How To Grade A Research Paper: 5 Basic Criteria To Keep In Mind
For a variety of reasons, it can be useful to know how to grade a research paper. For example, teachers and other professionals in the educational system will obviously need to be aware of how to mark the work that is produced for them by their students. However, it can also be useful for students to be aware of how research papers are graded, and what basic criteria to keep in mind when writing the work.
- Does the paper answer any questions that have been set?
- Does the paper demonstrate that a sufficient amount of research has been undertaken?
- Have references been used and is the paper free from plagiarism?
- Does the paper follow the correct format?
- What is the quality of the spelling and grammar used within the paper?
Whether you were set a particular question to answer as part of your paper, or you were able to think of questions of your own that you wanted to research more about, you will need to look at the work that you have produced in order to see whether or not these questions were answered.
In order to answer any questions or provide information about a specific topic, you will need to carry out a detailed amount of research. An experienced teacher will quickly be able to identify whether or not a student has spent the time researching properly, or whether they have simply included a few facts surrounding by a lot of fluff. Therefore, you need to demonstrate that you have actually put the work in.
Plagiarism is a major no-no when it comes to academic papers. Therefore, if you have included any quotes or content from other sources then you need be certain that you have included references, so as to avoid the risks of being accused of plagiarism.
Students will frequently have to use a specific style guide in order to format their work correctly. If this is the case, then you’d need to be sure that your paper adheres to any formatting instructions that you have been given or told to follow.
Finally, it is important to proofread and edit your work before you hand it in. This enables you to ensure that you haven’t misspelt any words or made any grammatical errors within your paper, which could otherwise devalue the grade that you could receive.