Does not have to be 800-1,200 words write an 800- to 1,200-word research essay that traces the long-term significance of one of the seminal american works you read in this unit. choose a work that you read during this unit. think about how much and what kind of long-lasting impact the work has had on readers or on the united states. draft a thesis statement to guide your research. search in the library and online for information related to your ideas about the long-term significance of the work. read and evaluate information sources. take careful notes as you read. consult more sources if necessary. refine your thesis statement so that it names the work and very briefly states the main ideas about its long-term significance that you discuss in your essay. write the body of your essay. use details, examples, and evidence that you found in your information sources to support the main points stated in your thesis. be sure to use quotations and paraphrasing correctly. write an introduction that adds a description of the body of your essay to your thesis statement. write a conclusion that restates your thesis and recaps the main points of the body of your essay. prepare a list of citations of the sources of information you used for your essay. edit the essay to make sure it makes sense and uses a tone appropriate to your audience. correct any errors of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.