The Main Criteria of Rating a College Paper – How It’s Done

If you want to write an excellent college paper, it is important to know what criteria markers will use to evaluate and rate it. A good paper has a well-formulated argument and substantiates it with evidence of critical and independent thought. 

The way you formulate your argument, organize your paper, present evidence to back up your argument, and edit your paper all contribute to the final impression it creates. Here are some of the criteria that markers use to evaluate a college paper. 

Source: Pexels

Formulation of the argument

You need to know what you want to say and why you want to say it if you want to write a good paper. Your thesis statement must clearly define the scope and purpose of your paper. Formulating this statement means that you can design every part of your essay to develop and support your argument. You need to identify your topic, state the main points and explain how they relate to each other if you want to convey the purpose of the paper. 

It can be difficult to come up with the thesis statement right at the beginning and it may help to decide on three of four related ideas first that you think you could prove in your paper. Once you have decided on these and how they are logically related, it is easier to bring them all together into a thesis statement of one sentence. 

Organization of the paper

A coherent structure for a paper will consist of your thesis statement, an introduction, the body, and a conclusion. Every paragraph of the paper has to support your main argument and you need to transition clearly between paragraphs so the whole paper has a logical flow. 

You want a logical development of your argument from one idea to the next one so the reader can follow clearly. An illogically organized paper is often indicative of a poorly drafted outline. The outline should provide a path for you to follow with subheadings indicating different evidence you want to present. 

You don’t want to include evidence that’s unrelated to the argument and each paragraph should address a specific point. Your introduction provides context for the paper and needs to make readers excited to read further. Your conclusion should sum up the arguments presented in the body and leave the reader with a clear impression of what you’ve accomplished in the paper. 

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Source – Pexels

Evidence to back up the argument 

Your argument will be weak unless you can support it with specific evidence in the form of peer-reviewed studies in journals etc. An insightful comment is not enough unless you can back it up with contemporary and insightful research. 

You will need to do research to find appropriate studies that you can compare and contrast. The evaluation and analysis of a wide range of materials and sources separate a great essay from a bad one. It helps if you start each paragraph with a claim and focus on supporting that claim with several sources of evidence to back it up. 

The mechanics of the paper

Clarity of expression, eloquence and word choice all play a part in a well-written paper. Editing an essay is a necessary step in the essay writing process. You must use correct spelling and punctuation and show a good command of academic prose. You need to avoid errors in syntax, agreement, punctuation etc. Errors in punctuation, for instance, can completely change the meaning of a sentence. 

If your grammar is not correct, your meaning may not come across to a reader in the way you expect. It will help to review your paper carefully and change any parts that could cause confusion for readers.

Referencing and Bibliography

Make sure you use the correct referencing system. In-text citations and bibliographic citations must be consistent and correct. Citing all sources correctly is necessary if you don’t want your paper to be flagged for plagiarism. 

You need to use an in-text citation if you quote a source in the body of your essay. Directly quoting another’s work requires a reference but so too does paraphrasing someone else’s ideas. The full bibliography comes at the end and cites the sources in full with all the details. 

Conclusion

Most written assignments are marked using assessment criteria and knowing what markers are looking for can help you to produce a first-class paper. A first-class paper typically demonstrates excellence in formulating an argument, integrating a wide range of resources as evidence and using a high level of critical analysis and independent judgment. Sources are fully and accurately identified and the paper is reviewed to make sure readers find it clear and accurate. 

Author Bio: 

Judy Nelson is a highly experienced writer working in the corporate sector for many years. Her strong hand is in preparing marketing collaterals and is equally good in writing assignments for students as and when they need them. Besides her core work, she loves crypto trading, learning social media marketing, and cycling.