Research Paper Assignment

RUBRIC

The rubric for this paper is in the form of a checklist. For an A-level paper, you want to be able to answer yes to most if not all of the following questions. These are the things I look for as I give feedback on your rough draft and grade your final paper:

STRENGTH OF ARGUMENT (100 pts.)

Is my thesis statement reasonable and specific?

Is my thesis statement a claim (arguing a position, proposing a solution, etc.) rather than a question?

Do I fully inform the reader about my topic in the body of my paper before making my argument?

Do I support my argument using facts, statistics, expert opinion, examples and illustrations, and logic (logos)?

Do I occasionally appeal to my readers’ emotions, values, or sense of justice (pathos)?

Do I present myself as open-minded, knowledgeable, and respectful (ethos)?

Do I give a fair representation of important counterarguments and respond to them effectively?

Do I use credible and authoritative sources and note their credentials wherever appropriate?

QUALITY OF WRITING (100 pts.)

Do my title and introduction capture my readers’ attention and then focus that attention on my topic?

Does my thesis statement appear at the end of my introduction to properly focus the readers’ attention on the purpose of the paper?

Do I provide good transitions and topic sentences to guide the reader from paragraph to paragraph?

Do I repeat key words from my thesis statement to remind readers of my main argument?

Does my conclusion restate my thesis in a fresh way, call my readers to action, and/or leave them with something memorable?

Do I avoid raising any new points in my conclusion?

Do I avoid using first and second person (I/me/my – you/your) and other informal vocabulary or expressions?

Do I use conjunctions properly and effectively to avoid run-ons and express the relationships between statements?

Are my sentences revised and proofread to be effective, concise, and clear?

Have I asked a trusted person to read and proofread my paper?

Have I printed the paper and given it one last slow and careful proofreading before submitting?

MLA DOCUMENTATION & INTEGRATION OF SOURCES (100 pts.)

Does the paper use the proper MLA heading? Does my paper have a title, centered on the page?

Is my paper double-spaced throughout, without extra space between any parts of the paper?

Does my paper have one-inch margins at top, bottom, left, and right?

Is my last name and the page number in the upper right corner of every page, including my works cited list?

Do I use the same font/font size throughout the entire paper (including heading, pagination, works cited list)?

Do I provide credentials for my sources the first time I use them in the paper?

Have a considered all the variables that might require me to cite my sources in any special way (e.g. no author,three or more authors, sources with page numbers, etc.)?

Are my in-text citations punctuated properly? Is every source that’s cited in my paper on the works cited list?

Is every source on my works cited list actually cited in my paper?

Is my works cited list alphabetized by authors’ last names (or, if there is no author, is it alphabetized by the first piece of information in the entry)?

Are my works cited entries indented after the first line?

ROUGH DRAFT INSTRUCTIONS

As with the previous writing assignments, completing a rough draft of the research paper allows you to participate in the writing process. Follow your outline and begin writing, knowing that this is only a first draft, you’ll get feedback from me, and you’ve still got a week to revise and turn in your final paper. As extra incentive for completing a rough draft of your research paper, you can earn up to 25 points in addition to the rough draft and peer review points. You will earn the full 25 points if the rough draft you submit is a minimum of 800 words and follows MLA guidelines for formatting, in-text citations, and the works cited list.