research paper

PSYC 101: Guidelines for Research Project Rubric

The following rubric will be used to grade all research papers:

 Content o Is the title well structured, and does it identify the topic being

researched? o Does the paper include a proper introduction with a well-

organized thesis statement, excluding the use of first person? o Does the information in the main body of your paper include at

least four well-addressed themes/areas of discussion (8 pts.), and two specific areas of diversity (4 pts.)?

o Is there a summary that briefly (but adequately) reviews the overall content of the paper?

o Is there a discussion that answers the three questions noted? o Does the information in your paper demonstrate intellect,

insight, and thorough research—Is the content solid? Note: Overuse of direct quotes will result in a deduction of points.

26 pts. 2 pts. _____ 3 pts. _____ 12 pts. _____ 2 pts. _____ 3 pts. _____ 4 pts. _____

 Organization/Style o Does your paper follow APA format as discussed in the

handout provided?  Appropriate title page (including proper information

and format)?  APA formatted page numbers and headings—present

and correctly formatted?  Proper paragraph indentations and length (not too

long); appropriate spacing; no use of pictures; limited/no use of bullets?

o Does all information flow accordingly with appropriate connections made between sentences and paragraphs?

14 pts.

2 pts. _____ 3 pts. _____ 5 pts. _____ 4 pts. _____

 Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling

o Are grammatical errors at a minimum? o Are punctuation errors at a minimum? o Are spelling errors at a minimum?

6 pts. 2 pts. _____ 2 pts. _____ 2 pts. _____

 Citations/References o Are there at least 3 references used for this research? o Is each listed reference cited within your paper at least once? o Are citations properly formatted in APA style (includes author,

organization, or title and year of publication separated by a comma)?

o Is the reference page properly formatted in APA style (correctly formatted and alphabetically listed)?

Reminders: A PAPER WITHOUT CITATIONS OR REFERENECS WILL AUTOMATICALLY EARN A ZERO—NO EXCEPTIONS!

10 pts. 3 pts. _____ 3 pts. _____ 2 pts. _____ 2 pts. _____

 Length (4-6 pgs--not including title and reference pages) o Each page counted toward length must include a full page of

text (half or ¾ pages will not be accepted as complete).

4 pts. _____

Total: 60 pts.