Rubric

Criteria	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Mechanics	Overall, the thesis/research question, context and methodology of the paper is executed in an excellent way	Overall, the thesis/research question, context and methodology is executed well.	Overall, the thesis/research question, context and methodology is executed in a moderate way.	Overall, the thesis/research question, context and methodology is executed inadequately.
Analysis	The author provides an interesting, astute or distinctive analysis of the topic and does not simply summarize the topic.	The author provides a fairly interesting, astute or distinctive analysis of the topic and does little summary of it.	The author provides an analysis of the topic, which is moderately interesting, astute or distinctive, but there is considerable summary.	The author summarizes information, does not provide an interesting, astute or distinct analysis of the topic.
Writing	There is clear communication in the submission and it shows exceptional understanding of the issues involved in the research question.	The communication is fairly clear in the submission and it shows a thorough understanding of the issues involved in the research question.	The communication is moderately clear in the submission and it shows a general understanding of the issues involved in this question.	The communication in the submission is unclear and shows a limited understanding of the issues involved in the research question.
Syntax	Grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors are rare and do not detract from reading the paper. Basic sentence structure is good (e.g., avoids run-on sentences, sentence structure is solid).	Grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors are minimal and do not detract from reading the paper. Basic sentence structure is good (e.g., avoids run-on sentences, sentence structure is solid).	Grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors are noticeable and at times detract from reading the paper. Basic sentence structure is fair (some run-on sentences, sentence structure is questionable).	Grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors are frequent and detract from reading the paper.
Format	The submission is within the 6000 word limit, contains adequate citations where needed, uses credible sources, uses a citation style consistently.	The submission is within the 6000 word limit, contains adequate citations where needed, uses credible sources, uses a citation style consistently.	The submission is outside of the 6000 word limit, mostly contains adequate citations where needed, uses credible sources, uses a consistent citation style but with errors.	The submission is outside of the 6000 word range, has inadequate citations when needed, lacks credible sources, contains an inconsistent citation style.
Accuracy of Information	The information in the submission is entirely accurate and consistent. Where necessary, information is qualified and explained.	The information in the submission is mostly accurate and consistent. Any errors are minor, easily correctible, and do not invalidate the argument.	A fair amount of information in the submission is incorrect. This does not invalidate the entire paper, but revisions, explanations and qualifications, and recontextualisation may be needed.	Much of the submission is factually incorrect, to the extent where the argument is invalid, even with major corrections.