STYLE OR GUIDELINES:
1. The final paper should be 3-5 pages in length, NOT including the title page, the table of
contents, and the references page. The body of the research paper should be a minimum of
1000 words.
2. The final paper should follow an APA basic format including one inch margins, 12 point
Times Roman type, double spacing between each line and not more than that, and standard
rules for manuscript preparation.
3. The paper must have at least two references cited according to APA guidelines, Sixth
Edition, including proper in-text citations and references which are listed on the last page in
alphabetical order.
4. Sources should be books the student reads to conduct his or her research. (NO
WIKIPEDIA, MURDERPEDIA, ANY PEDIA SITES) Only .edu, .gov, .org sites are
acceptable
5. All sources must be cited at least once in the paper.
6. Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (6th ed.) or
http://apastyle.org/
7. The paper must be written in the third person point-of-view. Do not use first person (I, me,
my, mine, myself, we, our, ours, ourselves) except if it is included in a direct quotation. Do
not use second person (you, your, yours, yourself) except if it is included in a direct
quotation.
8. The paper should include a title page, a table of contents, an abstract, an introduction (Not
labeled), the body with applicable headings, a conclusion (Not labeled), a page of
references, and relevant visuals, graphs, and tables if suitable or germane to the topic.
CONTENT:
9. The research paper will demonstrate the student?s ability to use clear and concise writing at
the college level.
10. The paper should encompass the coursework learned throughout the student?s bachelorlevel
academic career. It should address a topic that affects or is related to the student?s
areas of study. Ideally, it will explore a convergence of the major fields the student studied
during his or her college career. The student must select a topic which he or she may
argue, one on which the student may take a firm stand. Although research is part of this
project, it is not simply an informational paper or a report; it must include and represent the
student?s view of the subject.
11. (Optional) A Power Point is optional.
GRADE:
Grade will depend upon the following benchmarks or standards:
A. The presentation of the analysis and research
B. The support and substantiation of the student?s argument/discussion
C. The correct format for an APA research paper, its citations of a variety of sources, and its
list of references
D. The mandatory minimum page requirement
E. The quality of the work presented
a. Whether or not the student presents a detailed or vague overview
b. Whether or not everything is addressed based on the initial questions
Research Project Rubric
Content (60% of
Grade)
Point Value Fair Good Excellent
Thesis: Explores
appropriate topic based
on disciplines and
college level thinking
20
Comprehension:
Synthesizes
information and
communicates
information in own
words
20
Evidence: critical and
analytical skills
20
Composition and
Format (40% of Grade)
Format: Correct APA
format including
citations, references
10
Research: Appropriate
use of scholarly sources
5
Organization: Welldeveloped
body that is
succinct with thesis
10
Demonstrates good use
of grammar and
mechanics (0-5 errors
(20 points), 6-10 errors
(10 points), 11 or more
errors (0 points)
15
Total Points