Outline for reasearch paper
- Create your outline for your first research paper.
- Look over the MLA sample outline provided in the Week 2 folder.
- You MUST do your outline like the MLA sample.
- Where it says “Introduction”– write your THESIS STATEMENT
- YOUR OUTLINE MUST HAVE A THESIS STATEMENT:BE SURE IT INCLUDES AN INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION. (i attached the sample for the outline)
– Bullying and parenting style
33 525MLA DOCUMENTATION FORM
Sample MLA Research Paper
The research paper on the following pages is an example of how a paper is put
together following MLA guidelines. The title page and outline are not required for
MLA papers, but if your instructor asks for one or both, use the models and guidelines
that follow.
Sample Title Page
Center the
title one-third
down the
page.
Center
identifying
information—
student,
instructor,
course, date—
two-thirds of
the way
down.
UN Sanctions and the
Suffering of Iraq’s People
Troy Holland
Professor Rylaarsdam
English 101H
17 April 200
2
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:31 AM Page 525
33526 Documentation and Format Styles
Double-space
throughout.
Use phrases
or complete
sentences
consistently,
as required.
Set off the
introduction
and the
conclusion.
Sample Research-Paper Outline
UN Sanctions and the Suffering of Iraq’s People
Introduction—The UN imposed sanctions against Iraq in 1991, after Iraq
invaded Kuwait.
I. Ten years later, the sanctions have not brought about the desired
results.
A. The UN’s call for the destruction of weapons of mass
destruction has not been heeded.
B. A blockade of Iraqi exports has not been completely
successful.
C. A restriction on Iraqi imports has fallen short of its goal.
II. Living conditions in Iraq have worsened since 1991.
A. Iraq’s infrastructure has broken down.
B. Half the water supply is undrinkable.
C. The health care system is inadequate.
D. Food is in short supply.
III. The children have been most affected.
A. Sickness and death have increased dramatically.
B. Health care is minimal.
IV. The UN is searching for solutions.
A. An “oil-for-food” program was instituted in 1995.
B. The quota on oil exports has been lifted.
C. Experts are now debating “targeted” sanctions.
D. The number of relief agencies allowed in Iraq may be
increased.
Conclusion—The present sanctions need to be revamped because they
continue to hurt Iraq’s most vulnerable citizens without achieving their
political goals.
Center the
title one inch
from the top
of the page.
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:31 AM Page 526
33 527MLA DOCUMENTATION FORM
Holland
1
Troy Holland
Professor Rylaarsdam
English 101H
17 April 2002
UN Sanctions and the Suffering of Iraq’s People
In 1991, the Middle East nation of Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein,
attacked its neighbor Kuwait. To protect Kuwait, the United Nations
intervened against Iraq, a step that eventually led to the Persian Gulf War.
With the military help of the United States, Great Britain, France, and
other nations, the UN forced Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait in operation
Desert Storm. The United Nations Security Council also placed sanctions
on Iraq to enforce Iraq’s compliance with UN resolutions and to prevent
Hussein from repeating his aggression.
More than ten years have passed since the UN implemented these
sanctions, the United States is engaged in a war on terrorism, and Saddam
Hussein still refuses to cooperate with the United Nations. As a result, the
UN, spurred on by the United States, continues to enforce the sanctions.
The problem is that these economic sanctions have caused tremendous
suffering for average Iraqi people. Many of our elected leaders have argued
that because Saddam Hussein seriously threatens world peace, this
suffering cannot be avoided. But the decision that such suffering is
acceptable should not be made by politicians alone. In a democracy, all
citizens share responsibility for the policies that their elected leaders
make. In fact, a strong argument can be made that the suffering of Iraqi
men, women, and children is not a justifiable side effect of the sanctions
against Iraq.
