Research Essay Directions (READ CAREFULLY)
1. Essay should be a research critical analysis of a short story, poem, or
play from our reading list only, no exceptions.
2. Essay should be typed in MLA style. Points will be deducted for
MLA mistakes, so be sure to use the provided documents or the
Purdue Owl site for up-to-date MLA guidelines.
3. Essay should have an MLA heading, with last name and page number
in top right hand corner of each page.
4. Essay should be 5-7 pages in length. Do not go over or under your
page limit. The works cited page should be numbered but does not
count in the page requirement.
5. Essay should use and cite at least four secondary sources. Sources
must be credible and college level. At least two sources must be from
databases. The other two can be from the internet, but still must be
credible. NO Wikipedia or Helpme.com type sources allowed.
6. Essay should use and cite at least one primary source. The primary
source is the piece of literature, from the course reading list, you are
analyzing. If you are comparing two pieces of literature, they are both
considered primary.
7. Essay may be a theme analysis, character analysis, poetry explication
or literary theory application. The essay should NOT be a simple
summary or book report of your selection. See Rules for Literary
Critical Analysis document (blue link) for ideas and further
instruction.
8. Essay should be grammatically correct and use proper sentence
structure and punctuation.
9. Borrowed materials should be quoted, paraphrased or summarized and
properly documented using plenty of end-of-line
documentation/citations and a MLA style works-cited-page. The
end-of-line documentation, usually the author’s last name and page
number, should directly correlate with the author position on the
works cited page. (See blue document links or Purdue Owl site for
examples.)
10.Read and follow carefully, the “Rules for Literary Critical Analysis”
and “10 Steps to a Research Paper” documents. You are responsible
for every word in them. Use the quoting template in the “Rules”
document.
11.Primary source should be quoted or paraphrased in each body
paragraph. It is, after all, the subject of your essay.
12.Proofread, Proofread, and Proofread. Then, have your writing partner
proofread (See item 15). You may use the online TUTOR for free or
call the Learning Commons for an appointment with a Navarro tutor.
13. Essay must be submitted electronically through Canvas in order to
receive a grade. (Red ESSAY SUBMIT link)
14. An essay containing plagiarism will be assigned a zero, with no
chance for a re-write. Use the easy quoting template in the “Rules”
packet for incorporating quotations and paraphrases into your essay.
15.The research essay requires collaboration. Each student will write an
individual essay, but students will often work in teams for
brainstorming, planning, and editing. Click on the “Writing Partners”
link in Canvas. Contact your partner by the Team Research deadline
(syllabus, course outline).
Directly after the works cited page, writers must include the following
CORE questions with thorough responses written in complete
sentences.
(Collaboration and CORE questions make up 25% of the essay grade)
CORE QUESTIONS (continued on next page):
Teamwork:
1. State your partner’s full name(s).
2. What were some of the differing viewpoints expressed in your group?
3. How did you incorporate those views in your essay?
4. What was your role in your group?
5. How did you work together to accomplish your goal?
6. Did your partner contribute to the group in a helpful way? If your
partner did not respond to you, what steps did you take to initiate
contact? If your assigned partner refused to collaborate, provide the
name and relationship of the person you chose to “fill in” for the
assigned partner.
Personal Responsibility:
7. What are the consequences of choosing to plagiarize?
8. How do one’s personal values influence the decision to plagiarize/not
plagiarize?
8. How did you avoid plagiarism in your essay?
16.The entire final draft, including works cited page and CORE questions
must be submitted Canvas (saved as one document) by the required
deadline. (Questions and works cited page do not count toward the
page length requirement.)
**State mandated CORE learning objectives include social and personal responsibility,
teamwork, and critical thinking.
Literary Research Essay Grading Rubric with CORE
25 points- Essay Structure and MLA Style:
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Essay must include effective title, lead-in, thesis, body and conclusion.
Essay must be typed in MLA style with 1 inch margins, indented paragraphs and MLA header.
Essay must be double spaced with proper essay spacing.
Essay must include the assigned number of sources, documented properly with plenty of MLA
style end-of-line documentations and include a MLA style works cited page.
Essay must not go over or under the word limit.
