PrintThis week, you need to finish the first draft of your term project. Your goal should be to make the first draft as high quality as possible, with the idea that doing so will mean you have less work to complete the second (and final) draft.
I have designed the timing of this assignment so that I have time to read your full drafts, offer feedback and editing suggestions, and return them to you with enough time left in the course to revise your work before submitting a final version.
Here are my expectations for your first draft:
- It should be clear who you are writing for and the role you are playing in preparing this report.
- Your draft should be complete, and the topics from your abstract and outline should be covered.
- I understand you may still be working on some of the data analysis and visualization, so I will put a greater emphasis on the rest of the draft. That said, the logic of your analysis should be clear and there should be good progress towards completing your analysis.
- It should be well written using correct grammar and spelling.
- Your draft should not exceed the 3000-word limit (citations and figure captions do not count toward the word limit). A more detailed version of your methodology can be provided in an appendix, and this doesn't count towards your word limit.
- The format of your document should be consistent and elegant.
- You should use a common citation format and apply it consistently. If you don't know which one to use, Chicago Author-Date style is a good default.
Submission and Grading Criteria
Submit your assignment to the Lesson 6 Term Project First Draft dropbox. See the Course Calendar for specific due dates.
Rubric
The first draft of your term project is worth 10% of your final course grade and is graded out of 100 points. For this assignment, I will assign grades with the following rubric:
| Criteria | Description | Possible Points |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | The introduction meaningfully engages the target audience/reader and clearly presents the central argument along with its substantive, technical and applied contexts. | 15 |
|
Background and Supporting Research |
The paper is well researched and contains references to peer-reviewed articles, government documents and industry reports that relate to the arguments in a logical manner. |
30 |
|
Analysis and Interpretations |
The design and implementation of a methodology was appropriately used to address the central arguments of your topic. Critical, relevant and consistent connections are made between evidence and central arguments. Includes appropriate use of maps, graphics, and tables. Analytical insights are sound and show a deep understanding of the issues. Depending on your selected topic, this may involve describing the steps taken for data analysis and mapping (NOTE –step by step instructions can be put into an appendix and will not count against word limits – discuss this with the instructor). |
30 |
|
Conclusion |
Excellent summary of topic and central arguments with concluding statements that impacts the target audience/reader. | 10 |
| Writing | There is evidence of editing and proofreading. Writing is engaging and well-structured with excellent transitions between sentences and paragraphs. Writing is polished and professional. Concepts are integrated in an original manner. | 15 |