Thesis: Each paper should be on a topic of juvenile justice/delinquency, and within that topic

Research Paper Rubric

(75 points)

Thesis: Each paper should be on a topic of juvenile justice/delinquency, and within that topic you should be answering a question, which becomes your thesis statement. For example, you 

might pick drugs and juveniles. That’s a topic. What about drugs and juveniles? Perhaps you ask 

yourself, “Are drugs more attractive to juveniles because they engage in risk-taking behavior?” 

Then you research your questions and answer it. That answer becomes your thesis. To the 

aforementioned example, your thesis might then be, “The rise in heroin and marijuana use 

among juveniles in the United States is due to increased availability and juveniles’ natural 

attraction to risky behavior.” Again, this is just an example, but each paper needs to have 

a 

clearly stated thesis

. (10 points)

Body: You must have 8-10 pages of research that backs up and develops your thesis. Your paper 

should have paragraphs, with these paragraphs addressing different subtopics of your research 

that support your main point. An 

introductory paragraph

should lay out what these sub-points 

will be. You should have a 

conclusion paragraph

that brings your points all together. As for the 

rest of the body, do not repeat the same information; I do read these, and will note if you are 

repeating the same research. (30 points)

Additionally, strong papers will incorporate more than one source per paragraph, and will 

weave various sources throughout the paper. 

Each thought, even if not a quotation, that is not 

your own original thought, must be followed by an in-text citation

(Victor, 2018). Questions? 

Email me. (10 points)

Works cited: A works cited page properly formatted, correct text, correct citation format for 

online sources, in APA form, ect. You must have a minimum of seven (7) 

academic

sources to 

support your paper.  (10 points)

Spelling and grammar: No run-on sentences, fragments, silly grammatical or spelling mistakes, 

ect. 12-point, Times New Roman, double-spaces, one inch margins (15 points)