Term Paper Instructions
DUE:2010
Points: 100
1. Outline page
Include an outline for your paper in standard outline form.
This is due……. You may turn it via email or in class.
OUTLINE is worth 25 points
2. Title Page
Title page should have name of paper, your name, class, section, and date
3. Body
You MUST use peer reviewed sources in your paper. Use the Kent Library to help.
There MUST be a total of 10 sources in your “Work Cited” page. At least 5 of them
have to be peer-reviewed. Site your sources by using APA format. In the body of
your paper, your sources should look like this:
(Example)
The EPA currently enforces regulations concerning genetically modified plants for
consumption (EPA, 2008).
4. Work Cited Page
At the end of the paper you should have a “Work Cited” page with all your sources in
alphabetical order.
Example:
Purves, W.K., and Orians, G.H. (2003). The science of biology. Vol 6. Sinauer
Associates, Inc., Boston, MA. pp. 897-899.
5. Writing Center page
a. At the end of the paper and the work cited page you will attach the email of
suggestions that the writing center gave back to you.
b. It is YOUR responsibility to attach the writing center’s comments to your paper
before you turn it in to me.
c. You MUST use Southeast Writing Center for your paper to help organize your
research. You can email your paper to them. It will take at least a week for them
to get back to you. So do this early. Please tell them that you are doing a
biology term paper over a health issue and using APA format.
Here is the website for the Writing Lab:
http://ustudies.semo.edu/writing/owl.asp
For more information on the Writing Lab/Online Writing Lab, please call 573-651-2159.
d. *I must have a copy of the writing center comments attached at the end of your
paper that you turn in.
6. Length is 5-10 pages; 12 font in Times New Roman or Ariel and 1 inch margins.
7. You will be writing a paper over a(n) health issue that is specific. Pick something that
you would be interested into learning and/or writing about. I would like for you to pick a
topic from the list I have selected.
IF YOU ARE LATE TURNING IN YOUR PAPER: 10 points deducted for every day that it is late.
The purpose of an outline is to help you think through your topic carefully and
organize it logically before you start writing. A good outline is the most important
step in writing a good paper.
INTRODUCTION - State the purpose of your research paper clearly. What is the chief
reason you are writing the paper? State also how you plan to approach your topic. Is
this a factual report, a book review, a comparison, or an analysis of a problem? Explain
briefly the major points you plan to cover in your paper and why readers should be
interested in your topic.
BODY - This is where you present your data to support your purpose statement. Make
sure that you have supporting arguments for each position you take. Begin with a strong
argument, then use a stronger one, and end with the strongest argument for your final
point. IF YOU IT IS NOT YOUR OWN WORDS (EVEN RE-WRITING ITS
STATEMENT)---YOU MUST SITE IT!!!
CONCLUSION - Restate or reword your problem. Summarize your arguments. Explain
why you have come to this particular conclusion. *Add new investigations or updates
that may have been on the news or other research that has happened to improve
outcomes (ex: tanning beds have a cause and effect relationship with skin cancer).
This is where you look up NEW up-to-date information to see if there are any news
about your topic that is relevant.
Do not include any information that is not relevant to your topic, and do not include
information that you do not understand. Do not use “I”, “we”, or use any opinion in
your paper. Make sure the information that you have noted is carefully recorded and in
your own words, if possible. Plagiarism is definitely out of the question. Document all
ideas borrowed or quotes used very accurately. As you organize your notes, jot down
detailed bibliographical information for each cited paragraph and have it ready to
transfer to your Works Cited page.
If you use any sources that are word for word and/or paraphrased then you MUST site
the source.
This is an intro example with asthma:
Asthma affects 15 million Americans (7% of the population), a third of
them under the age of 18 years (Mannino et al., 2002). It is the most
common chronic health problem in children in the United States. Annually,
asthma accounts for 12 million primary care visits, 1.6 million emergency
department (ED) visits, 11 million missed school days, 200,000 hospital
admissions, and 150 pediatric deaths (CDC, 1996). It was the most common
chronic childhood disease affecting 6.3 million children in the United States in
2001 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003). In addition,
asthmatic children incur significantly more health care-related expenses than
children with out asthma, with a spending of over three billion dollars per year
(Lozano et al., 1997; Weiss et al., 2000). The purpose of this paper…
CHECKLIST ONE:
1. Is my problem statement concise and clear?
2. Did I follow my outline? Did I miss anything?
3. Are my arguments presented in a logical sequence?
4. Are all sources properly cited to ensure that I am not plagiarizing?
5. Have I proved my problem with strong supporting arguments?
6. Have I made my intentions and points clear in the essay?
Re-read your paper for grammatical errors. Use a dictionary or a thesaurus as needed.
