Writing Homework Help

Research Paper

Timeline:

Sunday, November 14: Final Draft of Research Paper Due in the Dropbox by 11:59 pm.

Word Count: 1000-1500 words (about 4-6 pages NOT including the works cited page)

WHAT SOURCES CAN YOU USE: You will only be using sources that you find using any of the databases that can be accessed through GALILEO at the Albany State University website, anything that you got from interviewing experts in the field that you’re writing about, or primary documents. Refer to the resources that I’ve posted in our class page for more information about how to use GALILEO.

Basic Rule of Thumb: If you can find the site with a simple Google search, then do not go there.

A MINIMUM OF TWO SOURCES MUST COME FROM A PEER REVIEWED SOURCE!!! I would prefer that all sources are peer-reviewed. There are plenty of peer-reviewed articles in GALILEO. Make sure to check the Peer Reviewed/Scholarly box when you go into GALILEO to search for your articles.

THE ASSIGNMENT:

Using the notes that I’ve given to you about your research and about your outline, write an essay that incorporates your research into a nice, readable essay.

Revise and edit your first draft to make a new and improved final draft to submit for a grade no later than Thursday, July 15 at 11:59 pm. (FIRST DRAFT ATTACHED… Notes about first draft attached as a screenshot ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OUTLINE FOR REFERENCES TO USE ATTACHED)

RUBRIC

I will be scoring your essay based upon the following criteria:

Formatting (6 points)

Your essay should be formatted in MLA format. Use the Formatting a Paper in MLA Format link in the MLA Formatting folder under Course Content to learn how to format a paper properly. One point will be counted off for each of these that are not done properly:

12-point font

Times New Roman or Calibri font

Paper margins 1” around (this one should be easy since it’s the default on Word, therefore not requiring any changes

Double Spacing

No extra space between paragraphs (in other words, 0 pt before and after)

Correctly formatted header

Thesis Statement (10 points)

If your paper does not have a good, strong thesis statement, then it does not have a point. Your thesis statement should be:

Clear: What is your paper about?

Spoken with conviction: Do not use words like maybe or perhaps. Say what you have to say and mean it.

A thesis statement, not a thesis question. This is not Jeopardy. Thesis statements should never be in the form of a question.

It should usually appear at the end of the opening paragraph. That means that you’re going to have to lead into the thesis statement with a little buildup (like in a song). You shouldn’t have a thesis statement as your opening sentence.

Organization/Structure (10 points)

Your paper should not be a random collection of thoughts just thrown haphazardly on the page. A research paper is organized with an introduction that leads into a thesis statement, main points (topic sentences of paragraphs) and supporting details to develop those points. When discussing one point, you need to discuss it thoroughly before moving on to the next main point. For example, if I’m talking about what I like about a movie, I will talk completely about one scene before moving on to the next one. I will not jump all around the movie and bring up scenes that you had though I was finished with again.

The best way to organize your research paper is to write an outline before you write the essay. The outline (or the cluster, if you prefer to plan an essay that way) is a nice visual representation of what you’re going to write on the paper.

Main/Primary Points (10 points)

Most essays should have at least three Primary Points. These points are expressed in the topic sentence of each paragraph, which is usually the first sentence (there are exceptions, but for the purposes of this essay, I want them to be the first sentence). Just as the thesis statement previews what an entire essay is going to be about, the topic sentence needs to preview what the individual paragraph is going to be about.

For example, if I’m talking about why a baseball team might win the World Series, my primary points would be:

Strong pitching

Clutch hitting

Excellent fielding

Secondary/Supporting Details (10 points)

The supporting details are the most important part of any argument. The supporting details are the how and/or why a main point is valid.

Supporting points can be direct quotes from the story that you’re writing about. They can be summaries of what happened in a story. They can be real life situations that parallel what happens in a story. However you develop your points, you need to do so thoroughly.

Using my baseball example, here’s some secondary/supporting details that support my main points:

Strong Pitching

Starters have lowest ERA in the league

Middle Relief has a lot of powerful arms

Jim Fireball, the closer, has not blown a save all year

Clutch Hitting

Most RBI’s in the league with runner on third and two out

Casey Slugger lead the league in home runs and RBIs

The most comeback 9th inning wins in the league this year

Excellent Fielding

2nd in the league in fewest errors as a team

1st in the league in fewest errors among infielders

The most Web Gem highlights on ESPN’s Sportscenter of any team in the league

Notice also how organized my essay is. This is why outlining is so important in helping you to write a good, strong essay.

Quotations Formatting (10 points)

Are your quotations formatted correctly? Remember that for a quotation that’s 3 lines or less, you need to use short quotation format. If your quote is 4 lines or more, then you need to use long quote format.

Use of Quotations (10 points)

Are your quotations seamlessly incorporated into your essay? Or do your quotations look like something that you’ve tacked onto your essay because the instructor has required it? And do your quotations support your thesis? Or if you’re using a quotation that’s counter to your argument in order to dispute it, do you dispute the other author effectively enough?

Works Cited Page – MLA Format (10 points)

Is the works cited page formatted in proper MLA format? Is every individual entry formatted properly? I will be counting off for every little error:

Make sure your works cited page is double spaced like the body pages are

I will be checking spelling

I will be checking punctuation. If a period belongs, then you must use a period. If a colon belongs, use a colon, etc.

Italicize titles that must be italicized. Put titles that belong in quotation marks in quotation marks.

Indent the second and all subsequent lines of all entries (this is called a hanging indent).

You must include your database in your entry so that if I need to verify a quote in your paper, I can find your article easily.

Surface Errors (24 points)

Your essay should have as few errors as possible, especially since I painstakingly pointed out many of your errors in your original Prose or Poetry Essay. Hopefully, you learned by correcting your original errors and didn’t make those same mistakes in your new paragraphs, but if you didn’t learn anything from that exercise, then your grade will be impacted by the seriousness and frequency of your errors.

Surface errors include the following mistakes:

Spelling errors

Sentence structure errors (run-ons, comma splices, and fragments)

Agreement Errors (subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent)

Punctuation (end marks, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, etc)

Clarity issues (is it clear what the antecedent to a pronoun is?)

Verb tense consistency (do you switch back and forth from past to present tense and back again, or do you keep the same verb tense throughout. For the record, you want to keep the same tense throughout

“You” errors. Never, ever, ever use a second person pronoun in an academic paper