Home » Research Report – Example, Writing Guide and Types
Research Report – Example, Writing Guide and Types
Table of Contents
Research Report
Definition:
Research Report is a written document that presents the results of a research project or study, including the research question, methodology, results, and conclusions, in a clear and objective manner.
The purpose of a research report is to communicate the findings of the research to the intended audience, which could be other researchers, stakeholders, or the general public.
Components of Research Report
Components of Research Report are as follows:
Introduction
The introduction sets the stage for the research report and provides a brief overview of the research question or problem being investigated. It should include a clear statement of the purpose of the study and its significance or relevance to the field of research. It may also provide background information or a literature review to help contextualize the research.
Literature Review
The literature review provides a critical analysis and synthesis of the existing research and scholarship relevant to the research question or problem. It should identify the gaps, inconsistencies, and contradictions in the literature and show how the current study addresses these issues. The literature review also establishes the theoretical framework or conceptual model that guides the research.
Methodology
The methodology section describes the research design, methods, and procedures used to collect and analyze data. It should include information on the sample or participants, data collection instruments, data collection procedures, and data analysis techniques. The methodology should be clear and detailed enough to allow other researchers to replicate the study.
The results section presents the findings of the study in a clear and objective manner. It should provide a detailed description of the data and statistics used to answer the research question or test the hypothesis. Tables, graphs, and figures may be included to help visualize the data and illustrate the key findings.
The discussion section interprets the results of the study and explains their significance or relevance to the research question or problem. It should also compare the current findings with those of previous studies and identify the implications for future research or practice. The discussion should be based on the results presented in the previous section and should avoid speculation or unfounded conclusions.
The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the study and restates the main argument or thesis presented in the introduction. It should also provide a brief overview of the contributions of the study to the field of research and the implications for practice or policy.
The references section lists all the sources cited in the research report, following a specific citation style, such as APA or MLA.
The appendices section includes any additional material, such as data tables, figures, or instruments used in the study, that could not be included in the main text due to space limitations.
Types of Research Report
Types of Research Report are as follows:
Thesis is a type of research report. A thesis is a long-form research document that presents the findings and conclusions of an original research study conducted by a student as part of a graduate or postgraduate program. It is typically written by a student pursuing a higher degree, such as a Master’s or Doctoral degree, although it can also be written by researchers or scholars in other fields.
Research Paper
Research paper is a type of research report. A research paper is a document that presents the results of a research study or investigation. Research papers can be written in a variety of fields, including science, social science, humanities, and business. They typically follow a standard format that includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion sections.
Technical Report
A technical report is a detailed report that provides information about a specific technical or scientific problem or project. Technical reports are often used in engineering, science, and other technical fields to document research and development work.
Progress Report
A progress report provides an update on the progress of a research project or program over a specific period of time. Progress reports are typically used to communicate the status of a project to stakeholders, funders, or project managers.
Feasibility Report
A feasibility report assesses the feasibility of a proposed project or plan, providing an analysis of the potential risks, benefits, and costs associated with the project. Feasibility reports are often used in business, engineering, and other fields to determine the viability of a project before it is undertaken.
Field Report
A field report documents observations and findings from fieldwork, which is research conducted in the natural environment or setting. Field reports are often used in anthropology, ecology, and other social and natural sciences.
Experimental Report
An experimental report documents the results of a scientific experiment, including the hypothesis, methods, results, and conclusions. Experimental reports are often used in biology, chemistry, and other sciences to communicate the results of laboratory experiments.
Case Study Report
A case study report provides an in-depth analysis of a specific case or situation, often used in psychology, social work, and other fields to document and understand complex cases or phenomena.
Literature Review Report
A literature review report synthesizes and summarizes existing research on a specific topic, providing an overview of the current state of knowledge on the subject. Literature review reports are often used in social sciences, education, and other fields to identify gaps in the literature and guide future research.
Research Report Example
Following is a Research Report Example sample for Students:
Title: The Impact of Social Media on Academic Performance among High School Students
This study aims to investigate the relationship between social media use and academic performance among high school students. The study utilized a quantitative research design, which involved a survey questionnaire administered to a sample of 200 high school students. The findings indicate that there is a negative correlation between social media use and academic performance, suggesting that excessive social media use can lead to poor academic performance among high school students. The results of this study have important implications for educators, parents, and policymakers, as they highlight the need for strategies that can help students balance their social media use and academic responsibilities.
Introduction:
Social media has become an integral part of the lives of high school students. With the widespread use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, students can connect with friends, share photos and videos, and engage in discussions on a range of topics. While social media offers many benefits, concerns have been raised about its impact on academic performance. Many studies have found a negative correlation between social media use and academic performance among high school students (Kirschner & Karpinski, 2010; Paul, Baker, & Cochran, 2012).
Given the growing importance of social media in the lives of high school students, it is important to investigate its impact on academic performance. This study aims to address this gap by examining the relationship between social media use and academic performance among high school students.
Methodology:
The study utilized a quantitative research design, which involved a survey questionnaire administered to a sample of 200 high school students. The questionnaire was developed based on previous studies and was designed to measure the frequency and duration of social media use, as well as academic performance.
The participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique, and the survey questionnaire was distributed in the classroom during regular school hours. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis.
The findings indicate that the majority of high school students use social media platforms on a daily basis, with Facebook being the most popular platform. The results also show a negative correlation between social media use and academic performance, suggesting that excessive social media use can lead to poor academic performance among high school students.
Discussion:
The results of this study have important implications for educators, parents, and policymakers. The negative correlation between social media use and academic performance suggests that strategies should be put in place to help students balance their social media use and academic responsibilities. For example, educators could incorporate social media into their teaching strategies to engage students and enhance learning. Parents could limit their children’s social media use and encourage them to prioritize their academic responsibilities. Policymakers could develop guidelines and policies to regulate social media use among high school students.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, this study provides evidence of the negative impact of social media on academic performance among high school students. The findings highlight the need for strategies that can help students balance their social media use and academic responsibilities. Further research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms by which social media use affects academic performance and to develop effective strategies for addressing this issue.
Limitations:
One limitation of this study is the use of convenience sampling, which limits the generalizability of the findings to other populations. Future studies should use random sampling techniques to increase the representativeness of the sample. Another limitation is the use of self-reported measures, which may be subject to social desirability bias. Future studies could use objective measures of social media use and academic performance, such as tracking software and school records.
Implications:
The findings of this study have important implications for educators, parents, and policymakers. Educators could incorporate social media into their teaching strategies to engage students and enhance learning. For example, teachers could use social media platforms to share relevant educational resources and facilitate online discussions. Parents could limit their children’s social media use and encourage them to prioritize their academic responsibilities. They could also engage in open communication with their children to understand their social media use and its impact on their academic performance. Policymakers could develop guidelines and policies to regulate social media use among high school students. For example, schools could implement social media policies that restrict access during class time and encourage responsible use.
