Thesis Statement and Outline Instructions
You must select a criminal justice topic about which you have not previously written or researched; this will serve as the topic for the Research Paper – Final. In Module/Week 2, you will compose a thesis statement and an outline on this topic as you work toward your final paper. Both the thesis statement and the outline must be saved in the same document.
The thesis statement must include the paper topic and an explanation of the position the paper will take in analyzing the subject. The thesis statement must be no more than 2 sentences long and must be a declarative statement rather than a question.
The outline must provide a detailed blueprint of the Research Paper – Final. It must include headings that cover the major points in the thesis statement. Citations from at least 5 scholarly sources must be included within the outline to support each point.
Before submitting the Thesis Statement and Outline, review the Thesis Statement and Outline Grading Rubric to verify that all components of the assignment have been completed. Save your work as a Microsoft Word document and submit it to Blackboard
Thesis Statement and Outline Grading Rubric
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Student: |
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Criteria |
Points Possible |
Points Earned |
Instructor’s Comments |
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Thesis Statement |
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Statement |
Is the statement simple, direct, and straightforward? |
5 |
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Does the statement take a position on a criminal justice topic and clearly identify major points of support for that position? |
5 |
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Is the topic sufficiently limited for a 4–5-page paper by presenting no more than 2–3 major points? |
10 |
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Parts and Writing Style |
Is the thesis statement 2 sentences or fewer? Is it written as a declarative statement rather than a question? |
5 |
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Are correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation used? |
5 |
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Is formal academic language used (without writing in the first or second person)? |
5 |
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Outline |
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Content |
Does the outline fully support each facet of the thesis statement? |
15 |
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Do the outline’s major headings indicate the major points of the paper? |
10 |
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Is all the information in the outline related to the specific topic? |
10 |
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Is each point supported with sufficient research and citations? Does the outline include research from at least 5 scholarly resources (without using Wikipedia)? |
10 |
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Mechanics |
Are correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation used? |
10 |
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Is the outline formatted in current APA style? |
10 |
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Are all sources formatted in current APA style? |
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Total |
100 |
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