Partial Draft Due: 11/25 (Monday by 8:00am)
Full First Draft Due: 11/27 (Wednesday by 8:00am)
Final Draft Due: 12/4 (Wednesday by midnight)

For a word doc version of this rubric, please click here: Final Paper Rubric

General Guidelines

For this assignment, you will compose a 6-10 page paper in which you synthesize research on the topic of your choosing to answer (or begin to answer) your inquiry question(s).

In your essay, you should:

• Leave the reader with a clear understanding of the answer(s) [or lack of clear answer(s)] to your inquiry question. Stay focused on your inquiry question throughout the paper.
• Develop and support your statements with evidence drawn from your research
• Make rhetorical choices appropriate to your rhetorical situation (writing a formal research paper).
  • Choose two rhetorical devices that we have studied to use in your paper
    • Use each device at least twice and underline the usage
  • Appeal to your audience’s sense of ethos, logos, and pathos
    • Either label where you use these rhetorical appeals or write a summary paragraph explaining how you used them
  • Utilize both academic sources and non-academic sources for a total of at least 6 sources (may or may not be the same 6 as in your annotated bibliography) and document these sources appropriately using APA style
  • Follow the structural and stylistic conventions of academic writing

Final Paper Rubric (100 points)

1. Turned in drafts on time and participated in writing workshop. (25 points)
2. Incorporates research effectively and appropriately to support the argument (15 points)

• • All claims are backed up by evidence as needed (5 points)
  • Quotes or paraphrases from sources are well-integrated into the paragraphs (no naked quotes) (5 points)
  • All information from another source is correctly cited using APA-style in-text citations (5 points)

3. Paragraphs and sections follow the structural conventions of Standard American Academic English (25 points)

• • Paper includes an introductory section that establishes the topic, the inquiry question(s), and the writer’s preliminary answer to the question(s) (5 points)
  • Body paragraphs stay focused on individual claims supported by relevant evidence and use topic sentences and transition phrases (10 points)
  • The paper includes a conclusion that explains why the inquiry is important and what readers should take away from the paper. (5 points)
  • The overall organization of the paper is appropriate to the topic, inquiry, and assignment (5 points)

4. Paper is formatted in APA style (15 points)

• • Title page with name, title, school, page number, running head, and author’s note if needed
  • Abstract with keywords
  • Running head and page number on subsequent pages
  • References page is formatted correctly

5. Follows the stylistic conventions of Standard American Academic English (10 points)

• • Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Formatting, Capitalization, Formality

6. Other Requirements (10 points)

• • At least two rhetorical devices are used at least twice and are underlined
  • Uses of all 3 rhetorical appeals are marked or summarized
  • Paper meets the length requirement
  • At least 6 sources are used

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