References:
Kirschner, P. A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2010). Facebook® and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1237-1245.
Paul, J. A., Baker, H. M., & Cochran, J. D. (2012). Effect of online social networking on student academic performance. Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology, 8(1), 1-19.
Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(10), 652-657.
Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948-958.
Note*: Above mention, Example is just a sample for the students’ guide. Do not directly copy and paste as your College or University assignment. Kindly do some research and Write your own.
Applications of Research Report
Research reports have many applications, including:
Communicating research findings: The primary application of a research report is to communicate the results of a study to other researchers, stakeholders, or the general public. The report serves as a way to share new knowledge, insights, and discoveries with others in the field.
Informing policy and practice : Research reports can inform policy and practice by providing evidence-based recommendations for decision-makers. For example, a research report on the effectiveness of a new drug could inform regulatory agencies in their decision-making process.
Supporting further research: Research reports can provide a foundation for further research in a particular area. Other researchers may use the findings and methodology of a report to develop new research questions or to build on existing research.
Evaluating programs and interventions : Research reports can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and interventions in achieving their intended outcomes. For example, a research report on a new educational program could provide evidence of its impact on student performance.
Demonstrating impact : Research reports can be used to demonstrate the impact of research funding or to evaluate the success of research projects. By presenting the findings and outcomes of a study, research reports can show the value of research to funders and stakeholders.
Enhancing professional development : Research reports can be used to enhance professional development by providing a source of information and learning for researchers and practitioners in a particular field. For example, a research report on a new teaching methodology could provide insights and ideas for educators to incorporate into their own practice.
How to write Research Report
Here are some steps you can follow to write a research report:
Identify the research question: The first step in writing a research report is to identify your research question. This will help you focus your research and organize your findings.
Conduct research : Once you have identified your research question, you will need to conduct research to gather relevant data and information. This can involve conducting experiments, reviewing literature, or analyzing data.
Organize your findings: Once you have gathered all of your data, you will need to organize your findings in a way that is clear and understandable. This can involve creating tables, graphs, or charts to illustrate your results.
Write the report: Once you have organized your findings, you can begin writing the report. Start with an introduction that provides background information and explains the purpose of your research. Next, provide a detailed description of your research methods and findings. Finally, summarize your results and draw conclusions based on your findings.
Proofread and edit: After you have written your report, be sure to proofread and edit it carefully. Check for grammar and spelling errors, and make sure that your report is well-organized and easy to read.
Include a reference list: Be sure to include a list of references that you used in your research. This will give credit to your sources and allow readers to further explore the topic if they choose.
Format your report: Finally, format your report according to the guidelines provided by your instructor or organization. This may include formatting requirements for headings, margins, fonts, and spacing.
Purpose of Research Report
The purpose of a research report is to communicate the results of a research study to a specific audience, such as peers in the same field, stakeholders, or the general public. The report provides a detailed description of the research methods, findings, and conclusions.
Some common purposes of a research report include:
Sharing knowledge: A research report allows researchers to share their findings and knowledge with others in their field. This helps to advance the field and improve the understanding of a particular topic.
Identifying trends: A research report can identify trends and patterns in data, which can help guide future research and inform decision-making.
Addressing problems: A research report can provide insights into problems or issues and suggest solutions or recommendations for addressing them.
Evaluating programs or interventions : A research report can evaluate the effectiveness of programs or interventions, which can inform decision-making about whether to continue, modify, or discontinue them.
Meeting regulatory requirements: In some fields, research reports are required to meet regulatory requirements, such as in the case of drug trials or environmental impact studies.
When to Write Research Report
A research report should be written after completing the research study. This includes collecting data, analyzing the results, and drawing conclusions based on the findings. Once the research is complete, the report should be written in a timely manner while the information is still fresh in the researcher’s mind.
In academic settings, research reports are often required as part of coursework or as part of a thesis or dissertation. In this case, the report should be written according to the guidelines provided by the instructor or institution.
In other settings, such as in industry or government, research reports may be required to inform decision-making or to comply with regulatory requirements. In these cases, the report should be written as soon as possible after the research is completed in order to inform decision-making in a timely manner.
Overall, the timing of when to write a research report depends on the purpose of the research, the expectations of the audience, and any regulatory requirements that need to be met. However, it is important to complete the report in a timely manner while the information is still fresh in the researcher’s mind.
Characteristics of Research Report
There are several characteristics of a research report that distinguish it from other types of writing. These characteristics include:
Objective: A research report should be written in an objective and unbiased manner. It should present the facts and findings of the research study without any personal opinions or biases.
Systematic: A research report should be written in a systematic manner. It should follow a clear and logical structure, and the information should be presented in a way that is easy to understand and follow.
Detailed: A research report should be detailed and comprehensive. It should provide a thorough description of the research methods, results, and conclusions.
Accurate : A research report should be accurate and based on sound research methods. The findings and conclusions should be supported by data and evidence.
Organized: A research report should be well-organized. It should include headings and subheadings to help the reader navigate the report and understand the main points.
Clear and concise: A research report should be written in clear and concise language. The information should be presented in a way that is easy to understand, and unnecessary jargon should be avoided.
Citations and references: A research report should include citations and references to support the findings and conclusions. This helps to give credit to other researchers and to provide readers with the opportunity to further explore the topic.
Advantages of Research Report
Research reports have several advantages, including:
Communicating research findings: Research reports allow researchers to communicate their findings to a wider audience, including other researchers, stakeholders, and the general public. This helps to disseminate knowledge and advance the understanding of a particular topic.
Providing evidence for decision-making : Research reports can provide evidence to inform decision-making, such as in the case of policy-making, program planning, or product development. The findings and conclusions can help guide decisions and improve outcomes.
Supporting further research: Research reports can provide a foundation for further research on a particular topic. Other researchers can build on the findings and conclusions of the report, which can lead to further discoveries and advancements in the field.
Demonstrating expertise: Research reports can demonstrate the expertise of the researchers and their ability to conduct rigorous and high-quality research. This can be important for securing funding, promotions, and other professional opportunities.
Meeting regulatory requirements: In some fields, research reports are required to meet regulatory requirements, such as in the case of drug trials or environmental impact studies. Producing a high-quality research report can help ensure compliance with these requirements.
Limitations of Research Report
Despite their advantages, research reports also have some limitations, including:
Time-consuming: Conducting research and writing a report can be a time-consuming process, particularly for large-scale studies. This can limit the frequency and speed of producing research reports.
Expensive: Conducting research and producing a report can be expensive, particularly for studies that require specialized equipment, personnel, or data. This can limit the scope and feasibility of some research studies.
