshal the specific evidence that supports each of the summarized arguments that supports the thesis. If there are three arguments, they must each be set forth in about a page and a half. If there are four arguments, they must be presented in about one and a quarter pages each, and so forth.

Each argument must be developed in an orderly manner and supported by expert writers. State succinctly and explain briefly the main assertions of each argument, then present expert comments that support your assertions. Then move to the next argument, and so forth. Make sure to present succinctly the Christian view of the doctrine in question as well. The Christian view is not the focus of the paper, so do not devote more than twenty-five percent of each argument to setting forth the Christian view. A sample formula for the development of the paper with three arguments follows below.

Cover Sheet.

Introduction stating thesis and main arguments to support thesis (1 paragraph, ½ page).

Argument One (4 or 5 paragraphs, 1 ½ pages).

Argument Two (4 or 5 paragraphs, 1 ½ pages).

Argument Three (4 or 5 paragraphs, 1 ½ pages).

Works Cited.