INDEPENDENT STUDY RESEARCH PAPER

100 - 90 points (Grade A+, A, to A-):

The report is organized around a critically considered, original and well-documented thesis, with an introductory paragraph, a well-developed middle, and an appropriate conclusion. The content of the report is accurate. Points raised are factually grounded, and conclusions are based on careful consideration of verifiable (empirical) examples.

The paper expands upon and applies larger thematic and methodological issues raised in class regarding the topic discussed. It displays skepticism (critical thinking) and originality in examining "the thinking behind the thinking" by raising important questions beyond relying on the content of sources consulted.

The paper has a cover-page, a table of contents, a body, a bibliography and an appendix; charts, tables and graphs are created using Excel or PowerPoint, and display original research. Useful illustrations may also be included. The paper is written in the APA style.

The body of the paper is between 26-30 pages long (excluding charts, graphs, tables, illustrations and references) in 12 point Times Roman font with 1" margins and with .5" headers and footers. Pages are numbered. There are no more than 5 grammar and/or spelling errors in the paper.

The paper includes a minimum of 25 pertinent sources referenced more than once in the body of the paper, with at least 15 recent (past 20 years) scholarly articles from peer-reviewed professional journals; other sources should be a mixture of sources such as books, newspaper articles, government documents, but no more than 3 appropriate web sites.

The paper is organized around a coherent and well-documented thesis, with a beginning, middle and an end. The content of the paper is mainly accurate and the topic selected addresses the assignment.

The paper may be somewhat limited or lacking in critical thinking and original ideas or observations. The paper makes reference to anthropological concepts and principles but fails to systematically incorporate them in its hypothesis or in the overall analysis.

The paper has a cover-page, a table of contents, a body, a bibliography and an appendix; charts, tables and graphs are labeled and footnoted as they might reprint existing data published elsewhere. Illustrations may or may not be included. The paper is written in APA style.

The body of the paper is around 22-25 pages long (excluding charts, tables, graphs, illustrations and references) in 12 point Times Roman font with 1" margins and .5" headers and footers. Pages are numbered. There are no more than 5 grammar and/or spelling errors in the paper.

The paper includes a minimum of 20 pertinent sources referenced more than once in the body of the paper, with at least 10 recent (past 20 years) scholarly articles from peer reviewed journals; other sources should be a mixture of sources such as books, newspaper articles, government documents, but no more than 3 appropriate web sites.

There is a generally presented thesis, which tends to be general in nature and is a largely a restatement of the ideas in the articles. Too much regurgitation of sources; not enough discussion of a thesis. The paper lacks coherency or is not well written; there is a poor selection of sources and not much use of specific examples.

The paper shows a general understanding of an issue, but is largely descriptive; summarizing sources, rather than being analytical. The paper relies heavily on opinions and generalizations. There is no depth of discussion or consideration of subtle issues and implications. Critical thinking and original ideas are largely lacking.

There may be problems with the content and accuracy of the paper. There is little use of specific facts, and conclusions may be largely unverified opinions.

The paper has a body and a bibliography; it may be missing a cover-page, a table of contents, or the appendix. Charts, tables or graphs are missing, as are quality illustrations. There are problems with the formatting of the paper according to APA style.

The body of the paper is between 18 and 21 pages long (excluding charts, tables, graphs, illustrations and references) in 12 point Times Roman font with 1" margins with .5" headers and footers. Pages are numbered. There are significant (more than 5) grammar and/or spelling errors in the paper.

The paper includes approximately 15 pertinent sources referenced more than once in the body of the paper, with fewer than 8 recent (past 20 years) scholarly articles from peer reviewed journals; other sources are a mixture of sources such as books, newspaper articles, government documents. There is an over-reliance on websites (more than 3 appropriate web sites) for the content of the paper.

The paper does not address the topic and is poorly written. It is poorly organization and lacks a coherent thesis. The beginning, middle or end may be missing. The paper demonstrates a lack of understanding and/or a lack of effort in exploring the topic.

The paper has a body and a bibliography. It may be missing a cover-page, a table of contents, or the appendix. Charts, tables or graphs are missing, as are useful illustrations. There are problems with the formatting of the paper according to APA style.

The body of the paper is about 15-17 pages long excluding charts, tables, graphs, illustrations and references. It uses 12 point Times Roman font with 1" margins with .5" headers and footers. Pages are numbered. There are a significant number (more than 7-8) grammar and/or spelling errors in the paper.

The paper includes approximately 10 pertinent sources referenced more than once in the body of the paper, with fewer than 6 recent (past 15 years) scholarly articles from peer-reviewed journals. There is an over-reliance on websites (more than 3 appropriate web sites) for the content of the paper.

The paper is devoid of organization and content. It is very poorly written. Little understanding or effort was put into this paper. It is missing sections such as a cover-page, a table of contents, and appendix. There are serious problems with the formatting of the paper according to APA style.

The body of the paper is less than 15 pages long (excluding charts, tables, graphs and illustrations) in 12 point Times Roman font with 1" margins with .5" headers and footers. There are very significant (more than 10) grammar and/or spelling errors in the paper.

The paper includes approximately 6 pertinent sources referenced more than once in the body of the paper, with fewer than 6 recent (past 15 years) scholarly articles from peer reviewed journals; other sources are a mixture of sources such as books, newspaper articles, government documents. There is an over-reliance on websites (more than 3 appropriate web sites) for the content of the paper.

The paper is devoid of content. There may be no bibliography, charts, tables, graphs, etc. The content relies heavily or exclusively on Internet sources for paper.

The body of the paper is less than 8 pages long with few sources. The sources may be largely Internet sites. It does not follow any formatting guidelines discussed in class. There are very significant (more than 10) grammar and/or spelling errors in the paper.

Or, the paper is either plagiarized or not submitted.