Research Method

Research Methods

APA Paper Project

Homework: First Main Body Paragraph

Overview: For this homework, you will write the first main body paragraph (*not the introduction*) of your APA paper. At this point in the semester, you have: 1) practiced reading psychological scientific articles and paraphrasing/summarizing the key points of those articles (i.e., through your APA 4 Sentence Paper Homework), and 2) brainstormed ways that those articles relate to one another (i.e., through the APA Paper Project Outline). You should expand on your bullets from the outline and bring together your ideas to fit the theme of your first main body paragraph.

Structure: Your main body paragraph should follow the typical paragraph format for academic writing. It should have:

1. A topic sentence – this is the first sentence of the paragraph that tells you briefly what the paragraph will be about (i.e., the main theme of the paragraph)

2. Several supporting sentences (the exact amount depends on the main theme of your paragraph, but there should be at least three supporting sentences) – these sentences should paraphrase and summarize AT LEAST TWO ARTICLES that relate to the paragraph’s main theme. These sentences should have proper citations/references.

a. Below are two examples of how you can correctly cite in-text (note the parentheses, punctuation use, placement of dates, and “&” symbol usage):

i. Previous research has shown that the hippocampus is involved in long-term memory (Jeye & Slotnick, 2020).

ii. Jeye and Slotnick (2020) showed that the hippocampus is involved in long-term memory.

3. Conclusion sentence – this end sentence summarizes the main pint of the paragraph (it usually re-states the topic sentence using different words).

Other Instructions:

· You do not need a title page or a reference list! However, you must have in-text citations.

· Please keep your paragraph under ONE-PAGE (double-spaced) – this is at-most 300 words (and will, most likely, be shorter.)

· Use normal font and font sizes (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, etc. and 11 or 12 point)

Grading: Please see the next page for my grading rubric and for a checklist to help you write your paragraph (please also see my many resources on Blackboard if you have questions about paraphrasing, summarizing, paragraph structure, transitions, and/or APA format and citations!)

Due date: This is due on Blackboard by Sunday, 4/4 at midnight

Grading Rubric

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Exemplary	Points
Topic sentence	Topic sentence was not evident or unclear	Topic sentence was not related to the other details in the paragraph	Topic sentence was clear, but could be strengthened (i.e., was just a list of topics)	There was a clear and logical topic sentence	_/2
Supporting Sentences	No supporting details were given or supporting details were unclear or confusing.	There was little supporting evidence in the paragraph or many supporting details were unclear.	More supporting details were needed relating to the topic or some supporting details needed clarifying	Provided a sufficient amount of supporting details that related to the topic sentence	_/4
Concluding Sentence	There was no concluding sentence given	Provided a vague or incomplete conclusion (or just copy and pasted the topic sentence again)	There was a concluding sentence but it needed strengthening	There was a clear concluding sentence that summarized the main points in the paragraph (and was different than the topic sentence)	_/2
Transitions	No transition words were evident	More transition words needed	Used some transitional words and phrases appropriately	Used a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of the paragraph	_/2
Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling	Grammatical errors or spelling & punctuation detract from the paragraph	Very few grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors interfere with reading the paragraph	Grammatical errors or spelling & punctuation are rare and do not detract from the paragraph	The paragraph is free of grammatical errors and spelling & punctuation	_/2
Citations	No or unclear citations	Unclear citations. Errors are noticeable	Rare errors in APA style citations	No errors in APA style citations	_/2
Total Points: _/14

Checklist (questions to ask yourself before you submit)

1. Is the topic sentence clear and relevant?

2. Do the facts, details and examples explain/develop the topic sentence/theme of the paragraph?

3. Is there enough support (i.e., do you cite at least two articles and have correct in-text citations)?

4. Is the material presented in a systematic way?

5. Does one sentence lead smoothly to the next?