TCOM3520 Grading Criteria

Reading feedback posting (10 points)

1. Approximately 10 lines for each question (less than 30 lines recommended).
2. The feedback postings should indicate that you have read the paper thoroughly.
3. Creative critics will be encouraged.
4. Any question related to the assigned reading will be encouraged.
5. Elaborating of your thoughts is an important part of this assignment. I encourage deep thoughts about the specific issue that you are writing about. Do not list many ideas. Try to focus on a couple of ideas. Think about those ideas and elaborate your thoughts in your posting.

* Do not post a message unrelated to the class content.

* Do not post many lines of texts without a substantial argument in your posting.

Term paper (300 points, BG perspective assessments)

See the video lecture on term paper writing tips here: The video link will be provided after your first draft submission.

* All submissions are through BGSU canvas assignment section. Use MS word or pdf format to submit a paper.

a. 1st draft (30 points) should

1. be less than 2 pages

2. satisfy below “how to” descriptions

b. 2nd draft (50 points) should

1. be less than 5 pages

2. satisfy below “how to” descriptions

c. 3rd draft (80 points) should

1. be less than 10 pages

2. satisfy below “how to” descriptions

d. Final paper (140 points) should

1. be less than 15 pages

2. satisfy below “how to” descriptions

How to write your term paper (BG PERSPECTIVE course outcomes & assessments)

Learning Outcomes and Assessments

This paper should be short (15 typed, double-spaced pages with normal margins), so you cannot treat your topic exhaustively. On the other hand, 15 pages is enough space (if you edit wordiness and digressions) to show:

1. that you understand the theories and findings of lecture and reading material relevant to your topic (this will probably include some reading beyond the syllabus), 
2. that you can critically think with the facts,
3. that you can analyze assumptions or implications,
4. that you can integrate findings from two or more areas to propose new hypotheses,
5. that you understand and articulate programs or policy that make practical use of research theory or findings,
6. that you can show your original thinking and use of your research material.

What I DO NOT want is a simple summary of research findings on your given topic. Nor do I want an opinion essay that does not draw on research.

Choosing a Topic

Ideas for topics may come from lectures or the assigned course readings. Additional ideas will come from looking for sources.

You must choose a narrow, specific topic. You can give a more in-depth treatment of a topic that is narrow than one that is too broad. For example, rather than examining the online community as public sphere in general, look at the political forum during the 2004 presidential election; or you can discuss how online community served as a public sphere during the election.

1st & 2nd draft

The 1st draft will be a two-page explanation of your topic. Describe what you want to work on during this short summer session. This idea stage of the proposal will require a creative thinking that interest you the most related to social media. The 2nd draft will be a longer draft (less than 5 page elaboration of your idea development, references are not counted toward the page requirement). At this stage, you will need a bibliography of sources. These must be sources that you have already located, read, and know are appropriate for your paper. Your topic idea and bibliography must be approved before you can proceed with this project. When you submit your final version of the paper, I will go back and read your drafts to confirm that you work on the topic that I approved.

Why do I require a bibliography at such an early date? Several good reasons. You will not be able to find a final topic until you have actually done some reading and thinking. Students who wait too long often cannot find appropriate sources for their topics because there is no adequate research related to the topic or simply because they cannot find their sources on the shelves. You should have a well researched bibliography by the time you write your 2nd draft.

Finding Appropriate Sources

Appropriate sources for this project are academic articles and books such as the readings for this course. Normally, newspaper articles, magazine articles or opinion pieces are considered to be inappropriate. However, since the content of the lecture of this class is quite contemporary, I will allow you to use articles from the reputable newspapers or magazines: such as New York Times, Washington Post, Economists, etc. You are encouraged to use original studies from academic journals or secondary sources such as textbooks.

Web sources: You may use World Wide Web sources as appropriate by including a complete URL. Be warned, however, that it is our thoroughly-considered opinion that large portions of the Web contain information that does not measure up to the above standard. In many cases, Web pages are less credible and accurate than the popular press, because anyone can post anything with no application of scientific or journalistic standards and review. A Web citation may be useful to demonstrate that an opinion exists or a way of presenting information has been tried, but most pages would have little credibility as a source of research evidence. With that said, it is possible that the nature of your topic makes a particular web page (perhaps one posted by the National Institutes of Health) the best source of certain evidence. If so, you should use it. Feel free to consult me for specific advice.

Some journals that publish much of the academic research in our field and related fields:

Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Public Opinion Quarterly, Critical Studies in Mass Communication, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Studies of Broadcasting, Journalism Quarterly, Journalism Monographs, Gazette, Newspaper Research Journal, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Public Relations Journal, Public Relations Quarterly.