25 points- Content/ SLO’s:
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Essay must follow assigned mode and topic, must tackle the subject matter in a mature
depth,and must display critical thinking and reasoning.
Essay must include critical analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of a variety of sources. Essay
must include ethical (always give credit) and logical uses of evidence.
Essay must follow the writing prompt and be written in a style appropriate to audience and
purpose. (College level analysis)
Essay must not contain false information or logical fallacies.
Essay must display effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas. Ideas must
be developed with appropriate support and attribution. (in-text citations and works cited page)
Essay must successfully address the Student Learning Outcomes as listed in the course syllabus.
25 points- Punctuation and Usage/ College level Style and Word Choice:
o
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Essay must be written in Edited American English, including, but not limited to, proper use of
commas, semi-colons, colons, apostrophes, and periods.
Essay must not contain spelling errors, capitalization, or texting style mistakes.
Essay must not contain any fused run-ons, comma splice run-ons, or sentence fragments.
Essay must display proper use of pronouns and verbs.
Essays must exhibit a mature style in word choice and sentence structure/sentence variety.
Essays must not contain contractions or second person point of view (you).
Essay must contain strong effective word choice, avoiding vague word choice such as “thing” or
“stuff” and colloquial words like “kid” and “guy”.
Essay must not contain slang or non-standard word choices.
Essay must maintain proper use of literary present tense.
25 Points- Essay Steps and Collaborative Writing: (Continued on next page)
o
Essay must include steps and collaboration activities. Students must participate in the teamwork
portion of the assignment. Participation in “Writing Partners” is required.
o
Directly after the works cited page, writers must answer thoroughly with complete sentences.
(no fragments allowed)
Teamwork:
1. State your assigned partner’s full name. What was your role in your group?
How did you work together to accomplish your goal? Did your partner
contribute to the group in a helpful way? If your partner did not respond to
you, what steps did you take to initiate contact? If your assigned partner
refused to collaborate, provide the name and relationship of the person you
chose to “fill in” for the assigned partner.
2. What were some of the differing viewpoints expressed in your group?
3. How did you incorporate those views in your essay?
Personal Responsibility:
1. What are the consequences of choosing to plagiarize?
2. How do one’s personal values influence the decision to plagiarize/not
plagiarize?
3. How did you avoid plagiarism in your essay?
o
The entire Essay, final draft, including works cited page and CORE questions must be submitted,
as directed, by the required deadline. Essays should be submitted electronically to the
plagiarism detection software. Essays should not be emailed or submitted in hardcopy.
** PLAGIARISM WARNING!!!!!!
Any information that is not common knowledge must be documented
with end-of-line documentation/citation AND a works cited page. Even if
you put the information in your own words, or know it by heart, if the
information originated from someone else, it MUST be documented. Essays
containing any amount of plagiarism will be assigned zeros.
Provided documents and helpful links provide instruction and examples
of MLA style documentation and citation.
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Rules for an Effective Literary Critical Analysis
(With Quoting Template)
In writing critical essays in literature, your object, generally, is to convince your readers
that your insight into a story is valid and important and to lead your readers to share that
understanding. An analysis (literally a breaking up or a separation of something into its
constituent parts) selects for examination one aspect or element in a literary work that
relates to the story as a whole.
Use the following general rules to help you write and organize your essay:
1. Re-read your story or play several times before you begin your analysis. After a
careful reading of the piece of literature you have chosen, begin your broad based
research. Follow the “10 Steps to a Research Essay” document. Do one step each
day for a pleasant research experience.
2. Follow the Theme and Thesis handout to create statement of theme and a thesis
for your essay. You may discuss any literary element except plot. Of course, you
will have to give a capsule plot of a sentence or two in your introduction to tell
what your story/poem/etc. is about, but if your analysis merely retells the plot of
the story, your paper will not be effective.
3. An essay analyzing a work of literature always needs an introductory paragraph.
a. Make sure you include the author’s name and title of the story,
poem, novel, etc. in your introductory paragraph.
b. Also, your introduction should include a thesis statement toward the
end of the paragraph (usually the last sentence) in which you state the
purpose of your paper.
c. Make a bold firm statement of your thesis. Do not be wishy-washy. Do not
say “in my opinion” or “it seems to me” or “I think” and “I feel” or “In
this essay I will prove that…”Those statements weaken your argument.
