Writing Skills The Last Two Steps in doing Research and Writing.

Step Seven: Rewriting and Polishing Rough Draft Reconciling the Outline to First Draft Eliminating unclear statements Look for gaps in continuity (Note: These three items need to occur before you start working on the second draft.)

The Second Draft Total rewrite Takes several sessions to complete Time of choosing exact words Quotations should be carefully selected

When to cite (document) a Source? Any fact or opinion that you read in one of your sources, whether you first discovered the idea or assimilated it, should be documented. Two exceptions: –Common Knowledge –Facts easily verified

Fair Use Rule A certain number of words, from a particular source & if used for scholarly research, can be quoted without permission of the copyright holder & is considered “fair use” When quotation(s) comprise a substantial proportion of the source, permission needs to be sought. When in doubt, seek permission! For a good discussion on “Fair Use” see: fair-use/; fair-use/

Step Eight: Preparing the Final Copy – Check List Does the controlling idea (Thesis) govern everything? Does the Introduction prepare the reader? Are the topic sentences clear and paragraphs fully developed? Are paragraphs logically arranged? Do any sections repeat or contradict others? Does the Paper read smoothly/maintain continuity of thought from start to finish? Does the Paper conclude strongly? Is every source used documented/cited properly? Does the Bibliography only contain sources used? Does the form and style conform to Turabian, Vyhmeister and the Research and Writing Manual?

Rubric: Research Paper Seminar in Theological Research Name ___________________________ Date ________________ CriteriaExcellentGoodPoorUnacceptable (0) Does Thesis Statement control entire Paper? Score ______ / 10 Thesis Statement controls entire Paper (10) Thesis Statement mostly controls Paper (6-9) Thesis Statement partially controls Paper (1-5) Thesis Statement does not control Paper (0) Does the Paper Start (Intro) & Conclude strongly? Score ______ / 10 Paper Starts & Concludes strongly (10) Paper Starts & Concludes fairly strongly (6-9) Paper partially Starts or Concludes strongly (1-5) Paper does not Start nor Conclude strongly (0) Does the Paper flow logically/maintain continuity of thought? Score ______ / 40 Paper flows logically/maintains continuity of thought (37-40) Paper mostly flows logically/partially maintains continuity of thought (24-36) Paper minimally flows logically/barely maintains continuity of thought (1-23) Paper does not flow logically nor maintain continuity of thought (0) Proper Interaction & Documentation of Sources Score ______ / 20 Proper Interaction & Documentation of Sources, with no errors (20) Proper Interaction & Documentation of Sources, with few errors (12-19) Proper Interaction & Documentation of Sources, with many errors (1-11) Improper Interaction & Documentation of Sources (0) Proper grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, & composition Score ______ / 10 Proper grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, & composition (10) Mostly Proper grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, & composition (6-9) Partially Proper grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, & composition (1-5) Improper grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, & composition (0) Form & Style of Paper Score ______ / 10 Completely follows Turabian, Vyhmeister & STM R/W Manual (10) Mostly follows Turabian, Vyhmeister & STM R/W Manual (6-9) Barely follows Turabian, Vyhmeister & STM R/W Manual (1-5) Does not follow Turabian, Vyhmeister & STM R/W Manual (0) Total Score ________ /100

Common Mistakes Incorrect Paper, Cover Page, Footnote, Bibliography, & Page Number format No lead-in clause/phrase, “for all quotes.” Paper not written entirely in 3 rd Person Problems w/Widows/Orphans & Footnote spacing No General Scripture/Bible footnote Improper use of Ellipses (... ) Not a minimum of 3 sentences per paragraph Improper use of Capitalization & Italics

The End! Or is it just the beginning?