Searching: Textbooks for this and other courses are a good place to start -- both for ideas and for the sources in their bibliographies. Searching computerized database is also an excellent strategy, but you must be aware of what each database can and cannot do (e.g., BG library database does not index journal articles). In addition, the computerized searches are rote and mechanical, and are only as good as the terms you use and the logic you employ. It’s easy to miss things under a similar word and think that there’s nothing out there when there really is. And you'll find me skeptical when you tell us you've looked and there isn't anything relevant to your topic. My assumption is that there are lots of things that could be relevant -- you just haven't found them yet, or maybe you're defining relevance too narrowly.

How many sources should you use for your paper? However many you need to do an adequate job of researching your topic. This will vary depending on your topic, and the way you actually use the citations. Two used in depth can be plenty; ten cited superficially can be inadequate. Many good term papers I’ve seen in the past have had 7-8 sources, but this is merely an average, not a formula.

1st draft checklist (30 points total)

1. Did you state your reason for your interest? Is this topic of interest original? → 10 points

1. Did you state your research question? → 10 points
2. Did you state at least one theory, or rationale, related to your research question? → 10points

2nd draft checklist (50 points total)

1. Did you extend the stated reasons for your interest? Is this topic of interest original? → 10 points
2. Did you elaborate further on the stated research question? → 10 points
3. Did you develop further on your theory, or rationale, related to your research question? → 10points

3. Did you state a plan to provide evidence to argument? → 10 points
4. Do you have multiple references? → 10 points

3rd draft and final paper

3rd draft will need to have about 10 pages (10 page does not include references). At this stage complete bibliography should be a part of the submission. Final paper should be about 15 pages (15 page does not include references, tables, endnotes, etc.) with all references, tables, endnotes, and other relevant materials.

Writing Your Paper

Your paper should consist of a title page, 15 pages of neat text, and endnotes or bibliography. The body of your paper should be very well organized, with a title, an identifiable introduction, subheadings and conclusion. The introduction should make your thesis and planned structure clear. The body should flow from the introduction, and the conclusion from the body.

Regarding writing style

Please strive for clarity and brevity. One good method is to start with a rough outline and progressively fill out the details of your outline with additional points and support from your research. If you develop your paper in this manner, you will be able to see whether it's logically ordered and cohesive before and during writing. In any case, time and revision are essential to a good paper. Get a first draft done ahead of time, so you can read it as a stranger would -- it's a great way to catch ambiguities or lack of clarity or organization.

Good books on writing style are:

• Strunk, W. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style. matters of form, composition and usage.

• Zinseer, W. On Writing Well, an informal guide to writing non-fiction.

When and how to cite sources

Whenever you report any facts or findings that are not your own or are not common knowledge, you must cite your source. It is doubtful that you will overcite sources. Be very careful not to lift sections of another author's text and claim it as your own. Keep in mind that it is easier to read paraphrases of ideas rather than direct quotes.

The bibliography should contain only the sources you actually cited or used extensively in your paper. DO NOT pad your bibliography with superfluous sources that you read but did not incorporate. Each source should be fully cited, using APA style. See the APA style guide (e.g.,

3rd draft checklist (80 points total)

1. Did you extend the stated reasons for your interest?  Is this topic of interest original? → 10 points
2. Did you elaborate further on the stated research question and make them into hypotheses? Can you make hypotheses combining more than one area of thinking? → 10 points
3. Did you develop further on your theory, or rationale, related to your research question? Does the writing show the understanding of theories? → 10points
4. Does the writing include critical thinking? Can you think and write critically with facts? → 10 points
5. Does the writing include assumptions and implications? → 10 points
6. Did you state a plan to provide evidence to argument? → 10 points
7. Did you include multiple references? → 10 points
8. Did the writing show that you understood and articulated programs or policy that could make practical use of research theory or findings. → 10 points

Final paper checklist (140 points total)

1. Did you extend the stated reasons for your interest?  Is this topic of interest original? → 10 points
2. Did you elaborate further on the stated research question and make them into hypotheses? Can you make hypotheses combining more than one area of thinking? → 20 points
3. Did you develop further on your theory, or rationale, related to your research question? Does the writing show the understanding of theories? → 20points
4. Does the writing include critical thinking? Can you think and write critically with facts? → 20 points
5. Does the writing include assumptions and implications? → 20 points

7. Did you state a plan to provide evidence to argument? → 20 points
8. Did you include multiple references? → 10 points
9. Did the writing show that you understood and articulated programs, effects, policy, or others critical areas of thinking that could make practical use of research theory or findings. → 20 points