Shanafelt Writing Rubric

Essay Scoring Criteria

For a paper to receive an A, it must have a clearly defined main idea, which is thoughtfully and thoroughly developed with sufficient evidence and plenty of scholarly analysis. Logical development and clear, precise phrasing must be evident. A superior understanding of the subject matter must be apparent. The assignment’s length and source requirements must be satisfied. An "A" paper must be turned in on time and as required (i.e. a PDF document submitted to the essay’s online assignment page). An "A" paper must adhere to the required MLA 9th edition documentation style and document format.

** An "A" paper must be almost completely free of format, grammar, source, and MLA documentation errors. **

Style: Sentences in an A essay should be correctly constructed with no major grammatical or mechanical errors (such as sentence fragments, run-on sentences, or lack of agreement between subjects and verbs). An "A" paper must be formatted with the required font type, font size, margin width, character spacing, line spacing, alignment, etc. as defined by the Owl at Purdue "MLA General Format" and the "Shanafelt Research & Writing Guide."
Structure: An "A" paper should open with an imaginative title and an effective hook. The introductory paragraph should lead up to a strong thesis statement as its last sentence. Paragraph structures should approximate the following pattern: TS, (EV-AN-AN), (EV-AN-AN), (EV-AN-AN). Each paragraph should contain at least three articles of evidence with ample scholarly analysis supporting the topic sentence. The A paper closes with a thoughtful summation of what the essay has proven and often builds to a general reflection that connects the main idea to our world exposing some larger, important, and overlooked truths about life and our world. Key: TS = topic sentence, EV = evidence, AN = analysis
Content: An "A" paper provides deep scholarly analysis and almost no summary or reporting. Its analysis answers the question "How do the elements of rhetoric create effective persuasion?" not "What argument or ideas does the article contain?" An "A" paper's arguments must be well supported with ample textual evidence and credible source data (peer-reviewed sources if required). Each article of evidence must be developed and supported with scholarly analysis appropriate to the level of this college course. The argument it makes should be convincing, interesting, and original. Its conclusion or general reflection should be a direct result of the essay's rhetorical inertia without obvious breaks in logic or extraneous ideas.
Critical Thinking, Arguments, Logic, Evidence, & Analysis: For a paper to receive an "A," an essay must show obvious signs of creativity and critical thought. Critical thinking is making new connections, conceiving new ideas, and synthesizing new solutions. It is creative thinking. It is a spark of innovation. It is introspective reasoning beyond common surface-level thoughts. It is saying, “Wait . . . A=B, B=C, so . . . WOW! A=C.” Critical thinking is not reporting, summarizing, stating the obvious, or answering questions. Critical thinking is putting it all together. It is using the ontology of one's brain and education to make new hypotheses and draw innovative conclusions. Also, the A paper's, assertions, analyses, and evidence must make a compelling, persuasive case. It uses stasis theory to identify breakpoints or places where the controversy or rhetoric being analyzed has stalled. It attempts to analyze the psychology of opponents and stakeholders to expose their hidden motives, passions, interests, and biases. Its overall argument must be convincing, interesting, and original. Moreover, the writer of an “A” paper uses concession, refutation, and counterargument to address objections to the opposing side. Finally, the author's logic and evidence should strongly and accurately support her claim(s). All claims must be supported with ample evidence from the primary texts and credible outside source data. The author should fairly and accurately characterize the existing positions of the controversy. An "A" paper is a scholarly critical analysis, not a summary or a report.
Documentation: An "A" paper must be almost completely free of MLA documentation errors, which includes the spacing and alignment of the "Works Cited" page. It must use MLA 9th edition documentation style. All sources must be appropriate, reliable, college-level, and scholarly in nature. All sources must have an author and (ideally) page numbers. An "A" paper’s peer-reviewed journal article sources (if required) must be cited from either JSTOR or Academic Search Complete and accessed through our university's library. Marked Letter Grades: (A = 94-100, A- = 90-93)

In the B paper, the main idea must be developed with some real depth. Ordinarily, a "B" paper will be completely free of major grammatical errors, and it will show a superior level of thought and expression. The "B" paper must be relatively free of errors in spelling and punctuation. A small number of format, grammar, and MLA documentation errors may be present.

Marked Letter Grades: (B+ = 87-89, B = 84-86, B- = 80-83)

The "C" paper is one that lacks brilliance but is, at least, logical in the way it develops its main idea. Its phrasing may not be high-level, but it must be reasonably clear and accurate. The "C" paper must be relatively free of major grammatical errors. It must also be relatively free of errors in spelling and punctuation. A significant number of format, grammar, and MLA documentation errors may be present.

Marked Letter Grades: (C+ = 77-79, C = 74-76, C- = 70-73)

The "D" paper indicates below average work. Such a paper usually has no clearly stated main idea, contains inadequately developed paragraphs, abounds with grammatical and mechanical errors, and/or reveals a serious lack of understanding of the subject matter. A significant number of format and MLA errors are likely present.

Marked Letter Grades: (D+ = 67-69, D = 64-66, D- = 60-63)

The "F" paper reflects a complete lack of ability to state or develop a main idea in most instances. This paper may also reveal a total lack of comprehension, as well as major errors in grammar, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, diction, paper format, and MLA documentation.

Marked Letter Grades: (F = 0-59)