English 112 Paper 1 Rubric: A Literature Review in the Social Sciences

Name:                                                             Total Points:         + 75 =

Rhetorical elements (30)

10/10 1. Does the author’s work demonstrate a clear understanding of the purpose of and guidelines for writing a literature review?

5/5 2. Has the author identified at least three distinct issues discussed by the sources listed on the references page? Are they actual issues (i.e. topics on which the sources make a contribution to the scholarly conversation), or are they simply topical? That is, do the sources take a variety of positions on these issues?

5/5 3. Does the author provide a clear discussion of how each source treats the issues and why the differences of opinion are important?

5/5 4. Does the literature review flow logically from topic to topic?

5/5 5. Does the organization fit the purpose of the assignment?

Content  (20)

5/5 1. Has the author used at least five scholarly, peer-reviewed sources for the assignment? Does the paper meet the length requirements of the assignment (900-1,100 words)?

5/5 2. Has the author used concrete, specific information from the articles to make his or her points?

5/5 3. Is the focused on an appropriately narrow topic?

5/5 4. Does the author combine summary and synthesis?

Grammar and language use (10)

5/5 1. Does the author demonstrate a thorough understanding of the rules of grammar and punctuation, avoiding major errors such as fragments, comma splices, run-ons, agreement errors, misspellings, and the misuse of apostrophes to form plurals?

2/2 2. Is the author’s word choice appropriate for the assignment and the audience?

3/3 3. Are the sentences clear, concise, and readable?

APA formatting and citation style (15)

5/5 1. Is the literature review double spaced and properly formatted in APA style, with a title page, a running head, an abstract, headers for the major sections, and a list of references?

5/5 2. On the references page, are the sources listed in alphabetical order? Are they properly formatted in APA style?

5/5 4. Are the in-text citations properly formatted, including all authors’ names, year of publication, and page number as required?