ESTABLISHING THESIS/DISSERTATION

PAPER CRITERIA

MODULE 5By: Jocelyn M. Gallegos

•Any research process is complex and has many feedback loops.

•The knowledge “output” of basic research might--- often after years or even decades find utility as a practical “outcome”.

• Examples:• Louis Pasteur’s most fundamental understanding about

microbiology grew out of practical attempts to control spoilage in beer and wine.

• In contrast, a knowledge-seeking study in basic research can lead to a discovery of great practical value.

• The atomic phenomenon of stimulated emission identified by Einstein in 1917 led eventually to the laser light that carries our e-mail today along fiberoptic lines.*

• *Beyond Discovery: The Path from Research to Human Benefit. www.nationalacademies.org/beyongdiscovery.

CLOSEPUP’s EVALUATION CRITERIA

• The Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy of the United States proposed three evaluation criteria for expert research review process:

• QUALITY

• RELEVANCE

• LEADERSHIP

QUALITY

• The sine qua non of quality review is objectivity.

• Panels are experts.

• Tradition of honesty.

RELEVANCE

• Does the research address subjects in which new understanding could be important in fulfilling a purpose or goal?

• Is the research useful for user groups?

• Will the research contribute to new knowledge?

LEADERSHIP

• It is considered to be a potentially effective criterion to test whether research is being performed at the forefront of scientific and technologic knowledge on an international level.

Other criteria

• A. Clear Focus

• Is the topic clear?

• It is relevant to the course/program?

• Is it clearly introduced at the beginning of the paper?

• Are the body of the paper and its conclusion clearly related to the topic?

• B. Research

• Does the paper contain enough information to back up the ideas?

• Are there enough sources of information?

• Are the sources reliable?

• Are they recent?

• Are they varied and balanced, especially on controversial issues?

• When appropriate, were different types of sources used, such as books, journals, newspapers, interviews, or the Internet?

• C. Reasoning and Organization• Are the key concepts defined and presented in a clear

way? • Does the argument follow a logical outline? • Are the parts of the paper coherent? • Are they logically connected?• Are the information presented clearly? • When appropriate, was there use of statistics, tables

and/or graphs?• Are quotes used only when necessary? • When quoted exactly, word for word, are quotations

used to introduce and cite source?

D. Documentation

• Is the information documented in the body of the paper?

• Are sources cited in the ___ Style?

• Are they in the right places?

• Does "Works Cited" page list ALL the works cited in the paper, and no others?

• Are they cited correctly?

E. Writing Mechanics

• Is the paper free of grammatical, spelling, and typing errors?

• Are sentences short, clear, and free of unnecessary jargon?

MODULE 6DESIGNING RUBRICS FOR RESEARCH EVALUATION

• A research paper rubric is a systematically constructed scoring table that will allow effective evaluation of a research paper.

• It is a list of equivalent points to be applied to certain research paper features and characteristics.

PROPERTIES OF RESEARCH PAPER USING RUBRICS

• 1. The feasibility and significance of the topic.

• 2. The strength of the thesis/dissertation statement.

• 3. The structure of the research paper whether it is complete in parts and chapters.

• 4. The format used for the layout and how the paragraphs were arranged.

• 5. The citation style used.

• 6. The coherence of the discussion parameters.

• 7. The technical specifications of the paper whether the instructions were followed.

• 8. The absence of proofreading errors.

• 9. The overall appeal of the research paper contents.

• 10. Originality and significance– New or original ideas– Overall contribution and significance– Whether made assumptions are realistic.

End of Module 6