INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESEARCH PAPER AND GRADING CRITERIA

Students will be prepare a research paper involving ethics or social responsibility. The paper will consist of a title page, five (5) pages of body, and a works cited page using APA format (preferred) or MLA format. The paper will be double spaced, 12 font, using New Times Roman. It should have a minimum of 1,200 words and should not exceed 1,500 words and be supported by a minimum of three (3) work cited sources.  It should be completed in .doc, docx or .rtf format and submitted to the assignments folder by the due date.

The general format should be:

Title Page (1 page) – Subject topic, your name, course, professor and date.

Introduction (1 page) – Overall theme of the topic, backround and why is it important to discuss.

Body (3 pages) – Expand on the topic. What are the facts, differing views, or concerns.

Conclusion (1 page) – What do you think is the right thing to do and why.

Works Cited (1 page)

If you are not familiar with APA format, you can find information on:

http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa or see a sample APA paper at: https://depts.washington.edu/owrc/Handouts/Hacker-Sample%20APA%20Formatted%20Paper.pdf

There are so many ethical and social issues that you shouldn’t have trouble in finding one that interests you to research and write about.  If you are struggling to find a topic you might wish to go through the table of contents or index of our textbook early in the course and identify a general topic that interests you.  

The grading of research papers is subjective and there is a range of possible points to be earned. In addition to the rubric or criteria stated below, your grade reflects your instructor’s perception of your writing style, the quality of the articles or literature evaluated, and how well you presented the topic and your conclusion. 

80 – 100 points:  Research papers that earn 80-100 pointswill be clearly and professionally presented as well as free of typographical and other errors. The quality of the articles or literature evaluated and their source will be sound.  The paper will follow the generalformat and each part will be complete.  The paper will be uploaded to the dropboxon or before the due date.

Research papers that earn less than 80 points will not meet one or more of the above criteria. They will be uploaded to the dropbox on or before the due date.

Note: Turnitin.com is used to determine case originality.  Submissions with an Originality Report higher than 60% may NOT earn more than one-half credit. Papers with 80% or higher will earn NO points. It is up to the instructor whether papers may be re-submitted.