Limited generalizability: Research studies often focus on a specific population or context, which can limit the generalizability of the findings to other populations or contexts.
Potential bias : Researchers may have biases or conflicts of interest that can influence the findings and conclusions of the research study. Additionally, participants may also have biases or may not be representative of the larger population, which can limit the validity and reliability of the findings.
Accessibility: Research reports may be written in technical or academic language, which can limit their accessibility to a wider audience. Additionally, some research may be behind paywalls or require specialized access, which can limit the ability of others to read and use the findings.
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How to Grade a Research Report
A research paper is a detailed piece of information on a particular subject. While writing a research paper with its technicalities is tough, grading them is even more challenging. To make this tiring chore effortless, you can develop grading criteria for these types of works and grade papers accordingly.
Grading Criteria for Research Papers
The quality of the work depends mainly on the information provided on a subject in detail and the organization and development of that information. Hence, there are two basic categories you can grade a research paper on:
Development of Information
This part of the process is where students must give necessary details for supporting their initial focus or topic sentence.
Holistic Information
Examples and details bolster students' research as they depict the accuracy of the topic. Therefore you must ask, are there enough details and evidence in the report to support the main argument? Whatever answer you find upon reading the report, you can grade accordingly.
Use of Other Sources
Students must use other sources such as online links or journals to back up their arguments. Students must also cite these sources to increase the authenticity of the argument. Hence if students' primary argument is only based on their philosophy and thoughts, the credibility of the research decreases upon which you can deduct scores.
Audience Centered Work
It's imperative that when students prepare a research paper, they must be aware of their audience. This step is essential because it helps narrow down the overload of information and organizes it in a digestible way for the audience. Hence, students must keep that in mind and structure their work accordingly with complementing vocabulary and phrases.
Robust Argument
A research paper provides holistic information on a particular argument instead of adding every piece of information available out there. This step helps provide clarity and reduce ambiguity. If an argument isn't clearly stated or backed up, the research becomes weak and can result in score deduction.
Organization
Students must have an organized and structured piece at the end of their research. Having to the point headings and proper order of knowledge allows the readers to navigate the bulk of information quickly, easily accessing the argument. Hence, students should structure their research papers in an easy-to-read style to clarify readers' doubts or answer their questions effortlessly.
Why Setting a Grading Criteria for Research Paper Is Important?
Grading research papers is a tedious and time-consuming task. It strips you away with its technicalities that must be followed for a well-written paper—having grading criteria preset aids in grading fairly and accurately without getting caught up in the web of information and facts. A preset grading criterion for research papers also provides students with comprehensive feedback without you spending too much of their energy.
Final Thoughts
When assigning a task as complex as writing a research paper, ensure that you have grading criteria or a rubric prepared. Doing so will let your students know what you expect to see in their research papers while allowing you to grade them reasonably efficiently.
Set grading criteria for the research paper with the help of the guidelines above and make your work easy.
Assessment rubric for research report writing: A tool for supervision.
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This guide is organized around the 7 steps in the graphic to the left to help you understand the process of writing a literature review.
This guide will help you to
Define a literature review
Recognize that different fields of study have their own way to perform and write literature reviews
Prepare to search the literature
Read critically -- analyze and synthesize
Prepare to write a literature review
At the end of the tutorial, you will find a quiz that you can submit through Canvas for course credit.
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How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates
How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates
Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.
What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .
There are five key steps to writing a literature review:
Search for relevant literature
Evaluate sources
Identify themes, debates, and gaps
Outline the structure
Write your literature review
A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.
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Table of contents
What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.
Quick Run-through
Step 1 & 2
When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:
Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.
Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.
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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.
Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)
You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.
Download Word doc Download Google doc
Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .
If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .
Make a list of keywords
Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.
Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth
Search for relevant sources
Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:
Your university’s library catalogue
Google Scholar
Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
EconLit (economics)
Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)
You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.
Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.
You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.
For each publication, ask yourself:
What question or problem is the author addressing?
What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
What are the key theories, models, and methods?
Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
What are the results and conclusions of the study?
How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?
Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.
You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.
Take notes and cite your sources
As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.
It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.
To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:
Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?
This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.
Most research has focused on young women.
There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.
There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).
Chronological
The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.
Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.
If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.
For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.
Methodological
If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:
Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources
Theoretical
A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.
You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.
Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.
The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.
Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.
As you write, you can follow these tips:
Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts
In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.
When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !
This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.
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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Sampling methods
Simple random sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling
Likert scales
Reproducibility
Statistics
Null hypothesis
Statistical power
Probability distribution
Effect size
Poisson distribution
Research bias
Optimism bias
Cognitive bias
Implicit bias
Hawthorne effect
Anchoring bias
Explicit bias
A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .
It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.
There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:
To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic
Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.
The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .
A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .
An annotated bibliography is a list of source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a paper .
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Research Guides
Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
4. The Introduction
Purpose of Guide
Design Flaws to Avoid
Independent and Dependent Variables
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Reading Research Effectively
Narrowing a Topic Idea
Broadening a Topic Idea
Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
Academic Writing Style
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Theoretical Framework
Citation Tracking
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Evaluating Sources
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Scholarly vs. Popular Publications
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The introduction leads the reader from a general subject area to a particular topic of inquiry. It establishes the scope, context, and significance of the research being conducted by summarizing current understanding and background information about the topic, stating the purpose of the work in the form of the research problem supported by a hypothesis or a set of questions, explaining briefly the methodological approach used to examine the research problem, highlighting the potential outcomes your study can reveal, and outlining the remaining structure and organization of the paper.
Key Elements of the Research Proposal. Prepared under the direction of the Superintendent and by the 2010 Curriculum Design and Writing Team. Baltimore County Public Schools.
Importance of a Good Introduction
Think of the introduction as a mental road map that must answer for the reader these four questions:
What was I studying?
Why was this topic important to investigate?
What did we know about this topic before I did this study?
How will this study advance new knowledge or new ways of understanding?
According to Reyes, there are three overarching goals of a good introduction: 1) ensure that you summarize prior studies about the topic in a manner that lays a foundation for understanding the research problem; 2) explain how your study specifically addresses gaps in the literature, insufficient consideration of the topic, or other deficiency in the literature; and, 3) note the broader theoretical, empirical, and/or policy contributions and implications of your research.
A well-written introduction is important because, quite simply, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. The opening paragraphs of your paper will provide your readers with their initial impressions about the logic of your argument, your writing style, the overall quality of your research, and, ultimately, the validity of your findings and conclusions. A vague, disorganized, or error-filled introduction will create a negative impression, whereas, a concise, engaging, and well-written introduction will lead your readers to think highly of your analytical skills, your writing style, and your research approach. All introductions should conclude with a brief paragraph that describes the organization of the rest of the paper.
