The Briarcrest Senior Research Paper -

The Briarcrest Senior Research Paper --- English 4204

Preparation for the research paper begins in the first quarter, and the complete paper is due in November, which is in the second quarter. Assignments pertaining to research and to writing the research paper will count as either homework, classwork, quiz, or test depending on the individual assignment. Additionally, the final paper will be entered as two test grades. It is imperative for each student to complete each assignment on time as required by the instructor, who will thoroughly cover those instructions and requirements. Each student should read the following material concerning the research project. Please ask questions and request individual help as you need it.

All assignments are expected to be turned in ON THE DUE DATE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INSTRUCTOR HAS THE RIGHT TO ADJUST THE DATES IF CONFLICTS ARISE IN SCHEDULING.

General Information

1. The students must complete the research paper in order to receive credit for English 4204. Any paper receiving a score of less than 65% must be re-written until it earns a 65% or better in order for the senior student to graduate in the spring. The original score remains in the gradebook.

1. All student research papers will become the property of Briarcrest Christian High School. The student may bring a copy to class when the papers are returned and make corrections. Also, the paper may be checked out to take home after grading, but it must be returned in order to receive a final grade.

1. Each student must submit his or her paper to Turnitin.com for the paper to be accepted. Briarcrest has subscribed to this website which detects plagiarism. Every research paper will be transmitted to this website and examined for previously written material which has not been appropriately cited. Plagiarized material in the research paper will result in the research paper grade being recorded as a failure (0 until the paper is re-written with the highest possible grade being 50%).

1. The student will research the topic from a general idea to a specific and intensive thesis statement. The thesis statement will be written in the final form as a declarative sentence (the process of creating a thesis statement will have a 3 (or more) point, parallel thesis statement. However, the final draft will not necessarily contain an explicit 3-point statement.)

1. The instructor reserves the right to give final approval on all research topics and thesis statements.

1. Students are expected to use the school library and electronic databases. Community libraries may also prove helpful. Literary sources in the Briarcrest library will be on overnight reserve during the quarter unless you are the only student researching a topic. Materials taken overnight must be returned before first period the following day. Many materials are available electronically, including Novels for Studentsarticles.

1. Please purchase a manila envelope. You will use the manila envelope to enclose the final draft of your research paper on the final due date. The paper and all associated work that is not electronic must be submitted in a new, neat 9x12 manila envelope at the beginning of the class period to be considered as an on-time submission. (Include your final draft, your graded rough draft, your initialed trouble-shooting checklist, and you signed plagiarism handout.)

1. At the time you hand in your paper, the outside of the envelope should specify the following information which should be written in the upper left hand corner of the envelope:

Your Name

Mrs. Demmons/ Eng. 4204

Date of Submission

Paper Topic

1. Research papers will be typewritten using Google Docs. The student is responsible for the paper that is handed in, and many hours of class time will be provided for the student to prepare his/her paper.

1. The student will use the MLA as the research manual and/or Easy Writer will be consulted for grammar usage. The OWL Purdue Writing Lab is also a reliable source of information. The student will adhere to specific typing and composition instructions as detailed, unless otherwise specified by the instructor (see #11).

1. All assignments should be typed and double-spaced including all rough drafts. Allassignments should contain the proper MLA heading and pagination where necessary. One inch margins are required throughout the paper (top and sides). The heading must be in the top left hand corner of the paper. Pagination should begin on page two. Times New Roman 12-point font is required for all papers.Italics will be used rather than underlining.

1. The research paper will be fully documented. Students are responsible for reviewing what constitutes plagiarism. Specific material concerning plagiarism will be discussed before beginning the paper. Plagiarized material in the research paper will result in the research paper grade being recorded as a failure (0 until the paper is re-written with the highest possible grade being 50%). The student will be responsible for accurately submitting the research paper materials appropriately designated by parenthetical citation, as well as the use of “according to [. . .]” (or other similar expressions) to differentiate and to make clear exactly what is the student’s own words and what is borrowed from the sources read in gathering research material. Paraphrasing and direct quotations will be properly documented.

