Must be APA and only use reliable sources such as proquest. Research Assignment Business Communications Research Paper Instructions Research Paper You will select any subject contained within the course text book and conduct further in-depth research. You can choose any subject that is covered during the semester. The instructor will award your subject based on your request. No two students will do research on the same subject so whoever submits their subjects for approval first will most likely be awarded the subject first. Your paper must be 4 to 6 pages (or more if you choose) in length, excluding title and reference pages. The paper must be presented in APA (American Psychological Association) style writing. Access this link for specific guidelines on APA style research paper presentation Purdue Online Writing Lab for APA (opens in new window). You can use the course text book as one of your references, however; you must use at least three outside references for you research source. Guidelines for a Research Paper Be sure that your paper meets the assigned page requirements, plus foot/end notes and bibliography, using standard one-inch margins, 12-point font and double spacing. It must cover the topic effectively and present a well-developed thesis, supported by evidence from primary and secondary sources. It must in some way demonstrate an understanding of the development of scholarship on the topicthat is, the paper itself must incorporate in the text and notes an adequate discussion of the scholarly works on the subject. Remember that content foot/end notes may be useful. Be sure to incorporate research from scholarly journals. It must have a title page that includes your name and an appropriate title for your research. Pages, including bibliography, must be numbered, starting on the first page of text. The one exception is the title page, which should not have a number. The first page of text of the paper should be page 1. Do not forget to follow the general guidelines for writing papers in accordance with APA format. Proofread. Carefully use spelling and grammar check built into word-processing programs. In general, the research paper is graded on what the student demonstrates about his/her: Research skills Ability to think critically about a topic and the sources necessary to study and limit that topic Ability to combine information and ideas into a focused, organized, supported argument Ability to write a grammatical, stylistic, mechanically correct essay Ability to document and list sources accurately and usefully Specifically, the research paper is graded on (see grade rubric below) Title page (clarity, usefulness, accuracy) Title (usefulness, accuracy) Introduction (specificity, clarity, appeal) Thesis (clarity, initial presentation, use throughout paper, thoughtfulness, accuracy) Arguments/evidence (breadth, logic, quality, use) Organization (clarity, logic, consistency, within paragraphs, in overall paper) Focus Mechanics Sentence structure Punctuation (usage, spacing) Voice (avoidance of passive) Person (avoidance of first and second) Tense (logic, consistency) Spelling Proofreading Page numbering (in text, in notes, and in bibliography) Use of APA style writing Research (depth, breadth) Exploitation of sources (in notes, in text) Documentation (giving credit for ideas, facts, words) Documentation style Reference notes (first citations, subsequent citations) Content notes (usefulness, accuracy, form) Format (end notes or footnotes) Placement of superscript Quotations according to APA guidelines Conclusion (thoughtfulness, appeal, appropriateness, usefulness) Format: APA (American Psychological Association) style must be used. Go to this Purdue University website if you need instruction on how to properly write in APA style. Purdue Online Writing Lab for APA Style (opens in new window) ALL REFERENCES MUST BE CITED PROPERLY. EACH REPORT WILL BE CHECKED FOR COPIED MATERIALS. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE, THAT WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN A GRADE OF ZERO. Follow all citation guidelines. Due Date: Research report and Power Point (if submitting Power Point) must be submitted in the Dropbox e-Learn NOT LATER THAN Module 13 (you will find the location of the Research Paper Dropbox there). Grade Rubric: Presentation (Report is well-organized and visual appealing): The report is interesting and well thought out; not thrown together. Information is not simply copied and pasted from a website. (You may copy and paste charts, graphs, etc. as long as you indicate that the information was taken directly from; and cite the source of the information). Do not copy and paste the entire paper. Some information, such as the analysis, should be your own conclusions and/or in your own words. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., are all included in this area 25 points. Cite source: Are all your sources cited, even for information for which you did not quote directly? Quotes are around all information quoted directly from a source; Information is from reputable sources and can be traced back to the sources cited for verification. Reference page is in order of the use of citations contained in the body of the paper 25 points Required information: Have you included everything the instructor asked for? If additional, relevant information was available, did you include it even if it was not specifically asked for? Include any information that would affect your decision to purchase this franchise or not. 25 points Instructors Overall Evaluation: My overall evaluation about how much effort you put in to this project and how interested you were in providing a good, interesting, accurate, well-though-out-paper. In other words, if you scored high on all of the above rubric topics, you will probably get most of these points as well and vice-versa, although I will also include the aforementioned effort points that could add or subtract points (a one or two page paper will not earn max points). 10 points Power Point Presentation 15 point
