Research Paper Checklist

• Supply adequate information that any reader would feel qualified to discuss your topic as something of an expert.

• Think through the issues and your assertions carefully enough that your stance will be strong, your logos bombproof.

• Back up your assertions adequately so that any reader would feel confident in their validity.

• Create a sense of "significance," the feeling that your topic is important, that your paper is worth reading.

• Pace your writing well, keep it interesting.

• Follow APA documentation standards. You should include an annotated bibliography with at least 10 sources.

• Use active verbs, sparse "be" verbs.

• Use paragraph breaks well. Don't let paragraphs run on for a whole page

• Have less than .05% grammatical, punctuation, or spelling errors.