Research Report Criteria and Guidelines

You must use the formal report format illustrated on pages 439-452 of your textbook. Paragraphs must be single-spaced, with double-spacing between paragraphs, between bullet points, and between headings or subheadings and text.

The body of your report must be no less than eight and no more than ten pages.

You must use a minimum of six credible sources, at least two of which must be scholarly articles. The websites of the two companies you are comparing will count as no more than two sources, even though you may use and cite information from different areas of the websites. In other words, you cannot cite two different articles or pages from the website of one of your companies and count the two citations as two of your required sources—you must cite the two articles or pages separately, but the company website as a whole will count as one source.

You must cite your references within your report and in your “Works Cited” in MLA style. You will find a link under Research Report in your course menu that will take you to the Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style Guide. Use this guide if you have questions about how to cite a particular source.

A dictionary, encyclopedia, or your textbook must be included in “Works Cited” if quoted from, but none of these will count as a source.

You must include the following parts:

o Title Page o Table of Contents o List of Illustrations o Executive Summary o Body (divided into sections)

 Introduction (including purpose, scope, assumptions, and limitations)  Main Headings  Conclusions and Recommendation

o Works Cited

You must type your research report using a serif typeface, such as Times New Roman or Georgia. Font size must not exceed 12 for normal text or 14 for headings. Margins must be one inch on every side.

Tables, charts, images, or other visuals must be appropriately sized and relevant—not included simply to take up space.

Your report will be submitted through a Turnitin assignment link. If your originality report shows more than 20% similarity, only extreme scrutiny will prevent a serious grade reduction. An originality report showing more than 25% similarity will result in an automatic grade of zero and may result in other disciplinary action. You may make multiple submissions to the Turnitin assignment link through the due date, but be aware that it may take 24 hours or more before you receive an originality report on re-submissions. No late reports will be accepted.

Completion of the research report is required for course credit; failure to submit a research report will result in a grade of F for the course.

https://bb.uwa.edu/webapps/rubric/do/course/manageRubrics?dispatch=view&context=course&rubricId=_5025_1&course_id=_22064_1 1/2

Name

Description

Rubric Detail

Formal Research Report

Levels of Achievement

Criteria Exemplary

Competent

Marginal Needs

Improvement

CONTENT (0-75 points): Sufficient original content; quotation is not excessive;

68 to 75 points

60 to 67 points

53 to 59 points

0 to 52 points

repetition is kept to a minimum; all content is related to topic; examples and evidence support or expand on main points; executive summary summarizes the recommendation of the report and the reasons; introduction contains statement of purpose and scope, limitations, assumptions, and definitions of any technical terms; body presents background, analyses and arguments, conclusions, and recommendation; all visuals clearly add to understanding of content

ORGANIZATION AND STYLE (0-50 points): Appropriate pattern of organization;

45 to 50 points

40 to 44 points

35 to 39 points

0 to 34 points

logical flow of ideas; formal writing style, without contractions or slang; clear, easy-to-read writing which is engaging; precise and effective word choices; good transitions, topic sentences, and headings; well-developed paragraphs; appropriate introductions of all visuals

RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION (0-50 points): Required number and

45 to 50 points

40 to 44 points

35 to 39 points

0 to 34 points

type of sources; all sources are credible; all sources are cited internally in report; all sources are cited on works cited page; correct MLA citation is used for all documentation internally in report and works cited page

https://bb.uwa.edu/webapps/rubric/do/course/manageRubrics?dispatch=view&context=course&rubricId=_5025_1&course_id=_22064_1 2/2

Levels of Achievement

Criteria Exemplary Competent Marginal Needs Improvement

FORMAT (0-25 points): Contains all required components (title page, table of contents, executive summary, body, and works cited page; meets all requirements for headings, margins, spacing, typeface, and font size; all visuals are appropriately sized

GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS (0-50): Uses correct and appropriate grammar that helps reader understand meaning; uses correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization

45 to 50 points

40 to 44 points

35 to 39 points

0 to 34 points

View Associated Items

Print

22 to 25 points

18 to 21 points

14 to 17 points

0 to 13 points

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