Hirano, Eliana. “Research Article Introductions in English for Specific Purposes: A Comparison between Brazilian, Portuguese, and English.” English for Specific Purposes 28 (October 2009): 240-250; Samraj, B. “Introductions in Research Articles: Variations Across Disciplines.” English for Specific Purposes 21 (2002): 1–17; Introductions. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; “Writing Introductions.” In Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide. Peter Redman. 4th edition. (London: Sage, 2011), pp. 63-70; Reyes, Victoria. Demystifying the Journal Article. Inside Higher Education.
Structure and Writing Style
I. Structure and Approach
The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions for the reader:
What is this?
Why should I read it?
What do you want me to think about / consider doing / react to?
Think of the structure of the introduction as an inverted triangle of information that lays a foundation for understanding the research problem. Organize the information so as to present the more general aspects of the topic early in the introduction, then narrow your analysis to more specific topical information that provides context, finally arriving at your research problem and the rationale for studying it [often written as a series of key questions to be addressed or framed as a hypothesis or set of assumptions to be tested] and, whenever possible, a description of the potential outcomes your study can reveal.
These are general phases associated with writing an introduction: 1. Establish an area to research by:
Highlighting the importance of the topic, and/or
Making general statements about the topic, and/or
Presenting an overview on current research on the subject.
2. Identify a research niche by:
Opposing an existing assumption, and/or
Revealing a gap in existing research, and/or
Formulating a research question or problem, and/or
Continuing a disciplinary tradition.
3. Place your research within the research niche by:
Stating the intent of your study,
Outlining the key characteristics of your study,
Describing important results, and
Giving a brief overview of the structure of the paper.
NOTE: It is often useful to review the introduction late in the writing process. This is appropriate because outcomes are unknown until you've completed the study. After you complete writing the body of the paper, go back and review introductory descriptions of the structure of the paper, the method of data gathering, the reporting and analysis of results, and the conclusion. Reviewing and, if necessary, rewriting the introduction ensures that it correctly matches the overall structure of your final paper.
II. Delimitations of the Study
Delimitations refer to those characteristics that limit the scope and define the conceptual boundaries of your research . This is determined by the conscious exclusionary and inclusionary decisions you make about how to investigate the research problem. In other words, not only should you tell the reader what it is you are studying and why, but you must also acknowledge why you rejected alternative approaches that could have been used to examine the topic.
Obviously, the first limiting step was the choice of research problem itself. However, implicit are other, related problems that could have been chosen but were rejected. These should be noted in the conclusion of your introduction. For example, a delimitating statement could read, "Although many factors can be understood to impact the likelihood young people will vote, this study will focus on socioeconomic factors related to the need to work full-time while in school." The point is not to document every possible delimiting factor, but to highlight why previously researched issues related to the topic were not addressed.
Examples of delimitating choices would be:
The key aims and objectives of your study,
The research questions that you address,
The variables of interest [i.e., the various factors and features of the phenomenon being studied],
The method(s) of investigation,
The time period your study covers, and
Any relevant alternative theoretical frameworks that could have been adopted.
Review each of these decisions. Not only do you clearly establish what you intend to accomplish in your research, but you should also include a declaration of what the study does not intend to cover. In the latter case, your exclusionary decisions should be based upon criteria understood as, "not interesting"; "not directly relevant"; “too problematic because..."; "not feasible," and the like. Make this reasoning explicit!
NOTE: Delimitations refer to the initial choices made about the broader, overall design of your study and should not be confused with documenting the limitations of your study discovered after the research has been completed.
ANOTHER NOTE: Do not view delimitating statements as admitting to an inherent failing or shortcoming in your research. They are an accepted element of academic writing intended to keep the reader focused on the research problem by explicitly defining the conceptual boundaries and scope of your study. It addresses any critical questions in the reader's mind of, "Why the hell didn't the author examine this?"
III. The Narrative Flow
Issues to keep in mind that will help the narrative flow in your introduction :
Your introduction should clearly identify the subject area of interest . A simple strategy to follow is to use key words from your title in the first few sentences of the introduction. This will help focus the introduction on the topic at the appropriate level and ensures that you get to the subject matter quickly without losing focus, or discussing information that is too general.
Establish context by providing a brief and balanced review of the pertinent published literature that is available on the subject. The key is to summarize for the reader what is known about the specific research problem before you did your analysis. This part of your introduction should not represent a comprehensive literature review--that comes next. It consists of a general review of the important, foundational research literature [with citations] that establishes a foundation for understanding key elements of the research problem. See the drop-down menu under this tab for " Background Information " regarding types of contexts.
Clearly state the hypothesis that you investigated . When you are first learning to write in this format it is okay, and actually preferable, to use a past statement like, "The purpose of this study was to...." or "We investigated three possible mechanisms to explain the...."
Why did you choose this kind of research study or design? Provide a clear statement of the rationale for your approach to the problem studied. This will usually follow your statement of purpose in the last paragraph of the introduction.
IV. Engaging the Reader
A research problem in the social sciences can come across as dry and uninteresting to anyone unfamiliar with the topic . Therefore, one of the goals of your introduction is to make readers want to read your paper. Here are several strategies you can use to grab the reader's attention:
Open with a compelling story . Almost all research problems in the social sciences, no matter how obscure or esoteric , are really about the lives of people. Telling a story that humanizes an issue can help illuminate the significance of the problem and help the reader empathize with those affected by the condition being studied.
Include a strong quotation or a vivid, perhaps unexpected, anecdote . During your review of the literature, make note of any quotes or anecdotes that grab your attention because they can used in your introduction to highlight the research problem in a captivating way.
Pose a provocative or thought-provoking question . Your research problem should be framed by a set of questions to be addressed or hypotheses to be tested. However, a provocative question can be presented in the beginning of your introduction that challenges an existing assumption or compels the reader to consider an alternative viewpoint that helps establish the significance of your study.
Describe a puzzling scenario or incongruity . This involves highlighting an interesting quandary concerning the research problem or describing contradictory findings from prior studies about a topic. Posing what is essentially an unresolved intellectual riddle about the problem can engage the reader's interest in the study.
Cite a stirring example or case study that illustrates why the research problem is important . Draw upon the findings of others to demonstrate the significance of the problem and to describe how your study builds upon or offers alternatives ways of investigating this prior research.
NOTE: It is important that you choose only one of the suggested strategies for engaging your readers. This avoids giving an impression that your paper is more flash than substance and does not distract from the substance of your study.
