Rubric for Final Paper



Criterion

4

A-level qualities
(90–100)

3

B-level qualities
(80–89)

2

C-level qualities
(70–79)

1

F-level qualities
(below 70)



Score
Purpose Introduces and presents paper effectively and clearly; purpose is readily apparent to the reader Introduces and presents paper adequately; purpose is not consistently clear throughout the paper Introduces and presents paper somewhat effectively; writing has a clear purpose but may sometimes digress from it Introduces and presents paper poorly; purpose is generally unclear  
Development and content Develops paper extremely effectively as assigned; change proposal is well-developed and relevant and shows a thoughtful, in-depth analysis; reader gains insights Develops paper as assigned; change proposal is adequately developed and relevant and shows an effective analysis; reader gains some insights Does not fully develop paper as assigned; proposal is somewhat irrelevant or impractical and the analysis is general; reader gains few insights Paper is undeveloped; proposal does not relate to the assignment or is completely inappropriate; analysis is vague or not evident; reader is confused or may be misinformed  
Documentation and support Ideas are supported effectively and the paper has the required number of legitimate sources that are clearly attributed Ideas are generally supported and paper includes the required number of legitimate sources; attribution is mainly clear Although attribution is present, paper may not include the requisite number of sources or may include questionable sources; some statements are unsubstantiated and the source of some ideas is unclear Attribution is missing, or sources given are poorly chosen, or sources have not been used  
Organization Arranges ideas clearly and logically to support the purpose or argument; ideas flow smoothly and are effectively linked; reader can follow the line of reasoning Arranges ideas adequately to support the purpose or argument; links between ideas are generally clear; reader can follow the line of reasoning for the most part Arranges ideas adequately, in general, although ideas sometimes fail to make sense together; reader remains fairly clear about what writer intends Arranges ideas illogically; ideas frequently fail to make sense together; reader cannot identify a line of reasoning and becomes frustrated or loses interest  
Writing mechanics Writing demonstrates a sophisticated clarity, conciseness, and correctness Writing is accomplished in terms of clarity and conciseness and contains only a few errors Writing lacks clarity or conciseness and contains numerous errors Writing is unfocused, rambling, or contains serious errors  
APA format Uses APA format accurately and consistently Uses APA format with minor violations Reflects incomplete knowledge of APA format Does not use APA format  

Total:

  

Note: Criteria are evaluated on a 4-3-2-1-0 basis. Total rubric points are converted first to a letter grade and then to a numerical equivalent based on a 0–100 scale: 23–24 = A (93–100); 22 = A– (90–92); 21 = B+ (88–89); 17–20 = B (83–87); 16 = B– (80–82); 15 = C+ (78–79); 11–14 = C (73–77); 10 = C– (70–72); 5–9 = D (60–69); 0–4 = F (below 60).