You are trying to prove your thesis statement. State your interpretation and
conclusion confidently.
4. It is not necessary to follow the chronological order of the story. Rather, you
should organize your paper in whatever order best supports your thesis.
5. Ask yourself these questions about your ideas:
a. Do they make a coherent case?
b. Have you left out anything necessary to demonstrate your thesis?
• If so, add it in the proper place.
• It is easier at this stage to rearrange ideas in order to support your
thesis.
• Quotations from your primary source are the best proof that your
text means what you claim it means.
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•
Paraphrases and quotations from credible experts (secondary
sources) also provide sound proof.
6. Be sure to thoroughly discuss the element or elements you have chosen as the
topic of your paper. Your paper must include specific references and/or
quotes from the primary source. Remember that good writing is specific
writing. Elaborate- Prove your point!
7. After completing your rough draft, let the essay sit as long as possible before your
proofread. (This requires getting started writing early!)
8. The next rule is to revise.
a. Are your paragraphs arranged logically in a way that demonstrates and
advances the thesis? If not, analyze the difficulty. Do the paragraphs need
re-organization? Are more examples needed?
b. Make whatever adjustments are necessary for a logical and convincing
demonstration. This may require a re-writing of the paper, or it may call
only for a few deletions and insertions and rearranging of sentences of
paragraphs from one place to another.
c. Use the editing checklist (located at the end of this document) to make
sure that your essay meets the assignment criteria.
9. Having revised your paper for the logic, coherence, confidence, and completeness
of its argument, your next step is to revise it for effectiveness of expression. Take
your time at this point.
a. Have you used lively verbs, interesting word choices and descriptive
detail?
b. What about conciseness? Are you too wordy? Going over a length
requirement is as serious an offence as going under a length requirement.
c. Are your sentences correctly punctuated? Do the pronouns have clear
antecedents? Do the verbs agree with their subjects? Are the tenses
consistent? Did you use spell check?
d. Is every borrowed thought or idea documented?
e. A conscientious writer may put a paper through several revisions. When
you think the review process is complete, read it again to double check for
correct punctuation and grammar.
10. Be sure you have followed the MLA Style. See the Purdue site (Helpful links)
for proper use of MLA style. Always use the author’s name (not the editor’s)
and page number in parenthesis at the end of borrowed material. If an
author is not provided, use a shortened form of the title. Borrowed material
consists of any information or idea that is not common knowledge. This
includes paraphrase and summary, not just exact word for word quotations.
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11. Periods go after parentheses, which are a part of the same sentence (like this).
However, if you are quoting a sentence or phrase which ends with a question
mark or exclamation mark, treat it like this: “Help! He shouted” (7). Or: “Do not
forget to save your document!” (7). Note that you need both the exclamation point
and the period. The parenthesis is part of your sentence and needs to be included
in it. However, in a block quotation, which is set off, no punctuation follows
the parenthesis citing the page from which the quotation comes. See Purdue Owl
link for examples.
12. Use single quotations marks only for a quotation within a quotation. It is an
error to use them simply because the quoted material consists of single words or
short phrases.
13. Use literary present tense and third person. When writing passages of
plot summary, use the present tense, even when the story itself is written in the
past tense. Be careful to be consistent about your tense throughout your paper. Do
not switch back and for the between present and past, unless you refer back to
events that happened before the story’s principle action. Be especially careful
when you continue to summarize after quoting a passage from your source which
itself uses the past tense. It may trick you into continuing to use the past instead of
switching back to the present. Also, avoid using the first person “I” and the
second person “you” in formal critical analysis essays.
14. Please remember that this is a formal paper; use formal language. No-“stuff,
gonna, things, a lot, any slang term, etc.”
15. Never use meta-discourse in college writing. For example, do not write “In this
essay,” “In my opinion,” or “I think.”
16. The first time you introduce an author, use both first and last names. In
subsequent references, use only the last name:
Shirley Jackson illustrates in her short story, “The Lottery,” that typical
people do not respond to social atrocities until directly affected. In order to
make the story more applicable to the reader, Jackson uses ordinary
people such as Tessie Hutchinson, housewife and mother.
