State Comparative Paper Guidelines and Rubric
General Rules
1. The paper must be a minimum four pages in length, not including the cover sheet and Reference page.
2. All characters must be typed in Times New Roman using 12-point font.
3. All lines must be double-spaced and include one-inch margins.
The paper must be written in the following order:
1. Separate Cover sheet
a. Your name
b. State Comparative Paper
c. Government 2306
d. Date
2. Body
a. Introduction paragraph with thesis statement.
b. What is the state you have chosen to compare with Texas and why did you choose it?
c. Name three issues currently facing your chosen state and how its governor and legislators are addressing them.
d. How does your chosen states legislature compare to that of Texas? What about the governor?
e. Provide a summary of the political party makeup in your chosen state. Is it more Republican, Democratic, or a combination of both? Explain.
f. Provide a summary of voter eligibility requirements for your chosen state. How is voter turnout in this state and how does it compare to Texas? Explain.
g. Are there changes Texas policymakers should implement from your chosen state? Conversely, are there ideas your chosen state should adopt from Texas? Explain.
h. Conclusion paragraph
3. Separate Reference Page
a. Sources must be fully documented on a separate page using APA, 7th edition.
b. The heading References must be centered on the page.
4. Sources
a. The final paper must include a minimum of six sources to receive full credit.
b. In-text citations are required using APA, 7th edition.
c. The following sources are prohibited for use in the paper: Wikipedia, the class textbook, and using the same source more than once. For the same source more than once restriction, this means that if you use an article from the Houston Chronicle then you cant use another article from the Houston Chronicle. This rule is intended to require students to use a diversity of sources.
