| Criteria | Excellent (15 points) | Good (12 points) | Fair (9 points) | Poor (6 points) | Unsatisfactory (0 points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thesis | Clear and offers a strong argument without announcing intentions. | Clear and offers an argument, but slightly vague. | Thesis is present but lacks clarity or strength. | Thesis is unclear or weak. | No thesis present. |
| Clarity, Organization, and Paragraphing | Essay is well-organized, meets the 3-page requirement, and paragraphs clearly support main points. | Essay is organized, meets the 3-page requirement, but some paragraphs may not fully support main points. | Essay is somewhat organized, may not fully meet the 3-page requirement, and paragraphs are weak. | Essay lacks organization, does not meet the 3-page requirement, and paragraphs are unclear. | Essay is disorganized and does not meet the 3-page requirement. |
| Transitions | Smooth transitions between ideas and paragraphs. | Mostly smooth transitions with minor disruptions. | Some transitions are present but are often awkward. | Transitions are rare and often awkward. | No transitions between ideas and paragraphs. |
| Developed Support | Each argument point is well-supported with material from scholarly and Ebsco sources. | Most argument points are supported with material from scholarly and Ebsco sources. | Some argument points are supported, but sources are weak or insufficient. | Few argument points are supported with credible sources. | No support from scholarly or Ebsco sources. |
| Integration of Sources | Sources are introduced within the sentence by author, date, and place of study. | Sources are mostly introduced within the sentence. | Some sources are introduced, but not consistently. | Few sources are introduced within the sentence. | No sources are introduced within the sentence. |
| Logic and Fact-based Evidence | Support material is credible, scholarly, and logical. | Support material is mostly credible and logical. | Support material is somewhat credible but lacks depth. | Support material is rarely credible or logical. | Support material is not credible or logical. |
| Conclusion | Strong conclusion that goes beyond a basic summary. | Conclusion is present and somewhat goes beyond a summary. | Conclusion is present but is mostly a summary. | Conclusion is weak and mostly a summary. | No conclusion or only a basic summary. |
| Grammar | Free of sentence-boundary errors. | Few sentence-boundary errors. | Some sentence-boundary errors. | Many sentence-boundary errors. | Frequent sentence-boundary errors. |
| Punctuation, Spelling, and Capitalization | No distracting errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization. | Few errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization. | Some errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization. | Many errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization. | Frequent errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization. |
| Headings and Page Numbers | Correct MLA header and page numbers on each page. | Mostly correct MLA header and page numbers. | Some errors in MLA header or page numbers. | Many errors in MLA header or page numbers. | No MLA header or page numbers. |
| Cited Ebsco Sources | 2+ Ebsco sources used within the essay. | 2 Ebsco sources used. | 1 Ebsco source used. | No Ebsco sources used. | No sources used. |
| Adequate Paraphrasing | Paraphrased material is in the student’s own words and structure. | Mostly paraphrased in student’s own words. | Some paraphrasing but relies on original structure. | Little paraphrasing; relies heavily on original text. | No paraphrasing; original text used. |
| MLA Correct Citations within Paper | In-text citations and Works Cited are correct. | Mostly correct in-text citations and Works Cited. | Some errors in in-text citations or Works Cited. | Many errors in in-text citations or Works Cited. | No in-text citations or Works Cited. |