Rubric for Literature Review



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

Completeness of survey

 Superior in completeness; student has made an extremely thorough review of the literature Essentially complete; review of the literature covers all important sources Incomplete in some respects; student has not done a thorough job of finding sources or has included questionable sources Incomplete in most respects; few reputable sources are included  

Critique of sources

 Demonstrates a sophisticated critique of the sources reviewed; shows a deep understanding of the breadth of the subject Demonstrates an accomplished critique of the sources reviewed Demonstrates a less-than-acceptable critique of the sources reviewed; does not analyze the sources effectively or uses the critiques of others Demonstrates an inadequate understanding of the critical aspect of a literature review; fails to critique sources  

Synthesis of sources

 Presents an insightful and thorough synthesis of the literature cited Presents an effective synthesis of the literature cited Presents a superficial synthesis of the literature cited Fails to present any synthesis of the literature cited  

Writing style

 Writes extremely clearly and insightfully Writes clearly and effectively Writing style is vague or unfocused Fails to communicate any clear or helpful review of the literature  

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: 19–20 = A (93–100); 18 = A– (90–92); 17 = B+ (88–89); 14–16 = B (83–87); 13 = B– (80–82); 12 = C+ (78–79); 9–11 = C (73–77); 8 = C– (70–72); 4–7 = D (60–69); 0–3 = F (below 60).