17. Introduce all quotations. Don’t just begin quoting a source abruptly. For
example:
Tessie Hutchinson in “The Lottery” remarks, “Clean forgot what day it is”
(Jackson 142).
18. Remember: the title of a short story or poem is set off with quotation marks; the
title of a play or novel is italicized:
Short Story: “A Rose for Emily”
Poem: “My Last Duchess”
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Play: Tartuffe
Novel: Sir Gibbie
19. After printing your final copy, double check one last time for possible mistakes.
Check for omissions, repetitions, and typographical errors. Make sure your intext citations match up with the author position of your works cited page.
Literary Critical Analysis Suggested Outline
I.
The introductory paragraph should include,
A. Lead-in sentences
B. Theme: the unifying generalization about life implied by the story.
C. Thesis: One sentence that sets forth the main idea of the essay. Restate
the theme in specific terms; include author, title, and character/persona
name. (See Theme and Thesis handout.)
D. Essay Map: One or more sentences that set forth three or more points
supporting the thesis.
II.
Body Paragraph One—first point of the essay map (First point you will use to
prove that the theme that you have selected is indeed implied by the story).
Suggestions for the body paragraphs (any order)
A. Introduce and quote from Primary Source (most effective way of proving
thesis).
B. Explain or elaborate on the quotation. (Your explanation does not need
documentation as long as the quote you are explaining is clearly cited.)
C. Introduce and paraphrase from Primary Source—still needs documentation
D. Explain or elaborate on the paraphrase.
E. Introduce and quote from secondary source and document.
F. Explain or elaborate on the quote from secondary source.
G. Paraphrase from secondary source and document.
H. Tie quotes and paraphrases together with your own ideas and observations
(Personal response, see “10 steps” handout)
Steps A through H can be presented in any logical order and may need to be
divided into extra paragraphs for easier reading.
III.
Body Paragraph Two—second point of the essay map (Second point you will
use to prove that the theme that you have selected is indeed implied by the
story). Repeat A-H (In any logical order)
IV.
Body Paragraph Three—third point of the essay map (to prove thesis
statement). Repeat A-H (in any logical order)
V.
Body Paragraph Four. Use as many body paragraphs as you need to prove
your thesis, but do not go over the word limit.Continue with body paragraphs
until you have proven your thesis. You may devote as many paragraphs as
you need to any one point.
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VI.
Conclusion
A. Draw all points together and make a statement of how they prove your
thesis.
B. Wrap it all up.
C. Do not conclude with a quote unless it sums up the entire essay.
D. Essay must include a conclusion. Do not merely stop after the final body
paragraph.
Incorporating Quotations
The best proof that a work of literature does what you say it does is textual
evidence: words and sentences you can directly quote from the poem, the story, or the
play.
If you say that a character in a story is evil, can you quote a passage in which he
clearly says or does something evil, or a passage in which a reliable character or narrator
speaks of his or her evil? The best support you have as you discuss a literary work is the
text of the work itself, with evidence from experts coming in a close second.
Use this quoting template as a guide. Quote material, but also be sure that you
go on to analyze, discuss, and explain the quoted material.
I will use (Smith 231) as a generic example of end-of-line/in-text citation. You,
of course, will use the actual author of the source you are quoting.
Quoting Template
1. By saying “
,”(author’s last name and page number, ex: Smith 231) the
author demonstrates (reveals, shows us, points out) that
.
2. By using such words and phrases as “
” and “
,” (Smith 231) the speaker (narrator) reveals (establishes, shows us, points out,
demonstrates, etc.)
.
3. The narrator says, “
” (Smith 231). Such a statement (phrases)
shows us (reveals demonstrates, establishes, etc.)
.
4. One possible interpretation of the phrase (sentence, words) “
(Smith 231) is that
.
5. The sentence (phrase) “
.
”
” (Smith 231) might suggest that
6.
says, “
” (Smith 231). Clearly, such a
statement (description) indicates __________.
