your everyday life that you are interested in learning what the research says about
that topic? The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn more information
about a topic that is covered in the course and to write about what you have
learned in a research paper.
There are two assignments included in this project: the topic proposal and the
final paper.
You will write a 7-page APA style research paper on a topic related to child
development from conception through age eight (DO NOT FOCUS ON
ADOLESCENTS.) A minimum of six scholarly references (4 peer-review journal
articles) is required for your resources.
The length of the research paper will be seven pages (double-spaced). Your paper
should include three major sections:
• Title Page
• Main Body (5 pages)
• References (one page)
The project must be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Course lecture notes may
not be cited. You may not use popular sources such as Wikipedia and your book are
not to be the sole source of your information. No Direct Quotes are allowed for your
paper. The sources of all information should be documented using APA style
citations (7th edition).
You need to submit your paper to Turnitin.com via the course website. All papers
must have an originality score of 20% or less (meaning that 80% or more of the
content is original to the author). This score includes references and quotes. You
must review your originality report after submitting your paper to ensure that your
score is appropriate. I recommend submitting a draft in advance to confirm that your
score will be acceptable.
If your score is too high, you will need to revise and resubmit the paper. Please
contact me immediately if your paper has a score above 20%. Papers with a score
above 20% will not be graded (will receive a zero) unless they are revised and
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CAS 325A Catherine Darker, M.A.Ed.
Research Paper Instructions
Is there something related to early childhood development that you have always
wanted to learn more about? Have you noticed a problem or a phenomenon in
your everyday life that you are interested in learning what the research says about
that topic? The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn more information
about a topic that is covered in the course and to write about what you have
learned in a research paper.
There are two assignments included in this project: the topic proposal and the
final paper.
You will write a 7-page APA style research paper on a topic related to child
development from conception through age eight (DO NOT FOCUS ON
ADOLESCENTS.) A minimum of six scholarly references (4 peer-review journal
articles) is required for your resources.
The length of the research paper will be seven pages (double-spaced). Your paper
should include three major sections:
• Title Page
• Main Body (5 pages)
• References (one page)
The project must be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Course lecture notes may
not be cited. You may not use popular sources such as Wikipedia and your book are
not to be the sole source of your information. No Direct Quotes are allowed for your
paper. The sources of all information should be documented using APA style
citations (7th edition).
You need to submit your paper to Turnitin.com via the course website. All papers
must have an originality score of 20% or less (meaning that 80% or more of the
content is original to the author). This score includes references and quotes. You
must review your originality report after submitting your paper to ensure that your
score is appropriate. I recommend submitting a draft in advance to confirm that your
score will be acceptable.
If your score is too high, you will need to revise and resubmit the paper. Please
contact me immediately if your paper has a score above 20%. Papers with a score
above 20% will not be graded (will receive a zero) unless they are revised and
resubmitted.
CAS 325A Catherine Darker, M.A.Ed.
Research Paper Scoring Rubric
(75 total points possible- 10 Topic Proposal, 65 Paper)
Content (50 points)
Introductory paragraph (5 points)
• Introduce general idea
• Explains why this topic is important
• Define the age range that you will focus on
• Explains what the paper will cover
Specific developmental characteristics/trends related to the topic and age/life phase
are discussed (9 points)
Content is accurate, comprehensive, relevant to developmental phase overall (9
points)
Major points are stated clearly, supported by specific details, examples, and analysis
(9 points)
Integration and synthesizing of research findings, background reading is
appropriate, support rationale (information from at least 6 high quality sources are
included) (9 points)
Recommendation/implication for developmentally appropriate practice is logical,
follow from the discussion (9 points)
Organization (15 points)
Meets minimum page requirement (3 points)
Clarity of expression (3 points)
Grammar (3 points)
Conciseness (3 points)