Paper Checklist (To be completed and turned in with the paper)
What I need to do to get 100% on this paper
____1. Less than 1 spelling and grammar error per page. (Use spell check, proofread,
etc. Please keep verb tense consistent throughout the paper.)
____2. Information well organized, including a good introduction and conclusion.
____3. Meets all requirements for paper length, margins, line spacing, headers,
underlined topic sentence, the grade sheet is attached, and other related guidelines for the assignment (see MHS Writer’s Guide).
____4. A correct Works Cited page (see MHS Writer’s Guide).
____5. Student, through summarizing, paraphrasing, and reworking source
materials shows understanding of material and ability to use own words (Refer tomy handout on plagiarism and suggestions for avoiding plagiarism on my website).
____6. Student’s own thoughts and opinions represent at least 25% of the content
of the paper. Opinions expressed are based upon facts presented. (Use the paperto present an argument. For example, if you are writing on the Vietnam War, youmay choose to argue that we could have won the war if… IMPORTANT to notethat research may be necessary to determine the point you wish to argue. I willrequire a topic statement to be turned in several weeks before the paper is due.You will want to begin research before turning in the topic statement.)
____7. Paper is original, interesting, and thought provoking. (If you do #6 and #7
you should get full credit on this.)
____8. Facts in the paper are accurate and complete and appropriate to the topic.
(Choose a number of good sources and actually use all of the sources. Remember
That anyone can post ideas on the internet. See me if you have trouble deciding
whether a source is a good source is any good. Remember as well that Wikipedia
is excellent for getting ideas, but is not considered a valid source for an academic
paper.)
What I can do that will ensure a poor grade on this paper.
____1. 6 or more spelling and grammar errors per page.
____2. No organization to the paper, such as a paper that is merely a list of facts.
____3. Paper excessively short, not typed, or lacking in all of the guidelines.
____4. No Works Cited page.
____5. Material lifted straight from sources or other forms of plagiarism.
If any one of these describes your paper, the best possible grade you can earn is an 88%, and that would require everything else to be perfect. Any two almost certainly will lead to failing this assignment. Any of these may also make your paper unacceptable, requiring a new paper for partial credit.