1. The bibliography will be a cited bibliography (Works Cited), listing only the sources that you used in your paper (MLA guidelines). A minimum of SEVEN sourcesmust be included in the Works Cited. Those sources must be used in the paper (quoted or paraphrased with proper documentation given). Your primary source will be one of your seven sources. Use of the encyclopedia or dictionary is not encouraged. If an encyclopedia or dictionary is used, it will be in addition to the minimum seven sources. This includes encyclopedia information used from computer sources. The only electronic sources you may use must come from on-line databases containing previously published material. Even though a wealth of information is available via the Internet, these sources are not permitted because many are inaccurate. Briarcrest subscribes to the database, JSTOR, and also makes the Gale Electronic Library available from the library webpage. Within Gale, the Literature Resource Center is an excellent database for literary research.

1. Source cards and notecards will be completed virtually using Noodletools and shared to Mrs. Demmons’ Research Paper Inbox. Please follow the required format covered in class for taking notes and completing source cards. A minimum of 30 note cards is required.

1. The text of the paper will be a minimum of 7 full-typed pages (this means the paper must be continued by at least 1 word on page 8) and a maximum of 8 pages. If the widow/orphan is active in Google docs, add one line of text for each instance of a larger-than-one-inch bottom margin.

1. The paper must contain a minimum of 12 parenthetical citations. All quoted material, direct or indirect, must be properly introduced. No more than one quote, direct or indirect, in either the introduction or concluding paragraphs. Citations must be evenly balanced between direct quotes and paraphrases. You may include more than twelve citations, but remember that cited research material must be balanced with an equal proportion of original student writing.

1. Final turn in is one week after your rough draft is returned to you. Your paper must be turned in at the BEGINNING of your ENGLISH CLASS PERIOD. Failure to turn in your final paper on time will result in a 15% reduction per dayof your final grade. If you are sick, send your paper in by a friend or parent. It is imperative that you meet all of your deadlines, especially the final one!!

1. Please ask for help if you encounter problems. I am usually at school until 3:15, and I am usually free during activity period to help. I can also meet before school at 7:15; please make arrangements with me for this time. It is very hard to give one-on-one instruction during class time in a large class. If you have questions outside of school hours, you may contact me at [email protected].

English 4204 Research Paper Due Dates

Use class time wisely! Get ahead of your deadlines!

10-17/Tuesday by 3:00 PM- 7 Source Cards (Noodletools)

10-18/Wednesday Create preliminary thesis statement

10-24/Tuesday by 3:00 PM- 30 Notecards (Noodletools)

10-24/Tuesday beginning of class- Thesis Statement (Google Slide)

10-26/ Thursday beginning of class- Outline (Printed/Noodletools)

11-01/Wednesday beginning of class- First two pages of paper, correctly formatted

11-03/ Friday beginning of class - Pages 1-4 of paper, correctly formatted

11-06/Monday- BCS Teacher Work Day/ Student Holiday

11-08/Wednesday beginning of class- Rough Draft (pages 1-7) with works cited for peer editing

11-10/Thursday beginning of class- Rough draft due—test grade

The final copy of the research paper is due one week after your rough draft is returned.

Reminders about Plagiarism2011

The Latin word plagiarius(meaning “kidnapper”) gives us the root word for the term now used to indicate “the false assumption of authorship.” See MLA Handbook, Chapter 2.

GUIDELINES FOR UNDERSTANDING AND AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

• take notes carefully, being certain to indicate exact words in quotation marks
• if you write a CLOSE PARAPHRASE while taking notes, be certain to make a note to yourself to attribute the paraphrase to the original writer, even if it is in your own words
• use ellipses to indicate omissions in a direct quotation; and use square brackets to indicate a changed word or an explanation.
• use single quotes to indicate a quotation within a quotation
• keep your working Works Cited on the computer at all times; this way, you won’t have to go back and look up the details of the works you are citing (especially if you have returned the books to the library)

GUIDELINES FOR QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, AND/OR SUMMARIZING

• Quote only when you have a specific purpose for doing so. Memorable words should not be overlooked (Churchill’s “blood, sweat, and tears” wording would lose its impact if it were paraphrased as “bodily fluids”)
• Paraphrase when you want to convey the information in a passage, but prefer to represent the ideas in your own words. If the author’s words are unmemorable, or you don’t want to interrupt the flow of your paper with a direct quotation, paraphrase.
• Summarize when you want to present the main ideas of a text in your own words. A brief summary of key points of conflicting ideas allows you to introduce those ideas without making the ideas key points of your paper.

