Posted: April 2nd, 2015

Final Research Paper Draft

Unit VIII Final Research Paper Draft

Follow the directions below for the completion of your Research Paper Final Draft for Unit VIII. If you have questions,

Description:
In this assignment, you will assemble the final draft of your Research Paper you have been working on throughout the
course. Your Research Paper Final Draft should include the elements listed below.
Elements:
The grade of your Research Paper Final Draft is largely based on your inclusion of these elements and the overall quality
of your writing. Your paper must contain the following elements.
1. Cover page and APA formatting:
You should include an APA-style cover page for your Research Paper. See the example on page 16 of The CSU
APA Guide (6th edition). Your cover page should include the following: the title of your paper, your name, and the
name of your university (Columbia Southern University). The running head should include up to 50 characters from
the title of the paper, along with a sequential page number in the upper right-hand corner.
2. Abstract:
The abstract is a 150-250 word summary of your Research Paper, and it should be written only after you have
finished writing the entire paper because how your abstract is worded largely depends on the development of your
paper. Your abstract should be accurate, self-contained, concise and specific, non-evaluative, coherent, and
readable. Your abstract may be modeled after the theoretical paper model or empirical study model. For
information or an example of an abstract, see p. 12 of The CSU APA Guide (6th edition) and p. 511 of Strategies for
Writing Successful Research Papers. Note that the abstract presented references MLA, but yours should be in
APA style. The abstract should be the second page in the paper, after the cover page, and the abstract should be
on its own page. The text of the paper itself should begin on page 3. Your abstract must meet the following
standards:

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• Be 150-250 words
• Be located on the second page of your final draft
• Have a heading of Abstract that is centered at the top of the page.
3. Introduction:
There are some pitfalls to writing an introductory paragraph, and you can avoid some of them by reading through
the Checklist: “Avoid Certain Mistakes in the Introduction” on p. 495 of Strategies for Writing Successful Research
Papers.
4. Review of literature:
The review of literature should be a smooth transition from the introduction of your paper and should present a
controlled summary of the conversation surrounding your topic.
5. Body paragraphs:
Each paragraph of the body of your Research Paper should be a cohesive unit. It should be tight, but developed. It
should serve a function, and its purpose should always be to bolster the thesis. Therefore, you should use the
following order for each paragraph in the body.
a. Topic sentence: This sentence summarizes the entire paragraph in one strong, well-written sentence, and it
directly supports the thesis statement.
b. Explanation of topic sentence (1-2 sentences): Often times there is more to be said about the topic sentence,
more explanation that is necessary in order for it to be a clear idea, so there are usually a few sentences that follow
the topic sentence that explicate the idea more for the reader. These sentences not only “unpack” the topic
sentence, but they also anticipate the evidence that will be used to support the topic sentence, usually indirectly.
c. Introduction to evidence (1-2 sentences): No piece of evidence (quotation, example, paraphrase, etc.) should be
dropped into a paragraph without first introducing it. An introduction might include the title of the source, the author,
and/or a short description of the source/author’s credentials. In this way, no evidence is presented without a
context because it is this context that makes the evidence meaningful.
d. Evidence: The evidence that you present backs up your topic sentence, and by extension, supports your thesis
statement. The evidence that you supply can be a number of things: a quotation from a source; a reasonable,
illustrative example; a statistic; commentary from an interview; etc.
e. Explanation of evidence: No piece of evidence stands on its own or is convincing on its own. Although it may
seem to draw a direct line to your topic sentence to support it, often the reader needs you to make the connection
between the two. Further, the general rule is that for each sentence of quoted material, your explanation should be
just as long, so if you include a block quotation, the block quotation should be met with an equally long explanation.
f. Transition (1-2 sentences): Transitions are essential for research papers because body paragraphs, especially,
are written as units, and it is the transitions that allow for these units to be linked together. Take a look at the list of
transitional expressions on pp. 44-45 in The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises.
6. Conclusion:
Your conclusion should pull together your entire paper. Do not consider the conclusion a summary of your paper;
your abstract is the summary of your paper. Instead, your conclusion is your opportunity to suggest what might be
done with your findings. A good conclusion will restate the thesis, place a judgment on the issue discussed,
discuss the implications of your findings, issue a directive or call to action to the reader, and close out the paper
with a strong final thought. However, depending upon your topic and your treatment of that topic, the conclusion
may take different forms. Your conclusion for this paper must be at least 150 words. If the conclusion is less than
the word count, it is likely you have not fully developed your conclusion, and this lack of development can severely
impact your grade for this assignment. For an example and explicit instructions on how to write a conclusion, see
pp. 501-506 of Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers.
If you wish to take another look at the completed example paper that you saw in Unit I, click here.
Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

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APA Guidelines
CSU requires that students use the APA style for papers and projects. Therefore, the APA rules for formatting, quoting,
paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. Students can find CSU’s Citation Guide in the myCSU
Student Portal by clicking on the “Citation Resources” link in the “Learning Resources” area of the myCSU Student Portal.
This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success
Center.

Blackboard Grading Rubrics
Assignment Rubrics
One or more assignments in this course utilizes a Blackboard Grading Rubric. A rubric is a tool that lists evaluation criteria
and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of an assignment. Your professor will use the Blackboard
Grading Rubric to assign points and provide feedback for the assignment.
You are encouraged to view the assignment rubric before submitting your work. This will allow you to review the
evaluation criteria as you prepare your assignments. You may access the rubric in “My Grades” through the “Tools” button
in your course menu. Click the “View Rubric” link to see the evaluation criteria for the assignment. Upon receiving your
assignment grade, you may view your grade breakdown and feedback in the rubric.

CSU Grading Rubrics for Papers/Projects and Assessments
The Learning Resource area of the myCSU Student Portal provides the rubrics, and information on how to use them, for
written response questions in Unit Assessments, and Research Papers/Projects.
The course writing assignments will be graded based on the CSU Grading Rubric for all types of writing assignments,
unless otherwise specified within assignment instructions. In addition, all papers will be submitted for electronic evaluation
to rule out plagiarism. Course projects will contain project specific grading criteria defined in the project directions.
To view the rubrics, click the Academic Policies link on the Course Menu, or access it through the CSU Grading Rubric
link found in the Learning Resources area of the myCSU Student Portal.

Communication Forums
These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students.
Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in
the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below.
Once you have completed Unit VIII, you MUST unsubscribe from the forum; otherwise, you will continue to
receive e-mail updates from the forum. You will not be able to unsubscribe after your course end date.
Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.
Ask the Professor
This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions.
Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration,
additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students.
Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal
accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a nonpublic nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the
professor within 48 hours.
Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus,
assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.

EH 1020, English Composition II