Explain the role of reason within theology as it seeks to deepen its understanding of the mysteries of faith.
RESEARCH PAPER.
Research Paper Guidelines
When preparing and writing the research
papers, students must be attentive to the following basic requirements. It is
imperative that students read and follow these guidelines to ensure a good
grade.
1)
A research paper involves both
the gathering of information and developing a student’s own interpretation of
that information. The student must stay focused on his or her chosen topic and
rely upon his or her sources for information about that topic. While a
student’s own opinions about a topic are an important part of any research
process, the student must be able to support his or her conclusions by direct
reference to sources.
2)
The writing must be clear and
logical and as free of spelling and grammatical errors as possible. A student should never submit a paper without
rereading and proofing it. It may even be necessary to get someone to assist in
this process by having him or her read the paper and check for these mistakes.
The student should not fail to run spell-check on his or her writing.
Please remember
that easily correctable spelling and grammatical mistakes left uncorrected will
result in significant loss of points.
3)
This paper requires MLA
formatting that includes:
a. 12-point font
b. double-spaced sentences
c. title and personal identification
d. a separate works cited page properly formatted
e. specific bibliographical form for print and electronic sources in
your works cited
f. a specific form for parenthetical (in-text) citations of the sources
listed in your works cited
The student will
be graded on how well his or her style conforms to the above basic requirements
in MLA.
4)
The works cited must include no
less than foursources. Those
sources must be relevant to the topic and meet minimum academic qualifications.
The acceptable types of sources include the following:
a. class text
b. print or electronic book
c. electronic, peer-reviewed journal article
d. website with a .edu address
5)
Certain sources do not qualify for works cited. You will
be penalized if you use them. These are: a. Wikipedia
b. standard dictionary or encyclopedia (web or paper)
c. any website not .edu
The student
should remember that any source listed in your works cited that does not meet
the above criteria will not count towards the minimum number of required
sources.
6)
For every source listed in the
works cited, a student must have at least one corresponding parenthetical
(in-text) reference. This will demonstrate how a student has used the source.
The student
should remember that any source not accompanied by at least one parenthetical
reference (and any parenthetical reference not associated with a source in your
works cited) will not count towards the minimum number of required sources.
While research is vital, so is the proper
accounting for that research. All students must use MLA guidelines for the
papers. For a sample of a correctly formatted paper, please see the following:
Ø MLA Tutorial: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/
Ø MLA Sample Paper: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090701095636_747.pdf
25%
of the grade will be based on the proper formatting and citing.The paper can have great content and still not be an “A” paper if it
is not properly formatted and cited.
The following is the grading criteria
rubric for the Research Paper:
|
Format |
5% |
Ø |
Format includes the proper use of inline |
|
Acceptable Resources |
20% |
Ø |
Students will receive 5 points for every acceptable |
|
Ø |
Acceptable resources (Students must have all four to qualify for • • • • • • • Ø Website • site:edu) • Students will need to • • Ø Peer-reviewed article • Instructions • Ø Unacceptable resources • • • |
||
|
Content |
75% |
Ø |
Grading of content is based on the way |
|
Ø |
The best option is to summarize and recap the research material. |
||
|
Ø |
If students do use quotes, they must make |
||
|
Word Count: 1500-2000 Ø Word count does not |
Notes
for Sources:
•
As students seek out additional
resources via the Internet, a word of caution is in order. Many Internet sites
are not reliable sources of accurate information on our subject matter,
regardless of how they may be presented by their designers, and students need
to exercise great caution and prudence when selecting such resources. Students
should contact the instructor if they have any questions about such sources; it
is always better to check with the instructor first than to have problems
later!
•
One popular Internet site is,
of course, Wikipedia; under no circumstances should this site be used as a
source for any activity or project in this class. Wikipedia is not a reliable
source, because there is no serious quality control exercised over the material
presented on the site.
•
While it is encouraged to use
as many resources as possible, students must exercise rigorous critical
evaluation of their online sources. Simply being online does not make something
accurate, true, or current.