DOCUMENTATION IS NOT NEEDED FOR

• Familiar proverbs, well-known quotations, general common knowledge
• Thoughts that originate in your brain

YOUMUST DOCUMENT IF. . .

See section 2.8 of the MLA.

• If you take the material from anyone else, document it. EVEN IF YOU PUT IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS-THAT’s A PARAPHRASE, and it needs a citation.
• If there is any question, document it!!

SIGNATURES:

Writer of Paper: I have reviewed this material, asked my instructor if I had questions, and explained the consequences of plagiarism to my parent/guardian.

Student Signature:_______________________________________

Parent Signature:______________________________________

Evaluation Sheet -- English 4204 Research Paper _______________________

Name

_______________________

Research Topic

? *Envelope contents (5) ………………………………............... __________

? General Content of outline and paper (25) ………………….. __________

Excellent Good Average Fair Poor

25 23 20 12 7

Logical Clarity

Informative Mature Phrasing

Depth of Information Strong Supports

Style Content Correctness

? Correct use of grammar/mechanics in final drafts (25) …….. __________

8 pts per RS_________________________________________

8 pts per SF_________________________________________

1 pts per spelling error _________________________________

1 pts per punctuation, grammatical, or usage error___________

? Organization (15)…………………………………………… __________

Follows outline

Proper development of introduction paragraph and thesis idea

Topic sentences and supports for paragraphs

Quality of concluding paragraph

Transitions

? Synthesis (30)……………………………………………….. __________

Proper introduction and balanced use of quoted and paraphrased material (10)

* In-text citations-12 minimum (5)

Works Cited: MLA, alphabetical, only sources used in paper (10)

Good blend of sources

* MLA format, margins, pagination (5)

The presence of a (+) indicates strength in a particular area.

The presence of a (-) denotes weakness in a particular area.

TOTAL___________

5% deduction for each source short of 7

10% deduction for not meeting the required minimum page length (7)

15% per day deduction for late papers

* No partial credit.

4204 Research Paper

In order to ensure that each student and student’s family is informed of the research paper requirements and to encourage students to avoid common mistakes that result in major point deductions, please read and sign below.

Student name _____________________________________________________

Research paper book _______________________________________________

• A minimum of seven sources must be used in the final paper. A 5% deduction will be taken for each source short of seven. One of the sources used in the paper must be the book/play used as the basis for the paper.

• When a source is used in a paper, that is called “citing.” A parenthetical citation is included in the paper when source material is used/cited. The parenthetical citation refers the reader to the longer source citation on the Works Cited page. Material from sources must be cited when it is quoted AND when it is paraphrased (put in a student’s own words). The only writing that does not need to be cited is material originating from a student’s brain or information that is common knowledge.

• The paper’s length requirement is seven pages with one word on the eighth. A 10% deduction will be taken if the minimum length requirement is not met.

• The only sources to be listed on the Works Cited page are those actually used/cited in the paper, and every source used/cited in the paper must be listed on the Works Cited page.

• Only fictional characters “say” anything. In research writing when introducing a writer’s quotation, the writer may “note,” “assert,” comment,” explain,” etc., but a writer never “says” anything.

• When quoting a character, introduce the quote as originating from the character rather than the author, and use the author’s last name in the parenthetical citation. For example:

Nick Carraway, the story’s narrator, comments on Jay Gatsby’s talent “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 24).

• Academic research writing forbids the use of first or second-person pronouns, i.e., “I, me, my, mine, you, yours, we, us ours.” Contractions are also prohibited.

• Each fragment or run-on sentence present in the final paper will result in an 8% deduction.Carefully proofread the entire paper for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and other mechanical errors as 25% of the research paper grade derives from mechanics.

• Per Briarcrest rules, any paper receiving a score of less than 65% must be re-written until it earns a 65% or better in order for the senior student to graduate in the spring. The original score remains in the gradebook.

• Plagiarized material in the research paper will result in the research paper grade being recorded as a failure (0 until the paper is re-written with the highest possible grade being a 50%). See attached notes on plagiarism.

________________________________________ _________________________________________

Student Signature Parent Signature