| Topic | Importance of the study | Literature review | References1 | Writing quality | Due date |
| Picks a narrow topic within a field (e.g. energy economics) 40% | Justifies importance of the study/reasons for government intervention 15% | Reviews several previous research papers on chosen or similar topic/policy 20% | All outside sources and numbers are referenced 5% | No grammatical errors with clear and correct use of English 10% | Met 10% |