Augusta Technical College

Writing Standards for Research Papers

The research paper requirements call for: a cover page, 5 written pages, and works cited page.

1. Use the third person or first person throughout a paragraph.  Do not switch between first person and third person in a sentence or paragraph.
2. use either singular or plural throughout a sentence or paragraph.  Be Consistent.
3. Aim at about 10 words as a goal when writing a sentence.
4. Place only one thought in a sentence.  NO add-on phrases-if a sentence looks long, it is.  Go back and see how you can split it up to make your statements stronger.
5. Minimize the use of commas.
6. Use the right words to illustrate your thought process.  Use the dictionary and thesaurus to get the right meaning. Do not rely on a computer word processing document to get this right  You can find documentation on the Internet that demonstrates why you would not want to use a computers built in capabilities.
7. Always use a verb in a sentence.
8. Outline your paper prior to writing.  This takes some time and thought.
• Introduction
• Statement of the problem
• Body – your research and analysis
• Conclusion
• Recommendation
9. Don’t use “etc”.
10. Master the simple sentence for impact.
11. Your name on top right with page number
12. Follow the Writer’s Reference when developing your reference pages.
13. No more than half of your references can be from the Internet or World Wide Web.
14. When you interview someone, include a summary page and attach it to the research paper for referral purposes.  Include the interview as part of the reference page.
15. Do a draft and read through it for mistakes, research, and correct before finalizing.