Research Paper

Your paper must be 5 to 7 pages (or more if you choose) in length, excluding title and reference pages. The paper must be presented in APA (American Psychological Association) style writing. You can use the course text book as one of your references, however; you must use at least six outside references for your research sources.

Be sure that your paper meets the assigned page requirements and that you use standard one-inch margins, 12-point font and double spacing. It must cover the topic effectively and present a well-developed thesis, supported by evidence from primary and secondary sources. It must in some way demonstrate an understanding of the development of scholarship on the topic—that is, the paper itself must incorporate in the text and notes an adequate discussion of the scholarly works on the subject.

t must have a title page that includes your name and an appropriate title for your research. Pages, including bibliography, must be numbered, starting on the first page of text. The one exception is the title page, which should not have a number. The first page of text of the paper should be page 1.

Do not forget to follow the general guidelines for writing papers in accordance with APA format. Proofread! Carefully use spelling and grammar check built into word-processing programs. In general, the research paper is graded on what the student demonstrates about his/her:

• research skills
• ability to think critically about a topic and the sources necessary to study and limit that topic
• ability to combine information and ideas into a focused, organized, supported argument
• ability to write a grammatical, stylistic, mechanically correct essay
• ability to document and list sources accurately and usefully

Specifically, the research paper is graded on (see grade rubric below)

• title page (clarity, usefulness, accuracy)
• title (usefulness, accuracy)
• introduction (specificity, clarity, appeal)
• thesis (clarity, initial presentation, use throughout paper, thoughtfulness, accuracy)
• arguments/evidence (breadth, logic, quality, use)
• organization (clarity, logic, consistency, within paragraphs, in overall paper)
• focus
• mechanics
• sentence structure
• punctuation (usage, spacing)
• voice (avoidance of passive)
• person (avoidance of first and second)
• tense (logic, consistency)
• spelling
• proofreading
• page numbering (in text, in notes, and in bibliography)
• use of APA style writing
• research (depth, breadth)
• exploitation of sources (in notes, in text)
• documentation (giving credit for ideas, facts, words)
• documentation style
• format 
• quotations according to APA guidelines
• conclusion (thoughtfulness, appeal, appropriateness, usefulness)