Writing Standards – Undergraduate Level (Grid Version) (revised Fall 2021)
Criteria | A excellent | B good |
C minimal expectationsC emerging skills | D to F below expectations; may be unacceptable | Comments |
Content (quality of the information |
/ sources/details used to support themsupporting details) | - shows strong clarity of purpose
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shows content- content
- applies keen insight and represents original thinking
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demonstrates quality and breadth of resourcesrepresents - follows guidelines for content
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shows substantial information and sufficient support- offers depth of content
- applies insight and some original thinking
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uses quality resources- mostly follows guidelines for content
| - shows some clarity of purpose
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lacks - offers some depth of content
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and may depend on generalities or the commonplacerepresents little is superficial in contentlacks original thinking
-uses resources of poor qualityincludes factual or logical errors -may not follow the instructions in content or length- applies some insight and original thinking
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uses mostly quality resources- somewhat follows guidelines for content
| - shows minimal or no clarity of purpose offers minimal or no depth of content
- applies minimal or no insight and original thinking
- does not follow guidelines for content
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Structure (logical order or sequence of the writing) |
is coherent - shows strong coherence and logically developed paragraphs
- uses
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very - highly effective transitions
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- is coherent and logically developed
- uses smooth transitions
| - is coherent and logically (but not fully) developed
- uses some awkward transitions
| -uses inadequate, irrelevant or illogical development and transitions | - between ideas and sections
- constructs highly appropriate introduction and conclusion
| - shows coherence and some logically developed paragraphs
- uses effective transitions between ideas and sections
- shows appropriate introduction and conclusion
| - shows some coherence and logically developed paragraphs
- uses some transitions between ideas and sections
- shows some construction of appropriate introduction and conclusion
| - shows minimal or no coherence and logically developed paragraphs
- uses minimal or no transitions between ideas and sections
- shows minimum or no construction of appropriate introduction and conclusion
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Rhetoric and Style (appropriate attention to audience |
: effective word choice, sentence variety, voice; appropriate level of formality for academic writing vs. informal text messages and email)) | - is highly concise, eloquent and rhetorically effective
- effectively uses correct, varied, and concise sentence structure
- is engaging to read
- writes highly appropriate prose for audience and purpose
| - is concise, eloquent, and rhetorically effective
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composes varied does not compose well-constructed sentencesconfuses readers with many errorsmakes frequent inappropriate word choices- generally uses correct, varied, and concise sentence structure
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- displays concern for careful expression
- composes some varied sentence structure
| - displays some personality but lacks imagination and may be stilted
- composes little varied sentence structure
- frequently uses jargon and clichés
| - is simplistic
- composes ineffective sentence style
- applies limited vocabulary with jargon and clichés
- is clearly below expectations for college students
| Conventions (adherence to grammar rules: usage, mechanics) | - composes well-constructed sentences
- makes virtually no errors in grammar and spelling
- makes accurate word choices
| - almost always composes well-constructed sentences
- makes minimal errors in grammar and spelling
- makes accurate word choices
| - usually composes well-constructed sentences
- makes several errors
- makes word choices that distract the reader
| - is somewhat engaging to read
- writes appropriate prose for audience and purpose
| - is somewhat conciseness, eloquence, and rhetorical effectiveness
- uses some correct, varied, and concise sentence structure
- is minimally engaging to read
- generally writes appropriate prose for audience and purpose
| - shows minimum or no conciseness, eloquence, or rhetorical effectiveness
- uses little to no correct, varied, and concise sentence structure
- is not engaging to read
- lacks appropriate writing for audience and purpose
- uses inappropriate jargon and clichés
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Information Literacy (locating, evaluating, and using effectively the needed information as appropriate to the assignment) | - uses strong academic and other reliable sources
- chooses sources from many types of resources
- chooses timely resources for the topic
- fully integrates references and quotations to support ideas
| - uses academic and other reliable sources
- chooses sources from a variety of types of resources
- chooses resources with mostly appropriate dates
- integrates references and quotations to provide some support for ideas
| - uses mostly academic and some unreliable sources
- chooses sources from a moderate variety of resources
- chooses a few resources with inappropriate dates
- integrates references or quotations that are loosely linked to the ideas of the paper
| - uses a few or no academic sources and uses unreliable sources
- chooses sources that are not varied, mostly from one type of source
- chooses many resources with inappropriate dates
- uses disconnected references and quotations and does not support ideas
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Source Integrity (appropriate acknowledgment of sources used in research) | - correctly cites sources for all
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quotationscredible , cited - correctly and credibly
- includes reference page
- makes virtually no errors in documentation style
- makes virtually no errors in formatting
- incorporates feedback given in previous written assignments
| - correctly cites sources for
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all credible - usually cites paraphrases
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, usually cited - correctly and credibly
- includes reference page with some errors
- makes
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minimal - some errors in documentation style
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cites - makes some errors in formatting
- incorporates most feedback given in previous written assignments
| - provides sources for all quotations
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mostly credible paraphrases, sometimes cited correctly- without correctly citing them
- sometimes cites paraphrases correctly and credibly
- includes reference page with many errors
- makes
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several - many errors in documentation style
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does not cite - makes many errors in formatting
- incorporates some feedback given in previous written assignments
| - lacks sources for all quotations
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less than credible paraphrases, often not cited correctly
- lacks correctly and credibly cited paraphrases
- shows little to no evidence of source usage
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may not include a - includes no reference page or
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is very - an extremely weak one
- entirely lacks correct documentation style
- lacks correct formatting
- incorporates little to no feedback given in previous written assignments
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Conventions (adherence to grammar rules: usage, spelling & mechanics of Standard Edited English or SEE) | - makes virtually no errors in SEE conventions
- makes accurate word choices
| - makes some errors in SEE conventions
- almost always makes accurate word choices
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documentation styleThe - SEE conventions
- makes some inaccurate word choice
| - lacks appropriate SEE conventions
- makes many inaccurate word choices
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he weighting of each of the five areas is dependent on the specific written assignment and the |
teacher's teacher’s preference. Plagiarism occurs when a person presents as |
one's own "someone else's one’s own “someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its |
source" source” (adapted from Council of Writing Program Administrators).
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