An MLA Research-Paper Model
Troy Holland wrote the following research paper for his freshman composition
class. As you review his paper, read the side notes and examine the following:
● The different types of sources used in the paper
● The techniques used to state the thesis and organize the argument
● The methods used to integrate information into the writer’s own thinking,
including how he cited his sources
The heading
(not needed
if a title page
is used)
supplies
identifying
details.
The title
indicates the
topic and
theme. The
opening
introduces
the subject
and provides
background
information.
Common
knowledge
is not
documented.
The writer
states his
thesis.
1
2
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:31 AM Page 527
33528 Documentation and Format Styles
Holland 2
To understand the issue, we first need to consider what the UN
wanted the sanctions to accomplish in Iraq. Following the Gulf War, the
UN Security Council passed Resolution 687 on April 3, 1991. This
resolution called on Iraq to destroy all its weapons of mass destruction and
pay its war debts. The resolution also implemented economic sanctions
against Iraq until it complied with the UN’s expectations. These sanctions
restricted the sale to Iraq of everything from health care supplies to
building materials to food. In addition, the sanctions blocked Iraq from
exporting all goods except for a limited amount of oil. The money made
from the sale of this oil would be used to pay war debts and buy food and
medicine. Resolution 687 also set up an organization to monitor the
payment of the war debts and make sure that Iraq destroyed all its
weapons of mass destruction (“United Nations”).
On the one hand, sanctions seem partly to have worked. Some
experts argue that sanctions have contained Saddam Hussein’s aggression.
Hussein does not control all of his own country, he cannot use money
from oil sales for weapons, his efforts to secretly build weapons of mass
destruction are being thwarted, and he is less of a threat to neighboring
countries, such as Kuwait (Yaphe 127). Also, supporters say that food and
medicine are allowed into Iraq. For these reasons, many people continue
to support sanctions as a way to prevent Hussein from developing weapons
of mass destruction, especially in light of the September 11 attacks on the
World Trade Towers and the Pentagon.
On the other hand, sanctions have not been completely successful.
Saddam Hussein has been uncooperative from the start, especially about
UN inspections of Iraq’s weapon sites. He continues to find ways to raise
money, and he is still able to acquire weapons by smuggling them
(Cortright and Lopez 744). In fact, Hussein also has succeeded at
manipulating UN sanctions so that they hurt his own people and raise
international opposition. As David Cortright and George Lopez,
international peace negotiators at the University of Notre Dame, put it,
“[a] policy designed to exert pressure on an aggressor regime has been
perverted by that regime into a virtual attack on innocents” (745). While
The writer
uses a
source from
the Iraq
Action
Coalition
Web site.
Both sides of
the debate
are
presented.
A strong
transition
leads the
reader into
the body of
the paper.
3
4
5
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:31 AM Page 528
33 529MLA DOCUMENTATION FORM
Holland 3
Hussein continues to follow his own agenda and protect his own power,
the most vulnerable Iraqis suffer.
Instead of forcing Hussein to comply with the disarmament, the
economic sanctions have caused living conditions within Iraq to
deteriorate sharply. Because of Gulf War damages, a lack of funds, a
shortage of building materials, and Hussein’s own agenda, Iraq cannot
rebuild; in fact, basic infrastructures have broken down. George Capaccio,
an editor at Houghton Mifflin and a member of relief organizations such
as Conscience International and the Middle East Council of Churches,
traveled to Iraq in March 1997 to witness the conditions firsthand. He
describes these problems:
In rural areas only about 50 percent of the water is drinkable.
This is due in large part to the fact that raw sewage continues to
flow into the major rivers; chlorine for water purification is often
in short supply; and the network of underground pipes has
numerous breakages so that waste from sewage lines frequently
flows into water lines. These conditions can be directly traced to
the UN sanctions which make spare parts for water and sewage
treatment plants hard to come by. (E-mail)
Capaccio adds that problems within the health care system, agricultural
sector, and electrical grid have also harmed living conditions for Iraqis. In
other words, because the economic sanctions have restricted imports, the
Iraqi people have not been able to rebuild after the war. And the inability
to rebuild has caused basic services to break down.
