Rough Draft​ Sophomore Research Paper Rubric

Name: ______________________________________

Your research paper will be graded on the following:.

A. Outline & Works Cited

B. In text Citations
C. Content

Each category has its own rubric. ​Your rough draft grade will be
the average of the three categories.​ It will reflect in the grade
book as ​one grade: Rough Draft.​ For the final draft, ​each category will have its own grade in the
Grammar & Composition gradebook counted twice. The paper should be 2-3 pages.

A. Outline & Works Cited

Outline:
1. Thesis Statement and Outline are the first page of the paper with header. _____/10

2. Capitalization and Spelling _____/10

3. Correct Format _____/10

4. Parallel structure of subtopics _____/10

Works Cited:

5. Reverse Indentation _____/10

6. Punctuation _____/10

7. Capitalization and Spelling _____/20

8. Complete information _____/10

9. Double Spaced _____/10

Total: _______
B. In text Citations

1. Meets minimum requirement of of 1 citation per source (5 total) _____/20

***All sources on Works Cited should have a citation.

2. Adequate Citation _____/20

3. Periods in correct place _____/20

4. Quotation marks in correct place _____/20

5. Complete Information within citation. _____/20

Total: _______
C. Content
1. Introduction _____/10

2. Conclusion _____/10

3. Adequate Development/coherence (makes sense) _____/10

4. Format: (spacing, font, margins, headers) _____/10

5. Punctuation/spelling _____/10

6. ​Grammar/sentence structure ​_____/25

7. The student uses the 5 required sources effectively. _____/10

8. Student highlights the following: Thesis, each in text citation, restatement _____/5
of thesis in conclusion.

9. ​Maintains an academic tone avoiding any personal opinions on the topic and ______/10
maintains third point of view.

Total:_____________/100
Grade Explanation:
Name: ______________________________

A. Outline & Works Cited _____________/100

B. In text Citations _____________/100

C. Content _____________/100

Average of Categories: _________________

Research Paper Order

Page 1:​ Outline with Thesis statement at the top. DA heading in left corner. Right aligned header
with last name and page number. Right aligned header with last name and page number should
be on every page. ​ DA Heading should be on page one only.

Page 2: Title the paper with right aligned header with last name and page number​. No DA
heading on page 2. Begin the content of your paper on page 2.

Final Page: ​The ​last page of the paper is your Works Cited.​ There should be no DA heading,
but you should have your right aligned header with last name and page number.

Go to the class website to see Student Fulkerson Example.

General Rough Draft Observations and Advice

1. Lack of in text citations.​ ​Lack of citations within paragraphs could be seen as

plagarazing and will result in a 0​. Be sure to give credit to the original source of your
information.
2. Do not start or end a paragraph with direct evidence/a quote/a citation.​ ​All body
paragraphs should have a topic sentence, evidence/support/ and a concluding/transitional
sentence.
3. Do not include evidence in the introduction or conclusion.​ ​ The introduction is to
introduce the topic.
4. When writing body paragraphs and discussing parts of the case, avoid merely listing
info and facts.​ ​ Many papers read as if students merely retyped note cards as body
paragraphs.
5. Write in chronological order of the events. ​Because all of the cases revolve around
historical events, it gets confusing as a reader when writers jump from past to present then
back to events that happened before the trial. Additionally, some papers have no dates
which is very confusing when discussing the history of Supreme Court Case. At minimum,
you should include the year of events.
6. Avoid Question/Answer Writing Patterns​.​ In some papers, paragraphs don’t read as
part of a whole paper, but instead read as if a short answer response to a question. For
example, Who was Thurgood Marshall? What was the 14th Amendment? Your
paragraphs should flow/connect together.