Rev. 05-2018
RITERIA FOR
VALUATING AN
RGUMENT
ASED
ESEARCH
APER
SCC Department of English and Humanities
The Little Seagull Handbook (TLSH), 3
rd
Section Number:
EXPRESSION AND COMMUNICATION OF IDEAS (50%)
Introduction (5 points): W-4d (pp. 28-29),and W-7b (p. 45) Focus the reader’s attention on the subject of the
research paper in a thorough paragraph of thought-provoking sentences leading effectively into the thesis
statement.
Thesis/Claim (5 points): W-7 (pp. 43 - 48) Make your thesis/claim argumentative, clear, and specific.
Development (20 points): W-4 (pp. 17-29), and W-7b (pp. 45 – 47) Thoroughly and logically, support the
thesis/claim in a series of vivid, interesting paragraphs, fully developed with facts, examples, reasons, na
description, comparison, cause and effect, process analysis, or other methods appropriate to argument-based
Expression (5 points): S-1 –S-9 (pp. 314 – 350), L1 – L9 (pp. 351 – 378) Use precise language, varied
sentence beginnings, and varied sentence.
Unity (5 points): W-4c (pp. 25 – 28) Make each sentence in a paragraph adhere to the main idea of the
paragraph; make each paragraph adhere to the main idea of the research paper.
Organization and Coherence (5 points): W-3c – W-4c (pp. 11 – 29) Arrange ideas in a logical order; use
transitions and other cohesive devices to link ideas effectively within and between paragraphs.
Conclusion (5 points): W-4e (pp. 28 – 29) Logically complete the development of the thesis.
Creativity: Up to 5 extra points may be awarded for creative expression.
RESEARCH, DOCUMENTATION, AND FORMAT (50%)
MLA Outline (5 points):: W-3c (pp. 11 – 12) or APA Abstract (5 points): W-15 (pp. 79-82), APA-d (pp. 201-205)
Research (10 points): R-1 (pp.102 -105) Research your subject thoroughly, and balance your use of sources.
Citations (10 points): R-4 (pp. 107 – 118) Effectively introduce and cite your sources.
Quotations and Paraphrase (10 points): R-4b - R-4c (pp. 108 – 112) Effectively quote and paraphrase from your
sources.
Blending Sources (5 points): R-3 (pp. 105– 106) Effectively blend a variety of sources within your paragraphs.
Works Cited Page (5 points): MLA-c (pp. 129- 158) or Reference Page (5 points): APA-c (pp. 179 – 199)
Format (5 points): MLA (pp. 158 -169) and APA (pp.200 -207) Follow your instructor's guidelines for the format of
your paper.
EFFECTIVELY WRITTEN SENTENCES (1/2 points deducted per error)
Major Errors: Fragments S-2 (pp. 317-320); Comma splices S-3 (pp. 320-321);
Fused sentences S-3 (pp. 320-321)
Sentence Structure: Subordination & Coordination S-8 (pp. 348-349); Parallelism S-7 (pp. 345-347);
Awkward sentences L-1 – L-10 (pp. 351-379)
Grammar and Usage: Inappropriate verb or pronoun use S-4 (p. 322) and S-6 (p. 339); Subject-verb or
pronoun-antecedent disagreement S-5 (p. 334) and S-6a (p. 339); Unclear pronoun reference S-6b (pp. 341-
342); Misplaced or dangling modifier L-7c (pp. 372-373); Inappropriate shift in person or tense S-9 (p. 349);
Redundancy L-6d (p. 369); Imprecise language L-2 (p. 353);
Spelling and Capitalization P-8 (pp. 409-411)
Punctuation: Apostrophe P-5 (pp. 399-402); Brackets P-6d (p. 405); Colon P-6a (pp. 403-404); Comma P-1
(pp. 386-392); Dash P-6b (p. 404); Ellipsis P-6e (pp. 405-406); Hyphen P-7 (p. 407); Parentheses P-6c (p.
405); Period P-3a (p. 394); Question mark P-3b (p. 394); Quotation marks P-4 (pp. 395-399); Semicolon P-2
(pp. 392-393); Slash P-6f (p. 406); Italics P-9 (pp. 411-413)
RESEARCH PAPER GRADE: A=100-93; B=92-85; C=84-77; D=76-70; F=69-0
