Points will be deducted if the following guidelines are not met. Failure to turn

Points will be deducted if the following guidelines are not met. Failure to turn in this research paper will have an impact on your final course grade.
Requirements:
Minimum length is 1800 words of content. (Title page and reference pages are NOT included in word count.)

Must be typed and double spaced. Text pages are to be numbered in a header or footer.
1 inch margins all around (top, bottom, and both sides).
Use 10-12 point font, Times New Roman or Arial.
You must have at least 5 SCHOLARLY sources – these are Journal articles from the Library databases. Minimal use of additional reference sites (i.e., .org, .gov or .edu etc.) may be used from the internet (multiple pages from within the same website will count as only one source even is listed separately). Each journal article retrieved from Clark State’s library counts as a single source since they are scholarly in nature and are peer reviewed which is preferred in academic writing and most appropriate for Research papers. The use of the web site Wikipedia is not allowed, dictionaries and encyclopedias are NOT acceptable resources for college level work, nor are Youtube videos. Any .com or .net sites should NOT be used.
Sources must be 5 years old or less and have dates of publication listed.
Sources MUST have authors and titles.
You must use APA style (if you are not familiar with it, refer back to the proposal instructions for links to helpful information, or see the attached pdf file). This is an upper level Psychology course and APA (American Psychological Association) style is the only accepted format for your sources. The writing center and our Library are great sources of information if you need assistance. (Note – an Abstract is NOT required for this paper – if added, it will not be included for the min word count.)
All papers will be evaluated thoroughly, including grammar and spelling. Special attention will be given to content, depth, organization, and flow of the paper.
Papers must have citations within the body of the paper. Must have in-text citations – if not it will result in a total loss of points.
Papers must be complete, have adequate depth, and should be readable.
Grammar, punctuation and spelling will be marked so please use spell and grammar check, edit carefully, and have someone proof read your paper. Our own eyes do not see mistakes as easily as others might see them.
Papers should be written in third Person perspective (not 1st person perspective & should not contain words such as I, we, me, you, etc.) This is a research paper, not your opinion.
Late penalties of 5 points per day will be deducted for any paper that is submitted after the deadline – if you have medical or extenuating circumstances – please speak to your instructor.
TOPICS: Students are are to choose the topic of their choice within the frame of our course content. Your research paper topic should relate to human growth and development and focus on something presented only very briefly in our textbook. Please be sure to have selected a topic that you are able to find enough research to provide a 1800+ word paper. Your selected topic should be submitted to your Instructor in the Paper Proposal Dropbox (in the Assignments folder). As a general rule, if the topic is discussed in the textbook, the topic is appropriate (however your instructor will guide you if a topic that you select is too narrow or too broad). Be careful not to select a topic that is too broad – you must provide further detail than what is already presented in the text. You should select a topic that is briefly mentioned or that only a few paragraphs are discussed. If you select a topic that several pages or an entire chapter are written about, then you will not be able to go into further detail than what is already presented, and your topic will not be approved.
Here is a link to a Sample paper Sample paper – Alternative Formats – it is not perfect (100 points), but it was an A paper that is a good example to get you started in the right direction.
Online help using the online library for online students – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! www.knowitnow.org
It’s true – Ohio college students can chat with an academic librarian any time to get help finding articles, using OhioLINK, or any other reference need. Using two browser windows the student and librarian can chat in one window while the student tries the suggestions in the other window.
To use OhioLINK materials students must update their Clark State barcode each semester. Online students who do not have an ID with a barcode may request a barcode be sent to them
A dynamic reference experience, helping students get the information they need when they need it – that’s Know It Now:
www.knowitnow.org
Common errors – you should avoid these:
not double spaced
using .com/.net websites
using sources without authors
using 1st person perspective
not using “References” as the title of the source page
not listing the sources alphabetically
missing in-text citations
grammar/spelling.punctuation errors
not meeting the min word count requirement
If you have questions, concerns, or hesitations – you should contact your instructor sooner rahter than later. You can accomplish this!!