09 Nov Japan and its Foreign Policy
Research Paper Grading Criteria:
Thesis- Every essay must have a clear and specific argument, and this is it. It appears in the
paper expressed concisely and thoroughly in a sentence or two at the end of the
introductory paragraph. It also guides the whole essay: each paragraph contributes to it, and
the conclusion revisits it.
Development-Development is the way you take your main idea and run with it, and it occurs
primarily in the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should contribute a sub-argument to
the main argument which is your thesis.
Support- Support is crucial to a good paper. First of all, when you are making a point,
your reader won’t just take your word for it. It’s not so much that you have to prove what
you’re saying, as demonstrate it: if you can show in detail that what you think is
happening.
Citation – By this is meant simply giving credit where credit is due. It’s a crucial part of
showing that you care about your work. In research papers, correct citation is a tool to help you
differentiate between your ideas and the ideas of other scholars. All Citations are in Kate
Turbian Footnote Format, and the Annotated Bibliography Section correlates to these
ciatations.10
Citations can be found in the paper.
Organization- The Correct Format As I indicated through the handouts given this semester
has been used, Page numbers and Table of Contents are welcome additions to this format. The
organizational demands can help you stay focused, and take your ideas further than you would
if you didn’t strive to fit them into essay form. It is possible to be creative within these
constraints Style-This is your use of the English language. Just because essays are formal and
thoroughly structured doesn’t mean they must sound rigid, and can’t sound beautiful. Many
students understandably figure there is some kind of "essay language" they should write in, but
there isn’t. Clarity is the most important thing in essay writing.
Grammar and Mechanics- This involves following grammar and essay conventions
correctly. It’s often thought that such fiddly things aren’t important. It’s true that they aren’t as
important as having a good main idea–you won’t get a bad grade for bad grammar alone–but
paying attention to these details is important to expressing yourself precisely and clearly, and it
shows you care about doing good, presentable work.
Originality, creativity and insight – This is what separates the sheep from the goats among
essays. A not-so-good essay is predictable and cliché, while a good essay shows that its writer
became genuinely interested and thoughtful about the material. It may sound demanding to
have to invent an original interpretation of texts many scholars have already studied, but in
fact it is quite possible to be original, simply by being honest with yourself and paying
attention. No two people are alike; therefore, no two readers or writers are alike. Even if you
have the same general idea as someone else, you won’t express or analyze it in the same way,
because you think differently.
