Guidelines for the Final Research Paper (download the pdf)
DUE: Wednesday, November 30 (at the beginning of class!)
The final research paper is worth 15% of your total course grade. Papers will be graded using the chart included below.
YOU MUST REVISE YOUR PAPER to receive credit. Papers that have not been revised will receive 0 points for the assignment
Research papers must be 5-8 pages, not including a title page and Works Cited (required) or illustrations (optional).
In your paper you must use a minimum of 5 different sources, including:
◦ at least 2 news sources
◦ at least 2 scholarly sources
◦ at least 1 internet source
It is perfectly fine, and in fact encouraged, to use more sources than the five you used in your annotated bibliography. There is no need to provide annotations for the sources in your Works Cited page for the final version of the paper.
In your paper you will:
◦ Write an introduction in which you present your research topic and question
◦ Summarize and synthesize the sources you consulted for information on your topic (all sources must be cited in your text!)
◦ Analyze your sources in light of your research question (how do your sources help you answer your research question?)
◦ Present your conclusions, findings, or recommendations
Papers must be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 point font and 1 inch margins. Please use page numbers.
Your paper must have a title page that includes the title of your paper, your name, our course number (LIB 1201) and the date.
You do not need an abstract or running head for your paper.
Please EMAIL your paper to me in a word processing document (not in the body of an email!).
Please format your Works Cited according to MLA Style (which we will review in class). Additional information about MLA Style can be found on the Purdue Online Writing Lab website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
As always, please ask me if you have any questions! Remember that my office hours are 11:15am-12:15pm Mondays and Wednesdays (right after class), and am happy to make an appointment to meet with you at other times.
Grading chart for your research paper:
Topic Discussion/Analysis:
Insufficient (0-3 points)
| Developing (4-7 points) | Competent (8-11 points) | Excellent (12-15 points) | |
| The paper lacks a main topic and does not define a coherent research question. | The paper topic is not fully focused, and a research question is not clearly presented. | The paper topic and research question is presented and described, but they have not been considered reflectively. | An appropriate, focused paper topic has been selected, and a research question is considered reflectively. |
| Presents information from irrelevant sources representing limited points of view/approaches. | Presents information from relevant sources representing limited points of view/approaches. | Presents in-depth information from relevant sources representing various points of view/approaches. | Synthesizes in-depth information from relevant sources representing various points of view/approaches. |
| Lists evidence, but is not organized and/or is unrelated to research topic and question. | Organizes evidence, but the organization is not effective in revealing important patterns, differences or similarities. | Organizes and analyzes evidence to reveal some important patterns, differences or similarities related to research question. | Analyzes evidence to reveal insightful patterns, differences or similarities related to research question. |
| States a conclusion which is ambiguous, illogical or unsupportable given the analysis. | States a general conclusion that, because it is so general, also applies beyond the scope of the analysis. | States a conclusion focused solely on the analysis. | States a conclusion that is a logical extrapolation, which arises from and responds to the analysis. |
Sources/References:
| Insufficient (0-3 points) | Developing (4-7 points) | Competent (8-10 points) | Excellent (12-15 points) |
| None of the sources are relevant to the research topic. | Some sources are not relevant to the research topic. | Most sources are relevant to the research topic. | All sources are relevant to the research topic. |
| All or almost all sources used are not appropriate for the assignment, and contain inaccurate, biased, or outdated information from inexpert authors. | Most sources used are not appropriate for the assignment, and contain inaccurate, biased, or outdated information from inexpert authors. | Some sources used are not appropriate for the assignment, and contain inaccurate, biased, or outdated information from inexpert authors. | All sources used are appropriate for the assignment. They are credible sources, and are accurate, expert, objective, and current. |
| Does not use in-text or bibliographic citations in an assignment that incorporates the ideas or work of others. | Most in-text and bibliographic citations contain errors of omission and are formatted inconsistently. | Most in-text and bibliographic citations are accurate, though some contain errors of omission or formatting. | Creates correct, consistent in-text and bibliographic citations using a style manual for guidance. |
| Plagiarizes the work of others and/or uses quoted material excessively. | Cites some (but not all) sources correctly when quoting and paraphrasing; employs excessive use of quoted material. | Cites most sources correctly when quoting and paraphrasing; uses quoted material sparingly and appropriately. | Applies principles of academic integrity in the use of information – all sources are quoted, paraphrased and cited correctly and appropriately. |
Writing Mechanics:
| Insufficient (0-3 points) | Developing (4-7 points) | Competent (8-10 points) | Excellent (12-15 points) |
| The research paper is less than 5 pages in length. | – | – | The research paper is at least 5 pages in length, not including Works Cited or illustrations. |
| The research paper is not typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 point font. There is no title page with title, name, course number, and date. | – | – | The research paper is typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 point font. There is a title page with title, name, course number, and date. |
| All sentences are grammatically incorrect. | Most sentences are grammatically incorrect. | Some sentences are grammatically incorrect. | All or almost all sentences are grammatically correct. |
| All sentences have errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization. | Most sentences have errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization. | Some sentences have errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization. | All or almost all sentences are free of punctuation, spelling, or capitalization errors. |
