ENGL 5583: RESEARCH PAPER on TEXTS & CONTEXTS Student: ____________________________

MANUSCRIPT FORM S T

1. Is the entire essay double-spaced, left-justified (NOT right-justified), and printed in

Times New Roman 12, with one-inch margins on all four sides? __

2. Does a four-line heading (your name, instructor=s name, course number, and date)

appear in correct form in the upper left of the first page of the sentence outline? __

3. Does your last name followed by a space and the page number appear as a Aheader@

in the upper right of each page? (First page of outline: i First page of paper: 1) __

4. Is the title of your essay a fragment rather than a complete sentence, and is it correctly

capitalized, punctuated, and centered at the top of the first page of the essay, with no extra

spaces before or after it (double-spacing only)? __

CONTENT

5. Does your paper explain how the texts in your casebook inform, enrich, and/or change

your understanding of the play? __

6. Is the paper clear and understandable for its audience (classmates and instructor)? __

7. Is the paper logical and convincing for its audience (classmates and instructor)? __

8. Does the paper demonstrate your understanding of the play, integrating frequent

references to it? __

9. Does the paper demonstrate your understanding of a wide range of texts from the

casebook? __

ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT

10. Does the sentence outline

a. appear in front of the essay? __

b. include the title, research question (critical controversy), thesis, and main topic

sentences of the body, all in complete sentences (except title)? (Subpoints are optional.) __

c. correspond to the content and organization of the finished paper? __

11. Does the title clearly reveal the specific topic of the essay, including

a. the title of the play? __ __

b. key words from the research question and/or thesis? __

12. Does the introduction

a. catch the audience's interest in the paper? __

b. briefly explain necessary background information? __

c. avoid beginning too far away from the specific topic of the paper? __

d. smoothly lead into the thesis? __

e. avoid excessive length, not exceeding one page (at the very most)? __

13. Does the thesis

a. appear as the last sentence in the introductory paragraph? __

b. clearly and concisely state how the texts in the casebook inform, enrich, and/or change

your understanding of the play? __

c. match what the body of the paper actually supports? __

d. [optional:] concisely list (in parallel structure and in the same order as in the body)

the main points covered in the body? __

14. Do the body paragraphs avoid illogical overlapping? __ __

15. Are the body paragraphs arranged in the most effective order, usually putting the most

important or convincing point last?

16. Does each body paragraph have a topic sentence that

a. appears at the beginning of the paragraph or is easily recognizable? __ __

b. clearly supports your thesis?

c. covers the content of the entire paragraph? __

17. Does each body paragraph

a. fully develop its topic sentence? __

b. provide plenty of specific evidence from the play and/or from the texts in the casebook

rather than mere generalizations? __

c. avoid excessive length, usually not exceeding one page? __

18. Within each body paragraph, is it always clear how your discussion directly relates

to the thesis? __

19. Does the body as a whole contain sufficient evidence to support the thesis

a. from the play itself? __

b. from the texts in the casebook? __ __

20. Do you effectively use transitions

a. at the beginning (rather than the end) of body paragraphs? __

b. as needed within paragraphs? __

21. Does the concluding paragraph

a. begin by restating the thesis (in different words)? __

b. answer the question "So what?" __

c. give the essay a completed sound? __

22. Is the essay (excluding outline and Works Cited) no shorter than 5 full pages and

no longer than 8 pages? __ __

RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION

23. Have you avoided plagiarism by providing parenthetical documentation for

every quotation from the play and every reference to a secondary source's words

or ideas (except for common knowledge)? __

24. Are the parenthetical documentation and punctuation after it in correct form? __

25. Are the page numbers inside parenthetical documentation exactly accurate? __

26. Have you avoided plagiarism by placing in quotation marks all direct quotations

of phrases or sentences from the play and from other sources? __ __

27. Rather than quoting excessively, have you put ideas from sources in your own

words whenever possible? __

28. Have you avoided plagiarism by putting paraphrases and summaries completely

in your own words? __

29. Have you understood and accurately represented the ideas of your sources? __

30. Do you avoid long quotations but, if you do quote 4 or more lines of poetry or 5 or

more typed lines of prose, use proper MLA form to indent? __ __

31. If you quote 2 or 3 consecutive lines of poetry, do you use a slash mark (preceded and

followed by one space) to show where 1 line ends and the next begins? __ __

32. Are all quotations exactly accurate, including capitalization and ellipsis marks?

33. Do you correctly and smoothly introduce every quotation? __

34. Do you make clear where your use of each summarized or paraphrased source

begins by introducing it if necessary? __

35. Do you avoid relying too much on one source at a time, smoothly integrating

references to various sources? __

36. Does the Works Cited page

a. alphabetically list all sources documented in the body (and only those)? __

b. list at least 7 primary sources from the casebook (preferably more) plus the play itself? __

c. list reputable academic sources rather than sources of questionable credibility (if

you use sources from outside your casebook)? __

d. use correct MLA form for each entry? __

STYLE

37. Have you read your entire essay aloud to revise sentence by sentence? __

38. Have you edited the essay to achieve variety in sentence length and structure? __

39. Have you edited your essay to eliminate awkward, unclear sentences and to ensure

effective word choice? __

40. Have you edited your essay to eliminate wordiness? __

41. Have you edited your essay to substitute active-voice verbs for passive-voice verbs?

GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS

42. Have you proofread to eliminate serious errors: sentence fragments, comma

splices, run-on sentences, agreement errors, and verb errors? __

43. Have you proofread to correct details of spelling, grammar, and punctuation? __

44. Have you used spell-check on the final document? __

45. Do you avoid illogical shifts in

a. verb tenses, consistently using present tense when you refer in your own words to the

play and to the opinions of your sources? __

b. person and number of pronouns, avoiding you?

46. Have you proofread the hard copy of the final document to eliminate all obvious

errors? __