Dr. Philip N. Howard, University of Washington, Research Methods, Grading Guidelines

Grading Guidelines

Dr. Philip N. Howard

Department Communication

University of Washington

These are the guidelines we use for grading. We have put them online so that you can see how we make our decisions about a grade for an assignment worth 10 points. The best way to catch most of these is by asking a friend to proofread your assignment before you submit it to us.

Is spelling and basic grammar perfect in the essay? (-1 for some mistakes, -2 for a lot of mistakes)
How closely does the essay follow the assignment instructions? (+2 / +1 / 0 / -1 / -2 relative to peer group)
How does the writing style and analytical insight compare with peers? (+2 / +1 / 0 / -1 / -2 relative to peer group)
Is the essay formatted properly, with 12 point times roman font? (-1 if not)
Does the essay use gender-neutral language? (-1 if not)
Is the essay too far above or below the word limit? (-1 for too short or too long, -2 for way too short or way too long)
Are references formatted according the APA style? (-1 if not)
Are significant chunks of text pasted in from online documents? (-5 or more)