Freedman, Leora and Jerry Plotnick. Introductions and Conclusions. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Introduction. The Structure, Format, Content, and Style of a Journal-Style Scientific Paper. Department of Biology. Bates College; Introductions. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Introductions. The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for an Argument Paper. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; “Writing Introductions.” In Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide . Peter Redman. 4th edition. (London: Sage, 2011), pp. 63-70; Resources for Writers: Introduction Strategies. Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Sharpling, Gerald. Writing an Introduction. Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick; Samraj, B. “Introductions in Research Articles: Variations Across Disciplines.” English for Specific Purposes 21 (2002): 1–17; Swales, John and Christine B. Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Skills and Tasks . 2nd edition. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2004 ; Writing Your Introduction. Department of English Writing Guide. George Mason University.
Writing Tip
Avoid the "Dictionary" Introduction
Giving the dictionary definition of words related to the research problem may appear appropriate because it is important to define specific terminology that readers may be unfamiliar with. However, anyone can look a word up in the dictionary and a general dictionary is not a particularly authoritative source because it doesn't take into account the context of your topic and doesn't offer particularly detailed information. Also, placed in the context of a particular discipline, a term or concept may have a different meaning than what is found in a general dictionary. If you feel that you must seek out an authoritative definition, use a subject specific dictionary or encyclopedia [e.g., if you are a sociology student, search for dictionaries of sociology]. A good database for obtaining definitive definitions of concepts or terms is Credo Reference .
Saba, Robert. The College Research Paper. Florida International University; Introductions. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina.
Another Writing Tip
When Do I Begin?
A common question asked at the start of any paper is, "Where should I begin?" An equally important question to ask yourself is, "When do I begin?" Research problems in the social sciences rarely rest in isolation from history. Therefore, it is important to lay a foundation for understanding the historical context underpinning the research problem. However, this information should be brief and succinct and begin at a point in time that illustrates the study's overall importance. For example, a study that investigates coffee cultivation and export in West Africa as a key stimulus for local economic growth needs to describe the beginning of exporting coffee in the region and establishing why economic growth is important. You do not need to give a long historical explanation about coffee exports in Africa. If a research problem requires a substantial exploration of the historical context, do this in the literature review section. In your introduction, make note of this as part of the "roadmap" [see below] that you use to describe the organization of your paper.
Introductions. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; “Writing Introductions.” In Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide . Peter Redman. 4th edition. (London: Sage, 2011), pp. 63-70.
Yet Another Writing Tip
Always End with a Roadmap
The final paragraph or sentences of your introduction should forecast your main arguments and conclusions and provide a brief description of the rest of the paper [the "roadmap"] that let's the reader know where you are going and what to expect. A roadmap is important because it helps the reader place the research problem within the context of their own perspectives about the topic. In addition, concluding your introduction with an explicit roadmap tells the reader that you have a clear understanding of the structural purpose of your paper. In this way, the roadmap acts as a type of promise to yourself and to your readers that you will follow a consistent and coherent approach to addressing the topic of inquiry. Refer to it often to help keep your writing focused and organized.
Cassuto, Leonard. “On the Dissertation: How to Write the Introduction.” The Chronicle of Higher Education , May 28, 2018; Radich, Michael. A Student's Guide to Writing in East Asian Studies . (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Writing n. d.), pp. 35-37.
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Last Updated: Sep 4, 2024 9:40 AM
URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide
How to Use Rubrics
A rubric is a document that describes the criteria by which students’ assignments are graded. Rubrics can be helpful for:
Making grading faster and more consistent (reducing potential bias).
Communicating your expectations for an assignment to students before they begin.
Moreover, for assignments whose criteria are more subjective, the process of creating a rubric and articulating what it looks like to succeed at an assignment provides an opportunity to check for alignment with the intended learning outcomes and modify the assignment prompt, as needed.
Why rubrics?
Rubrics are best for assignments or projects that require evaluation on multiple dimensions. Creating a rubric makes the instructor’s standards explicit to both students and other teaching staff for the class, showing students how to meet expectations.
Additionally, the more comprehensive a rubric is, the more it allows for grading to be streamlined—students will get informative feedback about their performance from the rubric, even if they don’t have as many individualized comments. Grading can be more standardized and efficient across graders.
Finally, rubrics allow for reflection, as the instructor has to think about their standards and outcomes for the students. Using rubrics can help with self-directed learning in students as well, especially if rubrics are used to review students’ own work or their peers’, or if students are involved in creating the rubric.
How to design a rubric
1. consider the desired learning outcomes.
What learning outcomes is this assignment reinforcing and assessing? If the learning outcome seems “fuzzy,” iterate on the outcome by thinking about the expected student work product. This may help you more clearly articulate the learning outcome in a way that is measurable.
2. Define criteria
What does a successful assignment submission look like? As described by Allen and Tanner (2006), it can help develop an initial list of categories that the student should demonstrate proficiency in by completing the assignment. These categories should correlate with the intended learning outcomes you identified in Step 1, although they may be more granular in some cases. For example, if the task assesses students’ ability to formulate an effective communication strategy, what components of their communication strategy will you be looking for? Talking with colleagues or looking at existing rubrics for similar tasks may give you ideas for categories to consider for evaluation.
If you have assigned this task to students before and have samples of student work, it can help create a qualitative observation guide. This is described in Linda Suskie’s book Assessing Student Learning , where she suggests thinking about what made you decide to give one assignment an A and another a C, as well as taking notes when grading assignments and looking for common patterns. The often repeated themes that you comment on may show what your goals and expectations for students are. An example of an observation guide used to take notes on predetermined areas of an assignment is shown here .
In summary, consider the following list of questions when defining criteria for a rubric (O’Reilly and Cyr, 2006):
What do you want students to learn from the task?
How will students demonstrate that they have learned?
What knowledge, skills, and behaviors are required for the task?
What steps are required for the task?
What are the characteristics of the final product?
After developing an initial list of criteria, prioritize the most important skills you want to target and eliminate unessential criteria or combine similar skills into one group. Most rubrics have between 3 and 8 criteria. Rubrics that are too lengthy make it difficult to grade and challenging for students to understand the key skills they need to achieve for the given assignment.
3. Create the rating scale
According to Suskie, you will want at least 3 performance levels: for adequate and inadequate performance, at the minimum, and an exemplary level to motivate students to strive for even better work. Rubrics often contain 5 levels, with an additional level between adequate and exemplary and a level between adequate and inadequate. Usually, no more than 5 levels are needed, as having too many rating levels can make it hard to consistently distinguish which rating to give an assignment (such as between a 6 or 7 out of 10). Suskie also suggests labeling each level with names to clarify which level represents the minimum acceptable performance. Labels will vary by assignment and subject, but some examples are:
Exceeds standard, meets standard, approaching standard, below standard
Complete evidence, partial evidence, minimal evidence, no evidence
4. Fill in descriptors
Fill in descriptors for each criterion at each performance level. Expand on the list of criteria you developed in Step 2. Begin to write full descriptions, thinking about what an exemplary example would look like for students to strive towards. Avoid vague terms like “good” and make sure to use explicit, concrete terms to describe what would make a criterion good. For instance, a criterion called “organization and structure” would be more descriptive than “writing quality.” Describe measurable behavior and use parallel language for clarity; the wording for each criterion should be very similar, except for the degree to which standards are met. For example, in a sample rubric from Chapter 9 of Suskie’s book, the criterion of “persuasiveness” has the following descriptors:
Well Done (5): Motivating questions and advance organizers convey the main idea. Information is accurate.