7. A noted critic contends “___________” (Smith 231).
8. According to The Journal of Humanities, “ ____________” (Smith 231).
9. Harold Bloom interprets the theme as follows: “__________” (Smith 231).
10. The narrator states, “___________” (Smith 231).
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Feel free to use the above examples in your own essay, but you may also create new ways
of incorporating your quotations. Just be sure to introduce all quotations. Never drop in
quotations unannounced
As you incorporate textual evidence into your discussion through the use of quotations,
there are some rules you should keep in mind:
1. Do not overuse quotations. The style of your writing will be better if you
incorporate quoted phrases into your own sentence structure rather than writing a
sentence and then quoting a sentence or poetic line.
Ineffective: Richard Cory was very polite. “He was a gentleman from sole to
crown.” Also, he was good-looking, even real-looking—“clean favored, and
imperially slim.”
Effective: Richard Cory was a polite “gentleman from sole to crown” (Eliot 1).
Like a handsome king, he was “clean favored, and imperially slim” (Eliot 3).
2. Avoid having two quotations in a row. Your own commentary should bridge
the two.
Ineffective: Richard Cory had everything going for him. “He was a gentleman
from sole to crown.” “And he was rich—yes, richer than a king.”
Effective: Richard Cory had everything going for him. Not only was he a
“gentleman from sole to crown,” but also he was “richer than a king” (Eliot 2).
3. Work the quotation comfortably into your sentence structure.
Ineffective: “Darkened by the gloomiest of trees” (3) shows just how frightening
the forest looked.
Effective: The forest, “darkened by the gloomiest of trees,”(Frost 3) was a
frightening place.
4. Longer quotations (more than two lines of poetry or four lines of prose)
called Block Quotes should be set off from your paragraph, double-spaced
and indented 10 spaces from the left margin without quotation marks.
Dickenson describes the numbness that comes with the shock of the loss of a
loved one:
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tomba—
The stiff Heart Questions was it He, that bore,
And Yesterday, or Centuries before? (1-3)
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5. Separate lines of poetry running within your sentence with a virgule or
slash, and preserve the capitalization or words at the beginning of the line.
The speaker notes that the bruised heart of the mourner wonders, “was it a lie, that
bore, / And Yesterday, or Centuries before?” (Dickenson 4-5).
6. Punctuate the quotation to conform to the needs of your sentence structure,
as long as you do not alter the meaning of the lines.
Original lines:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim. (1,2)
Richard Cory, “clean favored, and imperially slim,” was from head to toe a
gentleman (1,2). (altered punctuation and capitalization required by sentence
structure)
7. Be sure to name the source of the quotation correctly. In non-narrative
poetry, it is correct to say, “The speaker or the persona says. . .,”not “the poet
says.”
8. In prose say, “The narrator says. . .” when quoting passages of narration, not
“The author says. . .” Identify characters as you quote them.
9. When quoting dialogue between characters in a play, set off the dialogue and
begin a new line as you quote each character. Place the character’s name in front of
his line.
Late in the play, Hamlet confronts his mother:
Hamlet: Now, Mother, what’s the matter?
Queen: Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. (Act:scene:line)
Some Common Pitfalls in Writing About Literature
Adapted with permission from
© “Pitfalls” Texas A&M Department of English Writing Center
•
Not introducing quotations. You should always let the reader know whom it is
you are quoting and -briefly- what context you took it from. Also, be sure to
follow quotes with analysis, telling why you used the quote. Introduce EVERY
quotation.
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•
Using too many quotations. A rule of thumb is not to use a quotation unless you
comment on it in some way.
•
Quoting at too great a length. This is especially important in shorter papers. You
have a minimum amount of space to make your points; quotations, by themselves,
do not build your argument. An essay should never be just a list of quotations
strung together. Comment on or explain every quotation.
•
Summarizing instead of analyzing. You can be sure you teacher will have read
the work. Your thesis statement should analyze a topic.
•
Beginning with, for example, “In this story…” Instead, name the author and the
title of the work you are writing on and begin focusing on your thesis.
•
Starting with strong arguments and ending with weaker ones. Save your best for
last. You may also choose to start with an obvious point and end with a powerful
one. (Ever notice how fireworks displays build up to a climax?)
•
Using the past tense in narrating the action or describing what the author says.
Use the present tense. (“Hemingway writes…” or “Hamlet says…” is the
correct form).
