Psychology Research Paper

Research Paper Grading Rubric

For this assignment, I would like each of you to research one of the principles we have covered in this course. Your paper should focus on one principle and use scholarly references to support how or when this technique can be used most effectively.

1. Your research paper should be formatted as follows:
a. At least 5 pages and no more than 6 pages long (not including references);
b. 1.5 spacing and size 12 Times New Roman font;
c. Contain your name and ID number in the header on every page and the page
number in the footer on every page;
d. 2 cm margins on all sides;
e. Be clearly organized with a title, introduction, body and conclusion
paragraphs; and
f. Citations must be in APA format (I will review this with you in class).

2. Your paper must:
a. Provide an overview of the main characteristics of the persuasive appeal
strategy to be discussed, including when and how it can best be used;
b. Discuss how the psychological principles discussed in class help explain why
this strategy works;
c. Utilize at least 2 articles from peer-reviewed journals, focusing on practical
applications of the persuasive technique discussed in the paper;
d. Critically evaluate how the articles you have chosen support or disagree with
the materials we have covered in class;
e. Defense strategies for this type of persuasive appeal.

A note on writing:
Being able to clearly communicate your thoughts in writing is essential to your academic and professional career. Papers that are unorganized, disjointed, or have numerous spelling or grammatical errors distract from the message you are trying to convey to your reader. As such, I highly recommend you proofread and revise your paper several times before you make your final submission. To help you all succeed in this area, I will review research papers that are submitted to me in advance (see deadline for advance review listed in the syllabus

Research Paper Grading Rubric
I will use the following rubric to determine your grade for this assignment. I suggest you refer to this rubric while drafting your paper to make sure you meet the criteria for an exceptional assignment. Your research paper will account for 30% of your final grade.

Poor
Did not follow most of the formatting requirements.
Below
Missed 3-4 formatting requirements.
Acceptable
(below 17.4 )
Average (19.9-17.5)
(22.4-20)
Missed 1-2 formatting requirements.
Exceptional
(25-22.5)
Followed all formatting requirements exactly.
Points
Earned

Formatting

Writing Mechanics
Writing was disorganized or difficult to follow. Numerous spelling or grammatical errors.
Writing was occasionally disorganized or difficult to follow. Several spelling or grammatical errors.
Writing had a logical organization but did not always flow well. Few spelling or grammatical errors.
Writing was well organized and flowed well. Spelling or grammatical errors, few to none.

Subject Knowledge
Numerous factual errors. Failed to use information to support opinions or did not distinguish facts from opinions.
Occasional factual errors. Attempted to use facts to explain opinions.
Demonstrated accurate subject knowledge. Facts used to support opinions.
Demonstrated thorough and accurate subject knowledge. Facts used well to support opinions and link various topics.

Critical Analysis
Repeated facts without interpretation. No evidence of critical analysis.
Adopted views with little question or analysis.
Showed critical analysis of how articles used related to subject matter.
Excellent critical evaluation of how articles used related to subject matter.