Satisfactory (3-4): Includes persuasive information.
Needs Improvement (1-2): Include persuasive information with few facts.
Incomplete (0): Information is incomplete, out of date, or incorrect.
These sample descriptors generally have the same sentence structure that provides consistent language across performance levels and shows the degree to which each standard is met.
5. Test your rubric
Test your rubric using a range of student work to see if the rubric is realistic. You may also consider leaving room for aspects of the assignment, such as effort, originality, and creativity, to encourage students to go beyond the rubric. If there will be multiple instructors grading, it is important to calibrate the scoring by having all graders use the rubric to grade a selected set of student work and then discuss any differences in the scores. This process helps develop consistency in grading and making the grading more valid and reliable.
Types of Rubrics
If you would like to dive deeper into rubric terminology, this section is dedicated to discussing some of the different types of rubrics. However, regardless of the type of rubric you use, it’s still most important to focus first on your learning goals and think about how the rubric will help clarify students’ expectations and measure student progress towards those learning goals.
Depending on the nature of the assignment, rubrics can come in several varieties (Suskie, 2009):
Checklist Rubric
This is the simplest kind of rubric, which lists specific features or aspects of the assignment which may be present or absent. A checklist rubric does not involve the creation of a rating scale with descriptors. See example from 18.821 project-based math class .
Rating Scale Rubric
This is like a checklist rubric, but instead of merely noting the presence or absence of a feature or aspect of the assignment, the grader also rates quality (often on a graded or Likert-style scale). See example from 6.811 assistive technology class .
Descriptive Rubric
A descriptive rubric is like a rating scale, but including descriptions of what performing to a certain level on each scale looks like. Descriptive rubrics are particularly useful in communicating instructors’ expectations of performance to students and in creating consistency with multiple graders on an assignment. This kind of rubric is probably what most people think of when they imagine a rubric. See example from 15.279 communications class .
Holistic Scoring Guide
Unlike the first 3 types of rubrics, a holistic scoring guide describes performance at different levels (e.g., A-level performance, B-level performance) holistically without analyzing the assignment into several different scales. This kind of rubric is particularly useful when there are many assignments to grade and a moderate to a high degree of subjectivity in the assessment of quality. It can be difficult to have consistency across scores, and holistic scoring guides are most helpful when making decisions quickly rather than providing detailed feedback to students. See example from 11.229 advanced writing seminar .
The kind of rubric that is most appropriate will depend on the assignment in question.
Implementation tips
Rubrics are also available to use for Canvas assignments. See this resource from Boston College for more details and guides from Canvas Instructure.
Allen, D., & Tanner, K. (2006). Rubrics: Tools for Making Learning Goals and Evaluation Criteria Explicit for Both Teachers and Learners. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 5 (3), 197-203. doi:10.1187/cbe.06-06-0168
Cherie Miot Abbanat. 11.229 Advanced Writing Seminar. Spring 2004. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu . License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA .
Haynes Miller, Nat Stapleton, Saul Glasman, and Susan Ruff. 18.821 Project Laboratory in Mathematics. Spring 2013. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu . License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA .
Lori Breslow, and Terence Heagney. 15.279 Management Communication for Undergraduates. Fall 2012. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu . License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA .
O’Reilly, L., & Cyr, T. (2006). Creating a Rubric: An Online Tutorial for Faculty. Retrieved from https://www.ucdenver.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/center-for-faculty-development/Documents/Tutorials/Rubrics/index.htm
Suskie, L. (2009). Using a scoring guide or rubric to plan and evaluate an assessment. In Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (2nd edition, pp. 137-154 ) . Jossey-Bass.
William Li, Grace Teo, and Robert Miller. 6.811 Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology. Fall 2014. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu . License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA .
This rubric can help you determine if a source is a "good" source; one that is reliable to use in your research or paper. It can help you weed out "bad" sources and defend your "good" sources to your instructor.
C.R.A.A.P.O Source Evaluation Rubric NOTE: You may need to download the PDF to fill in the form fields electronically.
How to use this Rubric:
Enter information about the source at the top of the page, i.e. title, url, author, dates
For each line, starting with Currency, read each box from left to right and choose the one that matches your source the best
Enter the column number, 1-4 that corresponds to the box that matches your source the best in the right hand column
Once every line has a number, tally the numbers in the right hand column and write the score at the bottom of the page
The score you tally is out of 24 total points. You must determine what is the lowest score you will accept.
An acceptable score for a source to be used in a research paper for college is between 20 to 24.
C.R.A.A.P.O Source Evaluation Rubric
ONE (1)
TWO (2)
THREE (3)
FOUR (4)
SCORE
No publish date listed -- or No revisions in the last eighteen months*.
No updates in the past year*.
Updated in the last six months*.
Publish date included -- or Updated in the last three months*.
Content is unrelated to your topic -- and / or level is too simple / too advanced.
Content is either related and incorrect level – Or unrelated and correct level.
Content is related -- And at correct level -- But you are not comfortable using the source in your research.
Content is related -- And at correct level – And you are comfortable using the source in your research.
No author is listed -- and No contact info provided.
No author is listed – but includes contact information.
Author is listed without credentials -- You are unsure if the author is the creator of the material.
Author is listed with credentials -- Is the originator of the information-- Contact information provided
Information is not verifiable -- Resources not documented.
Some resources are not documented -- some links do not work*.
Most resources are documented -- links work*.
Well organized source -- Resources documented -- links work*
A lot of advertising makes the content unclear.
Purpose is to sell, entertain, or persuade -- Source contains a lot of advertising and bias.
Purpose is to inform and teach-- Contains some advertising -- Minimal bias.
Purpose is to inform and teach -- Contains little advertising -- Bias free.
It is unclear what institution published and support the source.
It is unclear if author has any connection with a larger institution -- Source is .com, .org, or other generic domain type*
Source is supported by larger institution -- But some bias is apparent.
It is clear the source was published and supported by a reputable institution -- Bias free.
(of possible 24)
The C.R.A.A.P. Test was created by Sarah Blakeslee (University of California at Chico, Meriam Library). With her permission, this content was based off her original text with some modification.