•
Referring to the author by first name or as “Mr.” or “Mrs.” or “Ms.” You should
refer to the author by his/her full name the first time you mention him/her, and
after that by last name only. The exception is when you are dealing with a really,
really famous author – Shakespeare, for instance: you wouldn’t need to say
“William.”
•
Repeating the title over and over again. You can use “the work,” “this novel,”
“the drama,” “the tale,” etc. Do not say something like, “The previously
mentioned work” or “This work of our author.”
•
Misusing literary terms – words like “ethos” or “imagery,” for example. These
terms can be tricky. Before you use one, you should look it up in a handbook of
literary terms or online.
•
Confusing the author’s opinions with what his/her characters do, say or appear to
believe in. The author may believe the opposite, so do not say, “Shakespeare felt
it was okay to murder one’s stepfather” if you are talking about the character
Hamlet.
Referring to your own writing in your essay. NEVER use statements like “In
this essay I will prove that” or “As I have written earlier in this essay.”
Using one name in the end-of-line citation and then another on the works cited
page. This is the quickest way for plagiarism software to tag your essay as
plagiarized. Be sure that whatever information is listed in the author
position of your works cited page is what you use in your end-of-line or in-
•
•
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text citation. The end-of-line citation leads your reader to the works cited
page. If the citation does not match the WCP, how will the reader know
where to look for the complete bibliographic information?
Sample Heading and Title for Literary Analysis:
Your Name
Jodi Price
ENG 1302 61
Critical Analysis
9 February 2018
No Dissatisfaction, Only Curiosity:
A Critical Analysis of Robert Frost’s
“The Road Not Taken”
Include a Works Cited Page at the end of your essay. Cite all outside sources
whether you quote them or merely use their ideas, according to the Modern Language
Association (MLA). Do not use footnotes or endnotes. The parenthetical method of
citation is very simple, once learned, but make sure you use MLA style and not APA.
Your list of sources should be called Works Cited, and these words must not be put in
quotation marks or underlined.
If you are using a primary source from a textbook or collected works, it will be
considered a work in an anthology. Here is a sample works cited entry for a work in
an anthology:
Eliot, T.S. “Journey of the Magi.” Literature: Structure Sound and Sense. Ed. Lawrence
Perrine. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1983. 281. Print.
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Editing Checklist for Critical Analysis
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Check MLA style heading. (see example above)
Check the title – creative? (see example above)
Check for documentation/citation of paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation.
Are all historical and biographical facts cited?
Does the end-of-line documentation match the works cited page? Is the author’s
name in the end-of-line documentation/citation and in the works cited page?
Check every single citation to make sure that the citation matches the author
position on the works cited page.
6. Check essay and work cited page for MLA format.
7. Check sources for credibility.
8. Check to see if you introduced all borrowed material.
9. Check to see if you interpreted all borrowed material.
10. Check to see if you documented all borrowed material.
11. Check the thesis statement. What are you trying to prove?
12. According to the thesis, which elements of the work (such as theme, structure, or
character) will be discussed?
13. Do you prove your thesis (claim)? Have you chosen enough specific evidence
from the primary source (the story) to prove your point?
14. Does each paragraph support the thesis statement?
15. Do you use 3rd person point of view?
16. Do you use literary present tense when discussing the literature and past tense if
discussing the author’s life?
17. Is the overall content effective? Does the essay make sense?
18. Correct grammar and punctuation errors on the essay. (Run-ons, fragments,
subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, etc.) Are commas used
after introductory words, phrases, or clauses and before coordinating conjunctions
when an independent clause follows?
19. Where can active verbs replace passive verbs?
20. Did the writer follow directions? Is the paper the correct length plus a works
cited page? Does the works cited page include the primary source and any
secondary sources used?
21. Has the writer adhered to MLA style? Does he or she use the author’s last name
and page number in parenthesis at the end of a direct quote or paraphrase? Is the
end-line documentation/citation tied to a list of works cited?
22. Is the conclusion appropriate or does the essay merely stop?
** PLAGIARISM WARNING!!!!!!
Any information that is not common knowledge must be documented
with end-of-line documentation/citation AND a works cited page.
Even if you put the information in your own words, or know it by
heart, if the information originated from someone else, it MUST be
documented.***
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