One of the most basic needs is food, and the economic sanctions have
cut back Iraq’s access to food. Before the sanctions, Iraq imported up to
66 percent of its food; until 1990, Iraq spent an average of $2.5 billion on
food imports each year (“United Nations”). But after the economic
sanctions were put into place, Iraq could no longer import as much food
as it needed. Instead, it has been forced to rely heavily on its own food
production, which is limited because of the desert climate. As a result,
Iraqis have lived with constant food shortages.
The writer
indicates a
source’s
credibility
before
quoting him.
A quotation
longer than
four lines is
introduced with
a complete
sentence and
a colon, and
indented ten
spaces.
The
parenthetical
citation is
placed two
spaces after
the period
at the end
of set-off
quotations.
6
7
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:31 AM Page 529
33530 Documentation and Format Styles
Holland 4
Who has suffered most from these food shortages and the breakdown
in basic services? The children. The economic sanctions have affected
children more severely than other Iraqis because their young bodies break
down more easily under the added strains. These strains lead to both
serious sickness and death. Denis Halliday, the former UN Humanitarian
Coordinator to Iraq, argues that “sanctions are both directly and indirectly
killing approximately six or seven thousand Iraqi children per month”
(77), whereas Iraq suffered 40,000 casualties during the war. Some studies
claim that 237,000 Iraqi children, ages five and younger, have died as a
result of economic sanctions (Gordon 388). At the lowest estimate, the
economic sanctions have caused almost six times more Iraqi deaths than
the Gulf War. This statistic is strong evidence that the sanctions need to be
rethought. Instead of encouraging Saddam Hussein to comply with UN
resolutions, the economic sanctions have caused what Halliday has called
“genocide” (qtd. in Wood).
Iraqi children have been suffering and dying for two main reasons:
malnutrition and poor health care. Hussein’s policies have made it hard
for parents to provide for their children, but sanctions make the job even
tougher by restricting imports. The United Nations Children’s Fund, or
UNICEF, whose purpose is to protect children’s rights, found that in 1997
up to 32 percent of the children, ages five and under, were malnourished.
This number had increased 75 percent from 1991 (“Nearly One Million
Children”). So not only have deaths among children risen sharply since
1991, but the percentage of malnourished children has risen sharply as well.
In addition, most Iraqis have little or no access to health care.
Hospitals have had to deal with shortages of water and power, and often
what water they do have is unclean. In his visit to Iraq, Capaccio
witnessed these shortages, and he remarks that the hospitals in Iraq are in
deplorable shape. Many heating and cooling systems do not work, and
flies travel freely through the hospitals, spreading more disease. Medical
equipment is scarce, including ambulances and diagnostic equipment, and
much of what doctors do have is obsolete. Medicines for diseases such as
leukemia, typhoid, and cholera are not available unless they are bought on
A quotation
by an
authoritative
source
(mentioned
in the text) is
integrated.
The citation
indicates that
the source
was quoted
in another
source.
The citation
lists the title
because no
author is
given.
The writer
summarizes
a source
accurately
and fairly.
8
9
10
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:32 AM Page 530
33 531MLA DOCUMENTATION FORM
Holland 5
the black market (E-mail). These conditions are a sharp turnaround from
the health care system before the sanctions. The United Nations reports
that before 1991, Iraq had a health care system that covered 97 percent of
the urban population and 78 percent of the rural population. Iraq also
had a welfare system that supported orphans, disabled children, and poor
families (“United Nations”). The Iraqi people no longer receive quality
health care because of the UN economic sanctions and Saddam Hussein’s
refusal to comply with UN resolutions.
Iraq’s people are not responsible for Saddam Hussein’s aggression, but
they have been forced to suffer under the economic sanctions. In fact,
many people believe that the suffering of innocent civilians makes
economic sanctions illegal under the just-war doctrine. David Cortright, a
researcher for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame,
explains that according to the just-war doctrine, warring countries cannot
target vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, women, and children.