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Creating rubrics for effective assessment management
How this will help:
Regardless of whether your course is online or face to face, you will need to provide feedback to your students on their strengths and areas for growth. Rubrics are one way to simplify the process of providing feedback and consistent grades to your students.
What are rubrics?
Rubrics are “scoring sheets” for learning tasks. There are multiple flavors of rubrics, but they all articulate two key variables for scoring how successful the learner has been in completing a specific task: the criteria for evaluation and the levels of performance. While you may have used rubrics in your face-to-face class, rubrics become essential when teaching online. Rubrics will not only save you time (a lot of time) when grading assignments, but they also help clarify expectations about how you are assessing students and why they received a particular grade. It also makes grading feel more objective to students (“I see what I did wrong here”), rather than subjective (“The teacher doesn’t like me and that’s why I got this grade.”).
When designing a rubric, ideally, the criteria for evaluation need to be aligned with the learning objectives [link to learning objectives] of the task. For example, if an instructor asks their learners to create an annotated bibliography for a research assignment, we can imagine that the instructor wants to give the students practice with identifying valid sources on their research topic, citing sources correctly (using the appropriate format), and summarizing sources appropriately. The criteria for evaluation in a rubric for that task might be
Quality of sources
Accuracy of citation format for each source type
Coherence of summaries
Accuracy of summaries
The levels of performance don’t necessarily have a scale they must align with. Some rubric types might use a typical letter grading scale for their levels – these rubrics often include language like “An A-level response will….” Other rubric types have very few levels of performance; sometimes they are as simple as a binary scale – complete or incomplete (a checklist is an example of this kind of rubric). How an instructor thinks about the levels of performance in a rubric is going to depend on a number of factors, including their own personal preferences and approaches to evaluating student work, and on how the task is being used in the learning experience. If a task is not going to contribute to the final grade for the course, it might not be necessary (or make sense) to provide many fine-grained levels of performance. On the other hand, an assignment that is designed to provide detailed information to the instructor as to how proficient each student is at a set of skills might need many, highly specific levels of performance. At the end of this module, we provide examples of different types of rubrics and structures for levels of performance.
What teaching goals can rubrics help meet?
In an online course, clear communication from the instructor about their expectations is critical for student success and success of the course. Effective feedback, where it is clear to the learner what they have already mastered and where there are gaps in the learners knowledge or skills, is necessary for deep learning. Rubrics help an instructor clearly explain their expectations to the class as a whole while also making it easier to give individual students specific feedback on their learning.
Although one of the practical advantages to using rubrics is to make grading of submitted assignments more efficient, they can be used for many, not mutually exclusive, purposes:
highlighting growth of a students’ skills or knowledge over time
articulating to learners the important features of a high-quality submission
assessing student participation in discussion forums
guiding student self-assessments
guiding student peer-reviews
providing feedback on ungraded or practice assignments to help students identify where they need to focus their learning efforts.
Examples of different rubrics
Different styles of rubrics are better fits for different task-types and for fulfilling the different teaching aims of a rubric . Here we focus on four different styles with varying levels of complexity: single point rubric, Specific task rubrics, general rubrics, holistic rubrics and analytical rubrics (Arter, J. A., & Chappuis, J., 2007).
Single point rubric
Sometimes, simple is easiest. A single point rubric can tell students whether they met the expectations of the criteria or not. We’d generally recommend not using too many criteria with single point rubrics, they aren’t meant for complicated evaluation. They are great for short assignments like discussion posts.
Example task : Write a 250 discussion post reflecting on the purpose of this week’s readings. (20 points)
Example rubric:
Specific task rubric
This style of rubric is useful for articulating the knowledge and skill objectives (and their respective levels) of a specific assignment.
Example task:
Design and build a trebuchet that is adjustable to launch a
5g weight a distance of 0.5m
7g weight a distance of 0.5m
10g weight a distance of 0.75m
Holistic rubric
This style of rubric enables a single, overall assessment/evaluation of a learner’s performance on a task
Write a historical research paper discussing ….
( Adapted from http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/rubrics.htm#versus )
General rubric
This style of rubric can be used for multiple, similar assignments to show growth (achieved and opportunities) over time.
Write a blog post appropriate for a specific audience exploring the themes of the reading for this week.
(Adapted from http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196 )
Analytic rubric
This style of rubric is well suited to breaking apart a complex task into component skills and allows for evaluation of those components. It can also help determine the grade for the whole assignment based on performance on the component skills. This style of rubric can look similar to a general rubric but includes detailed grading information.
( Adapted from http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196 )
Designing your own rubric
You can approach designing a rubric from multiple angles. Here we outline just one possible procedure to get started. This approach assumes the learning task is graded, but it can be generalized for other structures for levels of performance.
Start with the, “I know it when I see it,” principle. Most instructors have a sense of what makes a reasonable response to a task, even if they haven’t explicitly named those traits before. Write out as many traits of a “meets expectations” response as you can come up with – these will be your first draft of the criteria for learning.
For each type of criterion, describe what an “A” response looks like. This will be your top level of performance.
For complicated projects, consider moving systematically down each whole-grade level (B, C, D, F), describe, in terms parallel to how you described the best response, what student responses at that level often look like. Or, for more simple assignments, create very simple rubrics – either the criterion was achieved or not. Rubrics do not have to be complicated [link to single point rubric]!
Share the rubric with a colleague to get feedback or “play test” the rubric using past student work if possible.
After grading some student responses with it, you may be tempted to fine-tune some details. However, this is not recommended. For one, Canvas will not allow you to change a rubric once it has been used for grading. But it is also not recommended to change the metrics of grading after students have already been using a rubric to work from. If you find that your rubric is grading students too harshly on a particular criterion, Also, make sure you track what changes you want to make. You may want to adjust your future course rubrics or at least for the next iteration of the task or course.
Practical Tips
Creating learning objectives for each task, as you design the task, helps to ensure there is alignment between your learning activities and assessments and your course level learning objectives. It also gives a head start for the design of the rubric.
When creating a rubric, start with just a few levels of performance. It is easier to expand a rubric to include more specificity in the levels of performance than it is to shrink the number of levels. Smaller rubrics are much easier for the instructor to navigate to provide feedback.
Using a rubric will (likely) not eliminate the need for qualitative feedback to each student, but keeping a document of commonly used responses to students that you can copy and paste from can make the feedback process even more efficient.
Explicitly have students self-assess their task prior to submitting it. For example, when students submit a paper online, have them include a short (100 word or less) reflection on what they think they did well on the paper, and what they struggled with. That step seems obvious to experts (i.e. instructors) but isn’t obvious to all learners. If students make a habit of this, they will often end up with higher grades because they catch their mistakes before they submit their response(s).
Canvas and other learning management systems (LMS) have tools that allow you to create point and click rubrics. You can choose to have the tools automatically enter grades into the LMS grade book.
