ENGL 5613/AMST 5853: American
Drama Research Paper Student:
____________________________
MANUSCRIPT FORM Student Teacher
1. Is the
entire paper 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 first and last name, instructor=s title and last name,
course prefix and number, and date) appear in correct MLA form in the upper left of the
first page? __
3. Does your last name followed by a space and the page number appear as a “header”
in the upper right of each page? __
4. Is the title of your paper a fragment
rather than a complete sentence, and is it correctly
capitalized, punctuated, and centered at the top of the first page of the paper, with no extra
spaces before or after it (double-spacing only)? __
CONTENT
5. Does the paper
develop a thesis on an approved topic related to one of the assigned
plays?
__
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 provide insight into and
make frequent references to the play? __
9. Does the body of the paper as a whole
contain sufficient evidence to support the thesis
a. from the play itself (the primary source)? __
b. from research material (secondary
sources)? __ __
ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT
10. Does the title of the paper clearly reveal the content of the paper, including
a. the title of the play? __ __
b. key words or concepts from the thesis? __
11. 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)? __
12. Does the thesis
a. appear as the last sentence in the introductory paragraph? __
b. clearly and
concisely state the one central idea that the body of the paper actually
supports? __
c. [optional:] concisely list (in parallel structure, all in one sentence, and in the same order
as in the body) the main points covered in the body? __
13. Do the body
paragraphs avoid illogical overlapping? __ __
14. Are the body paragraphs arranged in the most
effective order, usually putting the most
important or convincing point (and NOT a weak point) last?
15. Does each body
paragraph have a topic sentence that
a. appears at the beginning of the paragraph
or is easily recognizable? __ __
b. clearly supports the thesis?
c. covers the content of the entire paragraph? __
16. Does each body paragraph
a. fully develop
its topic sentence? __
b. integrate references to the play itself and to one or more research sources? __ __
c. provide plenty of specific evidence to support generalizations? __
d. explicitly make clear how it directly relates to the thesis? __ __
e. avoid excessive length, usually not exceeding one page? __
17. Do you effectively use transitions
a. at the beginning (rather than the end) of body paragraphs? __
b. as needed within paragraphs? __
18. Does the concluding paragraph
a. begin by restating the thesis (in different words)? __
b. answer the question "So what?" __
c. give the paper a completed sound? __
19. Is the paper (excluding the Works Cited)
no shorter than five (5) full pages and no
longer than eight (8) pages? __ __
RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION
20. Have you listened to the instructor’s 1.5-hour Research Paper Workshop at
www.geektreasure.com? (Report date and time: _____________________) __ __
21. Have you avoided
plagiarism by
a. providing parenthetical
documentation for every quotation from the play and every
reference to a secondary source’s words or ideas (except for common knowledge)? __
b. placing in quotation
marks all direct quotations of phrases or sentences from the play
and from secondary
sources? __ __
c. stating paraphrases and summaries
completely in your own words? __
22. Are the parenthetical documentation
and punctuation after it in correct MLA form? __
23. Are the page numbers inside parenthetical documentation exactly accurate? __
(Most page numbers from computer sources are
printer-dependent and therefore can’t be
cited.)
24. Rather than
quoting excessively, do you put ideas from sources in your own words
whenever possible,
using direct quotations only when they are most effective? __
25. Have you understood and accurately represented the ideas of your sources? __
26. Do you avoid long quotations but use proper MLA form to indent a rare quotation that
is five (5) or more typed lines in length? __ __
27. Are all quotations exactly accurate,
including in capitalization and ellipsis marks?
28. Do all changes you have made within
quotations appear inside square brackets (not
parentheses)? __ __
29. Do you correctly
and smoothly introduce every quotation? __
30. Do you make
clear where your use of each summarized or paraphrased source
begins by introducing it if necessary? __
31. Do you avoid relying too much on one source at a time, smoothly integrating
references to various sources within your paragraphs? __
32. Does the Works
Cited page
a. alphabetically
list all sources documented in the body (and only those)? __
b. list at least five
(5) reputable secondary sources (preferably more) plus the play itself? __
(Do NOT count
textbook introductions, dictionaries, other basic reference sources, or
sources of
questionable reputability toward the minimum five (5) secondary sources
required.)
c. list reputable academic sources rather than sources of questionable credibility? __
d. use correct MLA form for each entry? __
EDITING AND PROOFREADING
33. Have you read your entire paper aloud
to revise sentence by sentence? (Report date
and time: _____________________) __
34. Have you edited the paper to achieve variety in sentence length and structure? __
35. Have you edited your paper to eliminate awkward,
unclear sentences and to ensure
effective word choice? __
36. Have you edited your paper to eliminate wordiness? __
37. Have you edited your paper to substitute active-voice verbs for passive-voice verbs? __
38. Have you
proofread to eliminate serious mechanical errors: sentence fragments,
comma
splices, run-on sentences, agreement errors, and verb errors? __
39. Have you proofread to correct details of spelling,
grammar, and punctuation? __
40. Have you used spell-check
on the latest version of the document? __
41. Do you avoid illogical shifts in verb tenses,
a. consistently using present tense when you refer in your own words to the play, its plot,
its characters, your sources, and their opinions? __
b. consistently using past tense when you refer to historical events outside the play? __ __
42. When you are using your own words, do you avoid illogical shifts in pronouns,
a. not mixing pronouns of different persons and numbers (for example, first-person plural
“we” and third-person singular “the reader”)? __ __
b. avoiding second-person “you”? __
43. Have you proofread
the hard copy of the latest version of the document to eliminate
all obvious errors? __