Criteria | A excellent | B good | C minimal expectations | D to F below expectations; may be unacceptable | Comments |
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Content (quality of the information/ideas and sources/details used to support them) | - shows clarity of purpose
- shows depth of content
- applies insight and represents original thinking
- demonstrates quality and breadth of resources
| - shows clarity of purpose
- shows substantial information and sufficient support
- represents some original thinking
- uses quality resources
| - shows clarity of purpose
- lacks depth of content and may depend on generalities or the commonplace
- represents little original thinking
- uses mostly quality resources
| - lacks clear purpose
- is superficial in content
- lacks original thinking
- uses resources of poor quality
- includes factual or logical errors
- may not follow the instructions in content or length
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Structure (logical order or sequence of the writing) | - is coherent and logically developed
- uses very effective transitions
| - 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
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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 concise, eloquent, and rhetorically effective
- composes varied sentence structure
| - 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
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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
| - does not compose well-constructed sentences
- confuses readers with many errors
- makes frequent inappropriate word choices
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Source Integrity (appropriate acknowledgment of sources used in research) | - cites sources for all quotations
- credible paraphrases, cited correctly
- includes reference page
- makes virtually no errors in documentation style
| - cites sources for all quotations
- credible paraphrases, usually cited correctly
- includes reference page
- makes minimal errors in documentation style
| - cites sources for all quotations
- mostly credible paraphrases, sometimes cited correctly
- includes reference page
- makes several errors in documentation style
| - does not cite sources for all quotations
- less than credible paraphrases, often not cited correctly
-little to no evidence of source usage - may not include a reference page or is very weak
- makes many errors in documentation style
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The weighting of each of the five areas is dependent on the specific written assignment and the teacher's preference. Plagiarism occurs when a person presents as one's own "someone else's language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source" (adapted from Council of Writing Program Administrators). |
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