This has been my biggest stresser in the last two months.  It is of college level, should be at least 2000 words and is due on MONDAY.  The topic I chose to write about is  “Do curfews keep kids out of trouble”.  I have the rubics guidelines I can send to you provided by the college if that helps. 

OUTLINE*

   Summarizing and Evaluating a Source Your first assignment consists of writing two (2) paragraphs. In the first paragraph, you will summarize one of the credible sources that you will use in your research essay. For your summary, you will identify the main points of the article. Then, in the second paragraph, you will explain why you believe it is a great source based on the criteria below. Be sure to explain why this article will be suitable for your research essay by referring to your thesis statement. Be aware of the expectations for this assignment by reading over “Steps for Writing a Summary” (found below) and “Evaluating a Source” (found on the following page). Summarizing a Source Please be advised that when you summarize the ideas, you are paraphrasing the author’s ideas while simultaneously reducing the length of the original text. As a result, to avoid plagiarizing, you will need to make sure that you change the vocabulary and sentence structure when you write the main points of the article. And, you will also need to give credit to the author by using either a signal phrase or in-text citation at the end of each sentence for this summarized paragraph. Take a few moments to review the concepts of paraphrasing and giving credit to the author, which can be found in the Plagiarism Unit. (Make sure that you use signal phrases, intext citations, and a references page.) Steps for Writing a Summary 1. Read the article carefully, looking only for what the author is saying. Do not do any underlining or make any notes at this point but look up any words that you do not understand. 2. Try to write down, in one sentence, the point that the author is making about the subject. Then, look for the author’s thesis and underline it. (Do these two match? If not, adjust your sentence or look again for the author’s thesis.) 3. Read the piece again; underline and/or highlight the main ideas that support the thesis. Look for the main idea in each paragraph. Titles, subtitles, and headings often help to identify the main ideas. 4. Make an outline. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ACE English 6000 Research Essay Unit Page 4 5. Eliminate examples, descriptions, illustrations, etc. unless they are integral to the meanin   

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RUBIC

 APA Documentation: How clearly is the source identified?

 4 Follows APA format: clear and consistent citations, signal phrases; quotations well-integrated; complete reference.

 3 Clear signal phrases, in-text citations, quotations, reference; minor lapses in format.

 2 In-text citations and signal phrases are inconsistent; some problems with reference format. 

1 Citations are incorrectly formatted, missing; reference is incorrectly formatted. 

Summary: How accurately is the material summarized?

 4 Clear and concise summary of key material; sentence constructions are new and effectively encapsulate source information. 

3 Effectively rephrases material; uses new and appropriate sentence constructions. 

2 Adequately rephrases material; some new sentence constructions, but some language is too close to the original. 

1 Language/sentence structure is too close to original. Commentary: 

What impression does the discussion give as a whole?

 8 Precise evaluation, effective use of evidence; discussion builds toward a convincing conclusion.

 6 Strong, clear argument; well-chosen and organized evidence; topics develop logically. 

4 Some good points but marred by over-generalization; focus too narrow or broad; relationships among ideas are unclear.

 2 Focus too broad or superficial, insufficient or unrelated or contradictory claims.

 Spelling, Grammar, & Presentation: How polished is the final copy? TOTAL /20 4 Polished; Free of grammar, punctuation errors, unintended repetitions, awkward phrasings. 3 Minor, surface errors only; reads smoothly. 2 Significant errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation; some awkwardness in structure, phrasing. 1 Extensive errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.