Essay Rubric
Criterion			Score	
Unity (10)	Yes	No		
Single discernible thesis?  (1)			
All material directly connected to thesis?  (1)			
Thesis appropriate to course?  (8)			

Support (5)	Yes 	No		
Specific evidence to support thesis? (1)			
Sufficient evidence to support thesis? (1)			
Variety of evidence used (Must include at least 3 of the following): (1)			
Facts			
Authority			
Logic			
Statistics			
Experience			
Credible sources? (1)			
Balanced sources? (1)			
Basic Coherence (4)	Yes 	No		
Clear plan of development? (3)			
Effective use of transitions? (1)			
Structural Coherence (7)	Yes	No	
Clear diction? (1)				
Appropriate tone?  (1)			
Logical Argument or exposition? (1)			
Style?  (no more than two “no” marks below)			
Boundaries			
Sentence structure			
Sentence variety			
Usage/spelling			
Mechanics			
Source use? (Sufficient for thesis?) (2)			
In-text citation (includes parentheticals)? (1)			
End of Text citation (Bibliography/Works Cited)? (1)			

Critical Thinking (9)	Yes	No		
Clarity (1)			
Accuracy (1)			
Precision (1)			
Relevance (1)			
Depth  (1)			
Breadth (1)			
Logic (1)			
Significance (1)			
Fairness (1)			

Total (35)