Use this checklist to ensure that you have included all the necessary elements in your Final Research Paper.
Have you read the Final Research Paper guidelines yet? Start there.
Have you presented your essay using MLA format? See the MLA Document page for guidelines.
Do you have a title that grabs the reader’s attention and suggests the focus of the essay? Consider using a title that first hooks the reader and then includes an academic subtitle that clarifies your subject (e.g., “California DREAMin’: The Death of Educational Access for Undocumented Students in the Golden State” or “I Have a DREAM Act: Defending Educational Opportunities for Undocumented Students”).
Do you have a hook that grabs your reader’s attention? Remember: your first job is to grab the reader’s attention! See the UNC Writing Center handout on Introductions (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Have you included relevant background information in your introduction? Is there any introductory information (e.g. definitions or historical context) that your reader needs to know in order to understand your thesis statement?
Have you defined your terms effectively?
Do you have a clear, focused thesis? Include a clear thesis statement. Boldface it (worth five points). For advice on writing thesis statements, see the UNC Writing Center handout on Thesis Statements (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Do you have well-developed paragraphs with clear topic sentences, detailed support, and developed explanations that link your support back to your thesis? See the UNC Writing Center handout on Paragraphs (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (especially the “5-Step Process to Paragraph Development”). Underline your topic sentences (worth five points).
Is your factual evidence contemporary, sufficient, relevant, and representative? See the UNC Writing Center handout on Evidence (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and PSM 27 Evaluating Sources.
Have you used quotations to back up and illustrate your ideas? Dedicate about 15-20% of your essay to quotations. See PSM Section 31 Integrating Sources.
Do you include expert opinion? Are these experts qualified to make this statement? Are these experts biased? Have you honestly presented these experts in terms of their credibility and/or bias? Have you accounted for experts who disagree?
Have you made appeals to the needs, values, and beliefs of your audience (Pathos)? See Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Have you carefully chosen your language to persuade your reader? Will your word choice affect your audience s
uch that readers will be more likely to agree with you? Or will any of your word choice unnecessarily offend or alienate audience members who might otherwise be potential allies?
Have you used refutation in your essay? Have you summarized the opposition’s arguments and objections to your position? Have you (partially) conceded and/or refuted opposing positions where relevant? See the Purdue OWL site (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., the UNC Writing Center handout on Argument (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (see “Counterargument”) and the Refutation handout.
Have you attempted to build common ground with readers who might disagree with you?
Have you included effective transitions between your paragraphs to ensure that your essay is unified and cohesive? See the UNC Writing Center handout on Transitions (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. or and the They Say I Say templates.
Have you effectively synthesized (combined) and summed up your argument? Have you used appeals to call your reader to action? Have you suggested the first or next logical step towards accomplishing your goal? Have you painted a picture of what the world might look like if your solution were implemented? Have you considered using a framing device (remember the Forrest Gump example that uses a repeating image/symbol/idea/quote/narrative to weave the parts of your essay together). Have you appealed to your reader to acknowledge what is at stake with this issue? Note: you shouldn’t necessarily use all of these strategies, but think about using one or more if relevant. See the UNC Writing Center Handout on Conclusions (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site and Chapter 27 of Seeing the Elephant.
Have you avoided plagiarism and used signal phrases to introduce your sources and establish credibility? See the UNC Writing Center handout on Quotations (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., PSM 30 Avoiding Plagiarism, and PSM 31 Integrating Sources.
Have you used MLA format (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. to cite your sources, using signal phrases, parenthetical citations, and a Works Cited page? See the MLA Format: How + Why We Cite Sources page.
If you want to earn a C, your essay should include a minimum of eight outside sources. If you want to earn a B, you should use roughly 10-12 sources. If you want an A, you should use between 12-16+ sources. Use the MLA Format: How & Why We Cite Sources page to help you cite your sources properly.
I will not evaluate Final Research Papers that do not include a Works Cited page.