Research Paper

Research Paper Due Date: Friday, December 11th @11:59pm.

Any student handing in after this date will receive a grade of zero, no exceptions.

Drafts: You will be required to demonstrate your own writing skills by handing in drafts into the drafts dropbox. Any student handing in work without drafts will receive a grade of zero.

Plagiarism:

· Copying materials without proper citations or references – If a student’s work is found to have sentences or phrases from outside sources without a proper citation or quotation marks, there will be deductions applied to the overall grade, up to a maximum of 30%.

· If the instructor doubts the origin of the submitted work or it is apparent that the student’s submitted work does not reflect his/her actual writing ability, then an attempt will first be made to contact the student. If the student’s explanation is not sufficient or if there is no answer from the student, no grade will be awarded for the assignment and the assignment will be taken out of the student’s final grade.

Checklist for Research Paper

DEVELOPMENT & ORGANIZATION

Title

Does the title indicate the topic with the essay type (i.e. Research Paper)?

Introduction

Does the introduction catch the reader’s attention (effective hook)?

Does the introduction effectively move from general (Introductory/Purpose sentence) to specific (Thesis)?

Does the introduction include only relevant information without too much details?

Is the introduction an appropriate length (3-5 sentences)?

Thesis statement

Is the thesis logical, specific, and clear?

Does the thesis include all five parts needed (PTOCR)?

Does the thesis avoid announcing (In this essay, I will…)?

Background Paragraph(s)

Are strong, relevant background/definition paragraph(s) provided?

Do effective transition sentences appear at the end of the background paragraph(s)?

Body Paragraphs

Do the paragraphs follow the paragraph pattern (any insufficient sections)?

Are the body paragraphs arranged in an effective order? Do they build on one another?

Do topic sentences make a clear connection to the thesis and argument (effective key words)?

Are effective and meaningful transitions used in the paragraphs?

Does the essay follow correct rules for a quotation?

Is the main evidence introduced with appropriate context to increase the credibility?

Is any supporting evidence cited in the Explanation or Discussion 2 sections?

Do paragraphs develop the ideas (not just repeat them)?

Is it easy to follow the logic?

Conclusion

Does the conclusion summarize the main argument?

Does the conclusion leave a strong impression?

Is the conclusion an appropriate length (3-5 sentences)?

Does the conclusion avoid unsupported or new information?

Does the conclusion avoid a “wonderful” statement?

References

Are the APA References correct? Do citations and references match?

Is the References page correct (alphabetical, indented)?

CONTENT

Do all the body paragraphs work together to support the thesis?

Are strong, relevant background/definition paragraph(s) provided?

Are the topic sentences assertions, not just statements of fact or example?

Are the main ideas intelligent and insightful (not simplistic or basic)?

Are assertions explained in more depth, in own words (i.e. sufficient discussion)?

Does the essay use details and specific examples?

Does the essay avoid false statements or unexplained assumptions?

RESEARCH and documentation

Are there at least 15-20 sources?

Does the essay use a variety of quotation and summary/paraphrase (not all quotes)?

Are there a variety of source types (books, web-based, academic journal, newspapers)?

Does the essay use high quality research? (Academic sources, authoritative/credible)

Does the essay use research that provides agreement knowledge (i.e. statistics)

Does the essay use research to provide concrete evidence (i.e. case studies/illustrative examples)?

Does the meaning of the research contribute to the discussion (relevant to argument)?

Are the APA in-text citations correct? (Direct quotation/In-direct quotation)

Are the APA References correct? Do citations and references match?

Is the References page correct (alphabetical, indented)?

Is the APA format correct for the entire essay (margins, page numbers, title page)?

CONVENTIONS (academic tone & grammar)

Does the essay avoid using first and second person pronouns (i.e. I/Me/My, We/Our/Us, You/Your)?

Does the essay avoid slang and idioms (with the exception of direct quotes)?

Are “announcements” avoided? (In this paper, I will…)

Does the essay use simple present tense? (Except for history or events you are comparing)

No personal experience as support?

Does the essay avoid abbreviations like etc. and e.g., and so on?

Does the essay avoid academic tone errors (i.e. No overuse of people/important/problem/show/say/tell/ no contractions)?

Final Overview of Research Paper