Senior Research Paper Guidelines and Expectations

Basic Guidelines:

 All seniors will complete a research paper.

 Passing the research paper is a requirement for graduation

 All research must be submitted to the Writing Committee with the research paper.

 All due dates will be strictly enforced.

 The committee will instantly return a paper with any form of plagiarism for revision.

 The Writing Committee uses two rubrics

o Research paper rubric

o Documentation rubric

*A paper must pass both rubrics in order to pass

 If a student must revise and resubmit, the following will be enforced:

o The student may not change topics

o The student must submit the original essay with the revision to Ms. Norris

o The student may seek assistance at ESS, not in the classroom.

Important Due Dates:

 December 20: All research papers due to senior English teachers

 January 31: Writing Committee will return graded essays to senior English teachers

 February 28: All revisions are due to Ms. Norris

 March 7: Writing Committee will return revisions to students

 March 28: Senior English teachers will submit research paper grades in Infinite Campus
 Greenup County High School

English IV

Research Paper Rubric

TO THE STUDENT: A research paper is a highly structured, formal document in which following your
teacher’s directions will be very important. There are many style sheets from various authorities, such as
the Modern Language Association, and this the format required for your writing development.

NOTE: Students must pass both rubrics in order for their paper to meet the committee’s expectations!
Failure to pass one or both rubrics will require revision and resubmission!

I. Text
A. Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1. Attention getter
2. Narrowing to thesis
3. Thesis statement
4. Transitions
5. Original thought
B. Body of the research paper _______ 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
1. Topic sentence of each paragraph related to thesis
2. Adequate support and details for each topic sentence
3. Transitions
4. Original thought
C. Conclusion 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1. Transitions to closing
2. Restates the thesis statement in other words
3. Leaves reader with the writer’s point
4. Similar in length to the introductory paragraph

III. M. U. G. S.

A. Mechanics 1 2 3 4 5
1. Double-Spaced
2. Times New Roman font style
3. Size twelve font
4. 4-6 Pages
5. Pages of the body and works cited in upper right hand corner
6. No contractions (unless quoted)
B. Usage 1 2 3 4 5
1. Punctuation
2. Word choice
3. Standard language
 4. Appropriate vocabulary
5. Correct syntax
6. Redundancies avoided
7. No fragments unless purposeful

C. Grammar 1 2 3 4 5
1. Third person (Do NOT use I, you, or we)
2. Pronoun reference—agrees in gender and number with antecedent
3. Consistent verb tense
4. Subject/verb agreement
5. No run-ons or comma splices
6. Appropriate syntax and diction
D. Spelling 1 2 3 4 5

Name: __________________________________ Grade out of 70 points possible: __________________

Teacher’s Comments: ___________________________________________________________________

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 Greenup County High School

English IV

Documentation Rubric

TO THE STUDENT: A research paper is a highly structured, formal document in which following your
teacher’s directions will be very important. There are many style sheets from various authorities, such as
the Modern Language Association, and this the format required for your writing development.

NOTE: Students must pass both rubrics in order for their paper to meet the committee’s expectations!
Failure to pass one or both rubrics will require revision and resubmission!

Documentation
A. Works Cited Page 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
1. Title “Works Cited” centered
2. Last name and page number in the upper right hand corner
3. Citations in alphabetical order according to author’s last name or first major word of
article—Do not alphabetize according to articles a, an, the. Go to first major word.
4. Hanging indentation
5. Double spaced throughout
6. Proper format for each entry
7. Only sources cited in paper
8. At least five sources are cited
B. Parenthetical References 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1. Author’s last name and page number in parentheses
2. End punctuation for sentence after parentheses
3. No punctuation within the parenthesis
4. All parenthetical citations correspond to the Works Cited page
5. Both short and long quotes are typed and punctuated correctly (and differently); a
long quote--four lines or more

Name: __________________________________ Grade out of 30 points possible: __________________

Teacher’s Comments: ___________________________________________________________________

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 Student Signature Sheet
I understand and agree to the following:

 I will complete a research paper.

 I understand that passing the research paper is a requirement for my graduation

 My research (articles, etc.) must be submitted to the Writing Committee with the research
paper.

 All due dates will be strictly enforced.

 If my paper is plagiarized, the Committee will return my paper for revision. The Writing
Committee will not score plagiarized papers.

 The Writing Committee uses two rubrics on my paper:

o Research paper rubric

o Documentation rubric

*My paper must pass both rubrics in order to pass

 If I fail, I must revise and resubmit, and the following will be enforced:

o I may not change topics

o I must submit the original essay with the revision to Ms. Norris

o I may seek assistance at ESS, not in the classroom.

 I understand the major due dates of the research paper process and agree to adhere to
them.

 I acknowledge that I have been given a copy of the guidelines and expectations
concerning my senior research paper.

 I acknowledge that I am aware of important due dates concerning my research paper.

___________________________________ ___________________________________

(Print Student Name) (Student Signature) (Date)