I’m working on a psychology writing question and need a sample draft to help me understand better.

For this assignment, you will be constructing an argument using empirical support, with the overall goal of convincing the reader of something. You will choose between two choices: medicine or talk therapy, as the best approach to treat mental health issues in children. You can choose to focus on a specific disorder or cluster of symptoms, or you can more generally focus on all mental health disorders.

As this paper assignment is focused on convincing the readers of your side of the argument, be sure to include evidence/support (in the form of in-text citations) from research articles and literature. As your assignment is to research and choose between medication and therapy, you will need to include both the pros and cons of each type of treatment to make the most effective argument to convince the reader.

Guidelines for formatting the paper:

• Begin with an introduction section that convinces the reader of the importance and interest of the question (pharmacological treatment versus therapy).
• Provide helpful and in-depth background information to describe both types of treatment for children’s mental distress (medication/pharmacological treatment and therapeutic treatment).
• How would you go about making a decision regarding which treatment to choose, as a parent/guardian? What factors are most important when making this decision, and what kinds of information would you need to be the most informed?
  • Here, you can take the perspective of a parent deciding on the best type of treatment for their child dealing with a mental health disorder.
• Provide empirical evidence about both sides of the argument that is supported by the literature (you must use AT LEAST 8 non-website empirical references).
• End with a final paragraph that does more than simply summarize the argument, but that makes a cohesive statement about what you’ve convinced the reader of throughout your paper.
• An APA formatted reference section should be included in the final draft.

Specific writing goals: Your thesis should be clearly laid out very early in the paper.

• Arguments to support your thesis should be clearly stated and supported with evidence from the literature.
• Acknowledge potential counter arguments or criticisms of your thesis, and deal with them effectively.
• Organization is especially key for this paper. Check that each paragraph has a topic sentence and that all the material in each paragraph relates to it.
• In longer papers, it is especially useful to use a variety of sentence lengths to maintain the reader’s attention.
• Use headings, if appropriate, to facilitate organization.
• Cite your sources correctly.

Submitting your final paper:

Your paper should be 7-8 pages long in 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced with one-inch margins.

For the final draft, submit the following through Turn It In on Moodle:

(1) A cover letter addressed to your instructor. This cover letter should do the following:

• Summarize the peer comments that you received.
• Summarize how you responded to peer comments. (You may elect not to take advice, but you need to describe and defend that decision here.)
• Any additional improvements to the paper that are above and beyond what your peers suggested.

(2) Your final paper, carefully proofread so that spelling and grammatical errors are eliminated.

Course-wide Late Policy:

To avoid a late penalty, you must submit an electronic copy via TurnItIn by midnight on the due date. The coursewide late penalty is 5 points per day (including 5 points each for Saturday and Sunday).

Evaluation checklist for Paper 3:Final grade: _____/100 points
Your paper will be evaluated on how well it does the following:

Content (45 points)

___ Cover letter as described above. (2 points)

The thesis and its evidence (23 points)

___The paper has a clearly stated and well-chosen thesis [project goal for a grant proposal, etc.—modify as needed]. The thesis clearly lays out a position. (6 points)

___The thesis is referenced through-out, tying each piece of evidence back to the argument. (6 points)

___ Evidence from qualified sources (e.g., research papers rather than “common knowledge” or personal experience) supports the position. No claims are made that are unsupported. (6 points)

___ Alternate points of view are acknowledged and rebutted. (5 points)

Language (20 points)

___ The tone is formal, yet the language is interesting and not boring or stuffy. (5 points)

___ Thoughtful word choice is used throughout, avoiding clichés. (5 points)

___ The reader is drawn in by a catchy hook. Trite phrases (e.g., “Have you ever wondered why…”) are avoided. (5 points)

___ The paper ends with a satisfying conclusion that puts the findings of the research in a broader context, that does not simply summarize the paper, nor open an entirely new topic. (5 points)

Form & Organization (55 points)

___ The paper is well-organized and flows logically. It addresses each point completely and in a logical order. If included, subheadings are used effectively to help with organization (8 points)

___ Paragraphs are well-structured, with topic and conclusion sentences. Topic sentences accurately reflect the paragraph’s body and every topic sentence relates to the paper’s goal (8 points)

___ Sentences are well-constructed and vary in length to keep the reader’s attention. (6 points)

___ Punctuation and affect/effect are used correctly (see Writing Skills 1&3). (6 points)

___ Writing is concise and wordiness is reduced (see Writing Skills 2). (6 points)

___ Parallel structure & active voice are used when appropriate (see Writing Skills 4). (6 points)

___ The paper flows smoothly, with effective transitions within and between paragraphs (see Writing Skills 5). (6 points)

___ Direct quotes are avoided, except in rare instances. (4 points)

___ There are few or no grammatical or spelling errors. (3 points)

___ Length requirements (7-8 pages) are met. (2 points)