6 pages (double-spaced) assignment

Criteria

Full credit

3/4 credit

1/2 credit

1/4 to 0 credit

Thesis (main argument)

20 points

Written with a clear and outstanding thesis

Written with a clear thesis

Thesis is confusing or misleading

Thesis is missing. The argument is unclear.

Supporting points (20 points)

3+ supporting points follow solid reasoning, and provide appropriate details, in a convincing manner

1-2 supporting logical supporting points are presented. An additional point may be presented but lacks sufficient detail or clarity.

Supporting points are present but very general and not completely relevant.

Supporting points are limited or not present.

Conclusion (10 points)

Conclusion restates or summarizes the argument in a succinct and clear manner.

Conclusions present but general.

Conclusions are vague or unclear.

Personal opinions with no supporting evidence from the body of the essay.

Use of appropriate sources (10 points)

Uses appropriate sources (peer-reviewed or reputable websites like government agencies or Academy of Nutrition Dietetics) to support and inform the argument.

Uses some peer-reviewed sources to support the argument, and incorporates some sources less reputable sources.

Uses mostly websites like healthline.com to support the argument.

Does not provide sufficient support for the argument or lacks documentation of sources in text.

Audience and tone

(10 points)

Argument is written to convince the audience. Tone is consistent and convincing.

Argument is written mostly to convince a consistent audience.

Few of the arguments appeal to a consistent audience.

It is unclear who the intended audience is and the tone is inconsistent.

Organization and Structure (10 points)

The arguments flow from main point. Transitions between arguments are present. The conclusion summarizes the content succinctly.

The supporting points flow from the main argument most of the time. There may be some missing transitions, but the conclusion is present and clear.

Very little of the essay is well organized.

Arguments are incoherent and difficult to understand.

Grammar (10 points)

Lacks grammatical, punctuation, or spelling errors

Minor errors present.

Repeated errors, but meaning is still clear.

Numerous errors that make it difficult to read and understand the content.

In-text citations and references page

(10 points)

Uses APA format, correctly cites all sources on the reference page. Incorporates quotes correctly if needed in the essay.

Uses APA format, correctly cites sources on the references page with only a few minor errors. In text citations are made with only a few errors.

Incorrectly cites sources or doesn’t correctly incorporate quotes in the body of the essay.

Doesn’t cite sources or doesn’t use sources.