research

RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES

Please be sure your research paper meets all of the criteria:

1. The paper must be argumentative.

2. The paper must be MLA format. Check your margins, spacing, parenthetical documentation, etc.

3. You must use  at least 10 sources from the PSC databases.

4. You must have a cover page; neither the cover nor the works cited page count toward the length requirement.

5. Use a standard font and a font size of 12 throughout the paper.

6. Turn in the paper to the CANVAS drop box.

7. The paper must contain between 2,900 – 3,500 words (app. 8 – 10 pages).

8. Double space throughout the paper, including the works cited page.

9. Use an appropriate header for the paper making sure the header extends onto the works cited page.

10. Take the time to see a tutor with your paper after you have printed it out, edited it yourself, and before you submit it.

11. You must submit to the TLCC tutor center and include the tutor’s comments with your final submission.  If you ignore any of the tutor’s comments that are accurate in terms of grammar, Standard English grammar, or MLA documentation, your paper will suffer an automatic 10-point reduction.

12. BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE EXPECTATIONS OF WRITTEN WORK, and refer to the rubric on the essay to see how the paper will be evaluated in addition to the research paper evaluation sheet below.

13. See the checklist in the content area of the course in the research paper module.

I will not accept late research papers for any reason. You have been working on these papers for several weeks, and there is no excuse for not having them submitted on time.

 

***NOTE:

The paper will receive an automatic NC (no credit) and will be rejected if

· ANY  in-text citation does not match the respective works cited entry,

· the paper reflects inadequate elements of argument,

· the topic is deemed inappropriate and/ or wasn’t approved by me,

· the paper does not have proper MLA  formatting,

· the paper does not have appropriate in-text citations or required quotation marks. (Using in-text citations does not eliminate plagiarism if you use the material from the outside source without quoting properly),

· the paper reflects non-standard English,

· the paper reflects weak, careless, or inadequate editing,

· URL addresses or .com, .edu, .gov, etc. appear in the  in-text citations, or

· the paper reflects  any degree of academic dishonesty.

 I encourage you to take advantage of the “draft” drop box for checking originality. You can see the problems before they become an issue.

RESEARCH PAPER EVALUATION SHEET

 In addition to the specifics in the rubric for the essay, the Research Paper is graded using a * holistic method taking all of the following categories into account:

 Technical Elements

· Mechanics

· Sentence Structure

· Level of Sophistication

· Sentence Variety

· Diction/Standard English

· Editing

· Punctuation Appropriate for Quotations

· Follows Standards of Appearance For Written Work

Contents

· Topic Sufficiently Addressed

· Paragraphs Sufficiently Developed

· Paper Follows a Clear Plan

· Material Appropriately Organized

· Transitions Within and Between Paragraphs

· Coherent/Clear Explanation of Source Material’s Relevance

Use of Sources

· Quality of Sources Used

· No Sources from Outside of the PSC Databases

· Material Not Quoted Directly Paraphrase Too Close to Original

· Quotes Blend Smoothly

· No Ghost Quotations

· Variety of Sources

· Adequate Number of Sources

· Material Current

· Paraphrases Appropriate

· Longer Quotations Handled Appropriately/Properly

 MLA Format

· Cover Page                             

· Header

· Parenthetical Documentation

· Punctuation

· Works Cited Format

· Order

· Spacing

· Punctuation

· Completeness of Entries

· Title

· Hanging Indent

*Holistic grading means there isn’t a specific point value assigned to the categories/skills. The same rubric you receive at the start of the term applies to the research paper.