Your papers will be evaluated holistically, taking several criteria into account. I will focus particularly on several things we have worked on this semester. Some may apply more to some papers than others, but here is a general list:
Evidence of critical and analytical reading: Do you evaluate claims and information found in sources? Do you respond clearly and fairly with your own ideas?
Innovative, original thinking: Do your papers show evidence of your intellectual engagement with the subject? Do you present and support ideas of your own?
Structure and organization: Is your paper structured according to your supporting points and sub-topics or does it go source-by-source? Do you use a clear hypothesis statement, topic sentences, and transitions to help your reader follow your thinking? Are your paragraphs organized in a clear and logical manner that helps your reader to follow your argument?
Source usage and documentation: Do you paraphrase and quote appropriately? Do you use signal phrases, in-text citations and a works cited page to document your research? Are the conventions and elements of style we have discussed followed correctly?
Development of ideas using evidence: Do you present your main and supporting ideas clearly? Do you present credible and logically relevant evidence to support them? Do you discuss this evidence to make sure your reader can follow how it is important to your argument and how it is connected to other ideas and evidence you have presented?
Grammar, clarity and professional presentation: Have your papers been edited to improve clarity of ideas and argument? Have they been proofread for grammatical errors and typos? Is your paper presented according to the styles and conventions of your academic audience?