Health Care Ethics Research Paper Rubric*
“A” paper will generally:
be 1200-1500 words long plus a bibliography in MLA or CMS format
use in-text citations or footnotes or endnotes in format chosen above
be free of information from websites [except for gov. or newsources]
have transition sentences, paragraphs, an opening and a conclusion
use at least 4 books/ articles as resources
be relatively free of grammatical and spellings errors
Every idea that you have that is not common knowledge [that you did not know before this class] must be cited. You must say where you got the idea or information from- both in the text AND in the works cited.
Use citations for direct quotes, indirect quotes, ideas, and background information. Include it in the works cited. [The only time you are not citing a source is when you are giving you opinion, summarizing/ analyzing or interpreting a quote, or using transition sentences.]
Do not put references in the works cited that are not in the text. The two must line up! It seems like double the work, but that is the standard of academic writing.
All citations that are in the works cited should appear in the text. [Author last name, page number.]
All citations that appear in the text should be in the works cited should [Author last name, title of article, journal or book, date, page number.]
Avoid website and web articles. Download the actual article from a database, or use a book.
1. Pick a topic.
You have already signed up for a week’s topic, now what aspect of that topic interests you? Is it a dimension like the laws, policies, or racial implications surrounding organ donation, or is it a sub-division of the topic like living donors, cadavers, donation from prisoners? You should be able to summarize your paper by saying “I am writing on organ donation [what you signed up for] and prisoners [the sub-division.]
2. Gather reading materials.
You can start at the syllabus. Between the course textbook and the other articles, you should be able to get the 4 sources you need to qualify for an “A.” You can also go to the library, search E-books, Google Scholar, Google Books, or Academia.edu.
3. Read the materials taking notes on what is relevant to your topic.
You will want quotes from the reading materials to support your main idea in the essay. You may choose to type quotes up as you go, or read everything, and then go back to what you highlighted, selecting what is the best for your paper. No quote should be more than 3 lines in a 4-5 page paper.
4. Outline your paper.
Essays should have an opening/ introduction where you tell the reader what ground you will cover in the essay [e.g. “In this essay I will discuss the organ donation and prisoners. First I will look at the need for organ donors, then I will look at the laws that do not allow prisoners to donate organs. I will conclude by suggesting that due to the shortage of organs prisoners should be allowed to donate organs.”] Essays then move to your main points [need for donors; laws; suggestion]. Essays conclude with a summary showing the reader what you have covered.
5. With the paper outlined, start writing using quotes to support your ideas.
You can do this either by grouping quotes by paper section and writing around them, or by starting with your own writing and adding quotes where you need a source to back you up.
6. Polish the essay.
Proof-read it. Run spell check. Use the “read aloud” function. Have a friend look the paper over. Download the MLA paper example from the Paper Assignment folder on blackboard and compare. Make sure you have met the standards of the grading rubric that I have posted. For an “A” the paper should be 4.5-5 pages long plus a bibliography in MLA or CMS format; use in-text citations or footnotes or endnotes in format chosen above; be free of information from websites [except for gov. or newsources]; have transition sentences,paragraphs, an opening and a conclusion; use at least 4 books/ articles as resources; be relatively free of grammatical and spellings errors.
Last Completed Projects
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