Basic Checklist for Senior Seminar Research Papers, Spring 2010 (Single paper option)

This is a basic checklist that will help you to avoid costly and careless mistakes in writing your paper.  Meeting all of the requirements on this list will not, by itself, insure that you have written an excellent paper, but it will help you to write a better one. 

_____ My paper meets the minimum length requirement of 4,500 words, not counting bibliography, title page, appendices, notes, or anything other than the main text. Papers that fall short will be seriously downgraded or failed. There is no penalty for exceeding the word count - it is encouraged, in fact - but don’t pad your paper.

_____ My bibliography contains several recent, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles, as well as primary source material.

____ My bibliography has no more than one internet source listed, and that internet source is a scholarly source.

____ My paper is double-spaced, with 10 to 12 point font, and approximately 1” page margins.

____ My paper, including all citations, is formatted according to a standard and recognized style, such as MLA, Turabian, APA, Chicago Manual of Style, and that style is consistent throughout.

____ I have double-checked my diction, grammar, sentence structure, and writing style, using some authoritative source such as Strunk and White, The Elements of Style.

____ I have stayed on topic throughout my paper, and I have fully addressed the topic as it was set forth at the beginning of my paper, in my thesis statement. (Make sure, of course, that you have a clear thesis statement).

_____ My topic is either one from the list of approved topics handed out previously in the course, or one that was submitted to and approved by Dr. Mundale. Note: the deadline for submitting an off-list paper topic for approval is Tuesday, February 16^th. If you fail to write on an approved topic, you will not receive credit for your paper.

____ I have set forth clear lines of argument (or evidence) for all the conclusions (or claims) I address in my paper; where appropriate to my overall purpose, I have also considered arguments or evidence against them. For any substantive assertions that _I_ have made, I have properly supported them.

____ I have double-checked the overall organization of my paper to make sure that its sequence makes sense and that subtopics are properly grouped.

____  I have properly cited the sources of all material used, quoted or paraphrased, and have not committed plagiarism, nor have I allowed any other person to write any portion of my paper for me.

____ I have avoided common fallacies and reasoning pitfalls, such as ad hominem, straw man, appeal to emotion, circular reasoning, etc.

_____ You are required to submit an outline with bibliography on or before Tuesday, March 2nd, and a rough draft on or before Tuesday, March 30^th. Failure to turn in either will result in a deduction of 1/3^rd letter grade on your final paper (2/3rds if you fail to turn in both).

______  You must submit your final paper in both hardcopy and on disk on or before Tuesday, April 27^th (this is the final exam meeting time, 7-9:50). Note: E-mail and nonstandard CD sizes are not acceptable, and the electronic format on the disk must be one of the following: MSWord (doc or docx), WordPerfect, or text (MSWorks not acceptable).  Failure to follow these submission requirements (e.g., no disk, or no hardcopy, or unacceptable format) may result in the loss of 1/3^rd letter grade.

______ Late papers will be downgraded 1/3^rd letter grade per calendar day. For example, if your paper received a B+, but was turned in 1 day late, your paper would be downgraded to a B; 2 days late, a B-, 3 days late, a C+, and so on. I will not accept papers turned in after Friday, April 30^th.