Graveyard Day by Bobbie Ann Mason

English 102-18 Spring 2015 Prof. Davis

Assignments for Working and Final Drafts of the Research Paper

Outline/Working Draft (worth 20 quiz points) Due date: Tuesday, March 31

On March 31, you will submit a typed outline and full working draft in which you present your research

to date. The outline should indicate the material you plan to cover in the paper as well as the pattern of

organization (see model topic outline in Handbook Chapter 3c). For the working draft, follow MLA style

in documenting sources within the text (see Handbook Chapter 23). All working drafts must include

a complete list of works cited as the last page of the draft. This is not an optional exercise; in order to

receive credit for having completed a research paper for this course, you must submit a working draft.

The outline and draft must be typed and double-spaced.

Submit the outline/working draft in the same envelope used for the working bibliography/sample

paraphrases. I will accept outlines/working drafts only from those students who have previously

submitted and received credit for the working bibliography/sample paraphrases assignment.

Final Draft (300 points of final grade) Due date: Tuesday, April 14

The final draft of the research paper must be typed and must follow MLA style in documenting sources

(see the model paper in Handbook Chapter 23f/BIL Chapter 57); no outline is required. Follow the

model of a title page in Handbook page 397. Use 1-inch margins for the top, bottom, and sides; use 12

pt., Times New Roman font. Remember that the final draft must be 7-10 double-spaced pages (including

the works cited page) and must cite at least 5 secondary sources. These sources must have academic

credibility. Direct quotations may comprise no more than 25% of the final draft. Submit xerox copies

or printouts of all source material (except for the primary source) that you have quoted or paraphrased in

the paper (only the pages that are cited); make sure the author and page number are clearly listed on all

xeroxes/printouts. Resubmit the working draft (the same copy of the one previously submitted, including

all instructor responses) along with the final draft. Submit both drafts in the same envelope used for

previous research paper assignments.

The final draft will be evaluated according to the following criteria: clarity and significance of thesis,

quality of source material, appropriateness of evidence used to support the thesis, coherence and

organization. The paper must also conform to the standards of Edited American Written English; it must

contain no more than a minimum of grammatical/mechanical errors. The paper must also properly use

MLA style in documenting and listing sources.

In addition to submitting a printed copy of the final draft of the research paper, you will also be required

to submit an identical electronic copy to Blackboard. Open the �Research Paper� folder in the course

Blackboard site; see instructions for the item �Research Paper Submit.� Submit the document in .doc

or .rtf format. In order for the final draft of the research paper to be evaluated, you must submit both the

printed and electronic copies.

Thirty points from the final grade (out of 300) will be deducted for each school day (Wednesday,

Thursday, or Friday) the final draft is submitted late. I will accept no papers after Friday, April 17.

Final drafts will be accepted only from those students who have received credit for having submitted

the outline/working draft (that is, the outline/working draft must have been submitted and returned with

instructor responses before the final draft will be accepted).

English 102-18

Prof. Davis

Spring 2015

Research Paper Assignment

The research paper for this course will be a seven- to ten-page paper (typed, double-

spaced) in which you present your research concerning your choice of one of the stories from

the list �Stories for Research Paper� (see Blackboard site, �Research Paper� >> �Stories for

Research Paper� folders). Notify the instructor (preferably by email) once you have made your

selection. Only one person in the class may sign up for each work; if someone else has already

selected the work, you will need to select another. I will keep an updated list of stories selected

on the course Blackboard site. Look in the �Research Paper� >> �Stories for Research Paper�

folders; stories that have already been selected will be in boldface and will be followed by the

student�s name in parentheses. (See below for information about where these stories can be

located.)

In addition to discussing the work itself, your paper may also discuss relevant aspects of

the historical/cultural context that help provide insight into the story. For example, a paper on

William Faulkner�s �A Rose for Emily� might include a discussion of social/political/economic

changes in the post-Civil War South. The primary focus, however, should be on the work itself.

Use the information you discover to develop and support a thesis; do not simply summarize

others� points of view without including your own.

Use current MLA style (MLA Handbook for Research Writers, 7

list of works cited and in documenting sources in your paper (see Chapter 23 of The McGraw-

Hill Handbook). You must cite at least five secondary sources; these sources must have

scholarly credibility. (We will be reviewing the criteria for acceptable secondary sources in

class.) You must submit xerox copies or printouts of all secondary sources you cite along with

the final draft in order to receive a grade for this assignment. You will also be required to submit

an electronic copy of the final draft to Blackboard.

Though only the final draft will count towards the 300 points of the course grade (see

syllabus), you will be required to submit intermediate assignments related to the research paper:

plot summary, working bibliography/sample paraphrases, and outline/working draft. These

intermediate assignments will be awarded quiz points. You must submit these assignments in

sequence; for example, I will accept an outline/working draft from only those students who have

previously submitted the working bibliography/sample paraphrases assignment. I will not accept

a final draft from any student who has not previously submitted all intermediate assignments.

ed.) in preparing the