Writing in labor and employment relations3/Grading rubrics final paper

A Range
An A paper has all of the qualities of a B paper, and distinguishes itself in at least some of the following ways:


 * Sets an especially challenging or original task that the student fulfills.
 * Demonstrates excellent or innovative research, which is well ordered and cited.
 * Organizes the research into a clearly and carefully delineated paradigm.
 * Uses graphics that are highly effective at conveying information.
 * Has almost completely error-free writing.
 * Has a degree of stylistic polish that exceeds the commonplace (though this alone does not make an A paper, it is often a contributing factor).
 * Exhibits a remarkably attractive appearance and visually appealing design.
 * The best A range projects are those in which the writer does more than merely import an existing paradigm into a new situation. There should be some attempt to modify the model and make it case-specific, expanding the paradigm.

B Range
A paper in the B range generally does most of the following to some extent:


 * Clearly describes or quantifies the problem or need to be addressed.
 * Has a sense of the paradigm or theoretical frame used to define the project.
 * Engages (and does not ignore) the difficulties suggested by the research or the plan.
 * Uses source materials well and places them in a logical relation to other sources and the thesis.
 * Responds to the needs or concerns of the likely audience (or funding source).
 * Strives to persuade the reader.
 * Seems feasible as a real world project.
 * Uses visual aids that are well explained and integrated into the proposal.
 * Guides the reader through the argument (using good transitions, sign posts, forecasting, etc.).
 * Has mostly error-free writing.
 * Often, a B range paper has a strong literature review but a weak plan, or alternately, an imaginative and well developed plan of action that is insufficiently supported by research.

C Range
Papers usually fall into the C range if they have some of the following characteristics:


 * The level of research, organization, and logic are sufficient to demonstrate a basic competency.
 * The paper puts information in action and is not merely a report or summary.
 * The argument shows signs of promise even if it is not fully unified or fully developed.
 * The research, while sufficient to pass, does not seem to fulfill all of the needs of the student's argument. Perhaps certain essential facts are missing from an otherwise acceptable paper.
 * The writer ignores important difficulties or avoids dealing with salient issues.
 * The writer has not fully engaged with or considered the audience's concerns about this project.
 * The solution does not follow logically from the problem.
 * The paradigm does not mesh with the practice, or is not clearly delineated.
 * Generally, a paper that is competent but fails to organize the research into a paradigm will receive a C+ grade.
 * The visual aids are especially weak or carelessly prepared.
 * The level of error is high or shows signs of general and repeated carelessness.

F Range
Reasons why a final proposal might receive a grade of F include:


 * The paper is plagiarized, in whole or in part. (Instructors must bring all plagiarism issues immediately to a Writing Program director.)
 * The paper does not meet the basic requirements of the assignment (e.g.: no visual aids or no bibliography, missing crucial sections).
 * The writer does not use sufficient or appropriate documentation (i.e.: very few, very old or completely inappropriate sources) or does not support points with references.
 * The paper is written in the form of a report, and fails to focus information toward action.
 * The paper depends largely on undirected summary.
 * The level of basic organization interferes dramatically with the paper's meaning. For example, the paragraphs do not follow logically or there is no apparent organizational structure.
 * Problems of sentence-level error (especially grammar and syntax) are so severe that they interfere with the paper's meaning and appear to be both serious and irremediable without another semester of work.
 * Examples of serious error include sentence fragments, subject-verb agreement errors, or an over-reliance on simple sentences without transitions between them. Less severe (and passable) problems include spelling errors, misused apostrophes, and bad proofreading.
 * The writer does not project a basic competence in writing.