Cortright goes on to argue that “[i]f decision makers in war are bound by
the moral criteria of the just-war doctrine, those imposing economic
sanctions must be similarly bound by such constraints. The principle of
civilian immunity applies no less in the imposition of economic sanctions
than in the conduct of war” (Cortright and Lopez 740). In the same way,
others argue that economic sanctions place Iraq under a siege that harms
civilians much more than it harms the military (Gordon 391). The
economic sanctions cripple the most vulnerable people in Iraq while doing
little to force Saddam Hussein to follow the United Nations’ resolutions.
The sanctions must be changed both to relieve people’s suffering and to
keep Hussein from developing weapons of mass destruction.
Because of pressure from humanitarian groups, the United Nations
has been searching for many years for a solution to the suffering. In 1995,
the UN convinced Hussein to accept a temporary solution called the “food
for oil program” (“Iraqi Oil Exports”). Under this program, Iraq was
allowed to sell a certain amount of oil, and the money from these sales
went into an account controlled by the United Nations. The UN then used
that money to pay war debts and to allow Iraq to buy food and medicine
A quotation
is used
because of
its power and
authority.
A change
from upper-
case in the
original to
lowercase is
shown with
brackets.
The writer
summarizes
the central
argument he
has been
making.
Attempts to
solve the
problem are
explored.
11
12
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:32 AM Page 531
33532 Documentation and Format Styles
Holland 6
for its people (“Iraqi Oil Exports”). However, these payments were not
enough to meet people’s needs. Capaccio puts the problem this way:
The total value of humanitarian supplies that have actually
arrived in Iraq is estimated to be 10 billion dollars. Annualized
more than four years and divided by a population of 23 million
people, this comes to about three dollars per person per month—
hardly enough to begin the job of reconstructing an entire
society. (E-mail)
Three dollars a month is very little money to support someone who needs
food and medicine.
In the past few years, the amount of oil that Iraq can sell has been
raised so that there is now no specific limit, and the Iraqi government can
use the funds for more than food and medical supplies (Cortright, “Hard
Look” 2). However, Hussein continues to find ways to abuse the program
and the funds so that innocent Iraqis suffer. Although the oil-for-food
program is an excellent idea, it is not enough to stop the malnutrition and
poverty. Stronger steps need to be taken to reduce the suffering.
One step would be to gradually remove the trade restrictions on Iraq.
The United Nations could lift sanctions as Saddam Hussein complies with
weapons inspections. Until now, the UN’s policy has been to keep all
sanctions in place until Iraq meets all of the conditions. However, many
people believe that Hussein will react better to policies that have a clear
end and attached incentives. Russia, France, and China all believe that the
economic sanctions must have these qualities to be successful (Yaphe
129–130). As Hussein proves that he is complying with the agreement, the
United Nations could gradually increase the imports allowed into Iraq.
The priority would be food, health care supplies, and building materials.
This change may help Hussein realize the benefits of complying with the
United Nations’ military requirements.
For the past year, politicians and experts have been debating
“targeted” or “smart” sanctions. On the one hand, these sanctions would
apply very tight restrictions to military goods so that Iraq cannot develop
its military might. On the other hand, restrictions on peaceful forms of
The writer
shows how he
has integrated
information by
commenting
on quoted
material.
Strong
transitions
help readers
follow the
issues
involved.
The writer
builds on
others’ ideas
and qualifies
statements
to enhance
credibility.
13
14
15
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:32 AM Page 532
33 533MLA DOCUMENTATION FORM
Holland 7
trade and development would be lifted so that average Iraqis can get on
with their lives (Cortright, “Hard Look” 3). In 2001, this idea was defeated
in the UN Security Council, but debate continues on its merits. One
problem, for example, has been the fuzzy line between military and
peaceful goods. If “smart” sanctions passed, the Security Council would
have to implement them carefully. While striving to reduce the suffering,
Council members must remain firm about blocking Iraq’s ability to
produce weapons of mass destruction so that the Middle East does not
become more unstable than it already is.
