Distinguish between research
In undergoing the research process, your final paper is evidence of
your having developed and demonstrated an ability to:
Research-based
❏ distinguish between research to understand the issue and
research to support a hypothesis
❏ focus a topic such that it can be analyzed within time and
space limitations
❏ master research strategies involving library, electronic
databases and online resources
❏ evaluate credibility of source material
Content
❏ develop an awareness of audience
❏ construct an informed critical insight
❏ create a sustained and focused analysis/argument
❏ integrate critically analyzed supporting evidence
Organization
❏ establish paragraph purpose and maintain unity
❏ demonstrate logical coherence within the paragraph and
throughout the research paper
❏ transition smoothly across ideas
❏ avoid digressions and redundancies
Language
❏ adopt an appropriate level of formality
❏ establish writer voice and authority
❏ use the correct discourse for the issue
❏ avoid clichés, platitudes and sweeping generalizations
❏ maintain sentence clarity and grammaticality
Mechanics
❏ proofread for spelling, punctuation, capitalization and other
mechanical errors
❏ edit for proper formatting
Source use
❏ contextualize and establish credibility of sources
❏ analyze integrated information from sources
❏ maintain balance in using sources (i.e. no over-reliance on
sources in general or on one or two sources in particular)
❏ vary quote, paraphrase and summary
❏ paraphrase effectively to avoid plagiarism
❏ use phrases that signal the boundary between writer voice and
source material
cite sources in text and at end of document
Process
❏ revise drafts based on instructor, peer and self review
❏ articulate learning and identify weaknesses
❏ set goals for refinement
❏ meet requirements and deadlines
❏ develop an ability to work independent