| Course Paper Writing Rubric |
| A score of 0 may be given in any category for compositions that are entirely illegible or otherwise unscorable: blank responses, responses written in a foreign language, restatements of the prompt, responses that are off-topic or incoherent. |
| Thesis, Focus, and Content (120 points) |
| CATEGORY | 24 - Above Standards | 20 - Meets Standards | 16 - Approaching Standards | 12 - Below Standards | 0 or No Score |
| Focus or Thesis Statement | The thesis statement names the topic iof the essay and outlines the main points to be discussed. | The thesis statement names the topic of the essay. | The thesis statement outlines some or all of the main points to be discussed but does not name the topic. | The thesis statement does not name the topic AND does not preview what will be discussed. | See above |
| Support of the thesis | Support information is related to and supportive of the topic/subject. | Support information has minor weaknesses in relatedness to and/or support of the topic/subject. | Support information has major weaknesses in relatedness to and/or support of the topic/subject. | An attempt has been made to add support information, but it was unrelated or confusing. | See above |
| Evidence & Examples | All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant, and explanations are given that show how each support the thesis and support for the thesis. | Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each support the thesis and support for the thesis. | At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that show how each support the thesis and support for the thesis. | Evidence and examples are NOT relevant and/or are not explained in a way that add to the support of the thesis. | See above |
| Elaboration | Elaboration consists of specific, developed details. | Elaboration consists of some specific details. | Elaboration consists of general and/or undeveloped details, which may be presented in a list-like fashion. | Elaboration is sparse; almost no details. | See above |
| Sequencing | Arguments and support are provided in a logical order that makes it easy and interesting to follow the author's train of thought. | Arguments and support are provided in a fairly logical order that makes it reasonably easy to follow the author's train of thought. | A few of the support details or arguments are not in an expected or logical order, distracting the reader and making the essay seem a little confusing. | Many of the support details or arguments are not in an expected or logical order, distracting the reader and making the essay seem very confusing. | See above |
| Writing Conventions (worth 80 points) |
| | 16 - Above Standards | 12 - Meets Standards | 8 - Approaching Standards | 4 - Below Standards | 0 or No Score |
| Transitions | A variety of thoughtful transitions are used. They clearly show how ideas are connected. | Transitions show how ideas are connected, but there is little variety. | Some transitions work well, but some connections between ideas are fuzzy. | The transitions between ideas are unclear OR nonexistant. | See above |
| Citation Style | The specified citation style has been exercised with no errors throughout the entire paper. Includes all relevant components of the given citation style (e.g. - cover page, bibliography/works cited, etc.) | The specified citation style has been exercised with only 1 or 2 errors throughout the entire paper. Includes all relevant components of the given citation style (e.g. - cover page, bibliography/works cited, etc.) | The specified citation style has been exercised with only 3 or 4 errors throughout the entire paper. Includes all relevant components of the given citation style (e.g. - cover page, bibliography/works cited, etc.) | The specified citation style has been attempted but the paper contains 4 or more errors in its execution or is missing a major element of the given citation style. | See above |
| Sentence Fluency | Demonstrates skillful sentence fluency (varies length, good flow rhythm, and varied structure). | Demonstrates reasonable sentence fluency. | Demonstrates minimal sentence fluency. | Sentence fluency is lacking. | See above |
| Grammar & Spelling | Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. | Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. | Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. | Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. | See above |
| Capitalization & Punctuation | Author makes no errors in capitalization or punctuation, so the essay is exceptionally easy to read. | Author makes 1-2 errors in capitalization or punctuation, but the essay is still easy to read. | Author makes a few errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader's attention and interrupt the flow. | Author makes several errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader's attention and interrupt the flow. | See above |
moernn91
paper_rubric_hist_101.xls