Do a spell check. Correct all errors that you can spot and improve the overall quality of
the paper to the best of your ability. Get someone else to read it over. Sometimes a
second pair of eyes can see mistakes that you missed.
CHECKLIST TWO:
1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence?
2. Have I supported my arguments with documented proof or examples?
3. Any run-on or unfinished sentences?
4. Any unnecessary or repetitious words?
5. Varying lengths of sentences?
6. Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into the next?
7. Any spelling or grammatical errors?
8. Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation?
9. Are all my citations accurate and in correct format?
10. Did I avoid using contractions? Use "cannot" instead of "can't", "do not"
instead of "don't"?
11. Did I use third person as much as possible? Avoid using phrases such as "I
think", "I guess", "I suppose"
12. Have I made my points clear and interesting but remained objective?
13. Did I leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the paper?
*DON’T USE “I” IN THE PAPERS*
Read the assignment sheet again to be sure that you understand fully what is expected
of you, and that your essay meets the requirements as specified by your teacher. Know
how your essay will be evaluated.
Proofread final paper carefully for spelling, punctuation, missing or duplicated words.
Make the effort to ensure that your final paper is clean, tidy, neat, and attractive.
Aim to have your final paper ready a day or two before the deadline. This gives you
peace of mind and a chance to triple check. Before handing in your assignment for
marking, ask yourself: "Is this the VERY BEST that I can do?"
*MUST have cover page, body of paper, proof that you had the writing center’s help, a
work-cited page with at least 10 sources, and 5-10 pages in length.
Examples of the paper can be seen on the class’s website.
Grading (100 points)
Name:
Paper Element
Professional- Very good10-8
Good to Average
7-4
Title
Title clear & informative. Hints at
scope, approach, argument
Contains elements of
scope or purpose
Introduction &
Purpose
Establishes purpose, clearly, and
explicitly. Objective. Captures
reader's attention and why your
topic is important.
Paper effectively captures reader's
attention and communicates
purpose, tone and topic.
Excellent use of language, ordered
and clear links to purpose
statement.
Wide variety of well-researched,
quality sources. # of peer review
sources met and used. Clear
consistent use of chosen
referencing system. Few formatting
errors. No missing sources. Labeled
sources correctly.
Effectively closes the paper. Ties
together all elements = Effectively
integrated. Talks about future
elements.
Clear, readable, coherent & mature.
Avoids empty & pretentious
language. Avoids ambiguitiesabstractions.
Grammatically and typographically
superior. (No errors or 1 per page).
1 in margins and used correct font
type and size.
Clear sentences. Variety of
paragraph and sentence length.
Strong clear leads. Smooth
transitions
Attractive and neatly presented.
Effective, insightful document.
Original approach and energetic
Gave great examples/suggestive
tips to improve ones’ health.
Less clear. States
significance but
purpose is limited.
Body Content
Communication
Organization
Referencing
Conclusion
Overall cohesion
Format & style
Grammar/spelling
Structure and
transitions
Overview &
Presentation
Total points
Poor (Not suitable for
university assignment)
3-0
Title tells little about
content, argument or
scope of work or title
absent.
Some or no indication:
social, temporal &
geographic limits
Paper is generally
well written; lacking in
purpose or topic
Some connection to
purpose statement.
Some lack of clarity
Reliance on nonacademic sources.
Fairly consistent use
of referencing
system, several
errors in usage.
Lacks integration
Adequate integration
and conclusion
Paper poorly related
purpose. Reader
distracted.
Lack of care, time and
effort
Readable; somewhat
coherent. Uses empty
language; at times
ambiguous.
Grammatical and
typographical error
(2-3 errors per page)
Poorly constructed,
unreadable, very
ambiguous or pretentious
Sentences somewhat
muddled with little
variety in length.
Poor grammar in
sentence and paragraph
structure. Awkward
Average presentation.
Interest but lacks
insight. Few
examples/tips to
improve one’s health.
Poorly presented. Lacks
interest and not effective.
No examples/tips to
improve one’s health.
Serious problems with
referencing system, or
several systems being
used. Plagiarism material
cannot be checked for
validity.
Weak conclusion and
integration
Significant grammatical
and typographical errors
(4+ per )
YOUR
SCORE