Guidelines for a Research Paper

Guidelines for a Research Paper

1. Be sure that your paper meets the assigned page requirements, plus foot/endnotes and bibliography, using standard one-inch margins, 12-point font and double spacing.
2. It must cover the topic effectively and present a well-developed thesis, supported by evidence from primary and secondary sources.
3. 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.
4. Remember that content foot/endnotes may be useful.
5. It must demonstrate mastery of the conventions of the discipline—i.e., the physical appearance of the paper, grammar, syntax, punctuation, etc.—in accordance with the Turabian/Chicago Manual of Style format and the citation guide.
6. Be sure to incorporate research from scholarly journals.
7. It must have a title page that includes your name and an appropriate title for your research.
8. 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.
9. Do not forget to follow the general guidelines for writing papers on this site.
10. Proofread.
11. Carefully use spelling and grammar check built into word-processing programs.

IN GENERAL, THE RESEARCH PAPER IS GRADED ON WHAT A 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:

• 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 Turabian/Chicago Manual of Style
• research (depth, breadth)
• exploitation of sources (in notes, in text)
• documentation (giving credit for ideas, facts, words)
• documentation style
• reference notes (first citations, subsequent citations)
• content notes (usefulness, accuracy, form)
• format (endnotes or footnotes)
• placement of superscript
• quotations (appropriateness, logic, ellipses and brackets, identification of authors, punctuation, transition into text)
• conclusion (thoughtfulness, appeal, appropriateness, usefulness)
• Honor Pledge (on title page)