Another step that might be very helpful would be to increase the
number of relief organizations and relief workers that the United States
allows to enter Iraq. Right now, the United States does not allow any
American citizens to enter Iraq without official permission (Capaccio,
“Suffer”). More relief workers could do a lot to spread aid to more people.
This increase in workers would also help to ensure that aid actually reaches
the people who need it.
As U.S. citizens, we share responsibility for the policies set by our
elected leaders. Madeline Albright, the Secretary of State under former
President Clinton, was asked a number of years ago whether the economic
sanctions were worth enforcing at such high cost. Her response about the
economics being a hard choice but worth the price may have reflected the
public opinion at that time. Many people now disagree. They would
argue that the present sanctions continue to hurt Iraq’s most vulnerable
citizens without achieving the political goals. President Bush, the
Congress, and the UN must develop a fairer, more effective policy toward
Iraq. As citizens concerned about innocent people both at home and
abroad, we must take a stand against the suffering of innocent Iraqis. We
must press our leaders to rethink the sanctions. If we pledge “liberty and
justice for all” in our own land, how can we practice injustice in our
foreign policies?
The
concluding
paragraph
summarizes
the issue
and
argument,
revisiting
ideas in the
introduction.
The essay
ends with a
thought-
provoking
question.
The citation
includes
both the
author and a
shortened
title because
two sources
have the
same author.
16
17
33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:32 AM Page 533
33534 Documentation and Format Styles
Holland 8
Works Cited
Capaccio, George. E-mail interview. 7 April 2002.
Capaccio, George. “Suffer the Little Children.” Iraq Action Coalition. May
1997. 12 March 2002
Cortright, David. “A Hard Look at Iraqi Sanctions.” Nation (3 Dec. 2001):
1-3. Academic Search Elite. EBSCOhost. Dordt Coll. Lib., Sioux
Ctr. 12 March 2002
Cortright, David, and George A. Lopez. “Are Sanctions Just? The
Problematic Case of Iraq.” Journal of International Affairs 52.2
(1999): 735–755.
Gordon, Joy. “Economic Sanctions, Just War Doctrine, and the Fearful
Spectacle of the Civilian Dead.” Cross Currents 49.3 (1999):
387–400.
Halliday, Denis. Interview. “Sanctioned Suffering.” Harvard International
Review Winter 1998/99: 76–79.
“Iraqi Oil Exports Surge Once Again.” United Nations Office of the Iraq
Program. 13 March 2002
“Nearly One Million Children Malnourished in Iraq, UNICEF Says.”
UNICEF Press Centre. 26 Nov. 1997. 12 March 2002
“Resolution 687.” United Nations Security Council. 3 Apr. 1991. 4 April
2002
“United Nations Report on the Current Humanitarian Situation in Iraq.”
Iraq Action Coalition. 30 March 1999. 14 March 2002
Wood, Douglas S. “Economic Sanctions: Legitimate Diplomatic Tool or
Failed Policy?” CNN.com. 13 March 2002 SPECIALS/ 2001/ gulf.war/legacy/sanctions/>.
Yaphe, Judith S. “Iraq: The Exception to the Rule.” Washington Quarterly
Winter 2001: 126–137. Academic Search Elite. EBSCOhost. Dordt
Coll. Lib., Sioux Ctr. 12 March 2002 The list of separate page the title, page number.
Sources are alphabetical author (or author is Items are throughout. lines are Periods most items are never Internet are indicated angle 33.503-536/MLA.1 10/11/05 8:32 AM Page 534
works cited
begins on a
and includes
header, and
listed in
order by
by title if no
given).
double-spaced
Second and
subsequent
indented.
separate
in individual
entries but
underlined.
addresses
between
brackets.