Rubrics can be used for students to self-evaluate their own performance or to provide feedback to peers.
University of Michigan
CRLT – Sample lab rubrics
Cult of Pedagogy – The single point rubric
Other Resources
The Chronicle of Higher Ed – A rubric for evaluating student blogs
Canvas – Creating a rubric in Canvas
Jon Mueller – Authentic assessment toolkit
Arter, J. A., & Chappuis, J. (2007). Creating & recognizing quality rubrics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Gilbert, P. K., & Dabbagh, N. (2004). How to structure online discussions for meaningful discourse: a case study. British Journal of Educational Technology , 36 (1), 5–18. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2005.00434.x
Wyss, V. L., Freedman, D., & Siebert, C. J. (2014). The Development of a Discussion Rubric for Online Courses: Standardizing Expectations of Graduate Students in Online Scholarly Discussions. TechTrends , 58 (2), 99–107. doi: 10.1007/s11528-014-0741-x
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Writing Center
What to Read
Managing Time to Read
Retain What You Read
How to Read and Understand a Rubric
How to Read a Journal Article
How to Take Notes
Schedule Time For Success
Choosing a Topic
Researching Your Topic with OneSearch
Searching Effectively
NoteTaking for Research
Organize Your Writing
Using Resources
Plagiarism This link opens in a new window
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What is a Rubric?
What is a rubric?
S'more Rubric example
How do I read a rubric?
In D2L, where can I find the rubric for my discussion, assignment, or paper?
An instructor uses a "rubric" to grade papers and projects where there are no 'right or wrong' answers (Roell, 2019, para. 3). The rubric lists the requirements or "criteria" for the assignment and describes how students will be graded on each criteria. Students check to see whether they have met the criteria before submitting their assignments (Utah Education Network, n.d.). Have you made an excellent S'more? Check out the rubric on the next tab!
Roell, K. (2019, February 25). What is a rubric? https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-rubric-p2-3212064
Discussions : You will find a link to the Discussion Rubric directly below each Discussion.
Assignments or papers:, on the assignment page, look for a "scoring guide" or a link to a "rubric" following the assignment directions., in some courses, such as en1300 composition ii and en3050 technical communications, you will find the paper rubric or "research paper requirements" under the link in the left colum: course materials or course resources page..
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Last Updated: Aug 8, 2024 7:43 AM
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This page contains the following rubrics:
Composing a Title Rubric
Creating a Research Question Rubric
Positing a Thesis Statement Rubric
Creating an Annotated Bibliography Rubric
Creating a Literature Review Rubric
Creating an Abstract Rubric
TASK: Compose a Title
LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE:
Above Satisfactory (A/B)
Satisfactory (C)
Below Satisfactory (D/F)
References the literary work, theory, and/or method
The title references the student’s chosen literary work, theory, and/or method.
The title is vague about the student’s chosen literary work, theory, and/or method.
The title does not reference the student’s chosen literary work, theory, and/or method at all.
Clarity
The reader knows exactly what to expect from the student’s work.
The reader isn’t exactly sure what to expect from the student’s work just yet.
The reader has no idea what to expect from the student’s work based on the title.
Grammar/Mechanics
MLA or APA is used correctly in the title. Grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are used correctly with minimal to no errors.
Generally, MLA or APA format is used correctly in the title, but with mistakes. Some awkward word choices or phrases as well as some grammar, punctuation, and capitalization errors.
The title contains multiple incorrect sentence structures and lacks the use of correct MLA or APA format. There are significant errors in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
References Thesis Statement*
The title references the chosen argument.*
The title only slightly references the chosen argument.*
The title does not reference the chosen argument at all.*
* Note: Titles that reference thesis statements and arguments may be OPTIONAL. Please check with your instructor.
TASK: Create a Research Question
LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE:
Above Satisfactory (A/B)
Satisfactory (C)
Below Satisfactory (D/F)
Clear, Complex, and Focused Question
The research question is clear, complex, and focused. It is not unnecessarily loaded or leaning. It sets up a researchable and realistic project.
The research question remains too broad or too narrow. It is somewhat unnecessarily loaded or leaning. It is not very researchable and the project it sets up is not very realistic. The research question requires refining.
The research question is extremely broad or narrow. It is very unnecessarily loaded or leaning. It is not researchable and sets up an unrealistic project. The research question requires major refining.
Arguable Answers
The possible answers to the research question (the thesis) are arguable. These answers can be much more than just “yes” or “no.”
The possible answers to the research question (the thesis) are only partially arguable. These answers can be only slightly more than just “yes” or “no.”
The possible answers to the research question (the thesis) are unarguable. These answers can only be a mere “yes” or “no.”
Relevance to the scholarly conversation
The research question is relevant to the scholarly conversation and includes key concepts in the discipline. Other researchers and scholars are likely to be highly interested in the question.
The research question is somewhat relevant to the scholarly conversation and may be missing a key concept. Other researchers and scholars may only be slightly interested in this discourse.
The research question does not add anything of value to the scholarly conversation and is lacking any key concepts. Other researchers and scholars would not be interested in this question.
Question relates to available scholarly sources and evidence
Key research sources and evidence are available and relate directly to the research question.
Key research sources and evidence may only partially available and may only partially relate to the research question.
Key research sources and evidence are not available and/or do not relate to the research question.
Grammar/Mechanics
MLA or APA is used correctly throughout the research question. Sentence structure as well as grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are used correctly with minimal to no errors.
Generally, MLA or APA format is used correctly throughout the research question, but with mistakes. Some awkward sentences appear as well as some grammar, punctuation, and capitalization errors.
The research question contains multiple incorrect sentence structures and lacks the use of correct MLA or APA format. There are significant errors in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
TASK: Posit a Thesis Statement
LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE:
Above Satisfactory (A/B)
Satisfactory (C)
Below Satisfactory (D/F)
Clarity
The thesis statement clearly conveys the argument and answers the research question. The reader knows what to expect from the work.
The thesis statement only slightly conveys the argument and/or answers the research question. The reader isn’t sure what to expect from the work.
The thesis statement does not convey the argument and does not answer the research question. The reader has no idea what to expect from the work.
Arguable
The thesis statement is arguable. Other answers are possible, but they are not as strong as this thesis statement.
The thesis statement is only partially arguable, or other answers are possible, but they are just as strong as this thesis statement.
The thesis statement is unarguable, or other answers are possible, but they are stronger than this particular thesis statement.
Meaningful Discourse
The thesis statement situates claims in existing scholarly discourse. It adds value to the scholarly conversation.
The thesis statement partially situates claims in existing scholarly discourse. It does not add much value to the scholarly conversation.
The thesis statement does not situate claims in existing scholarly discourse. It does not add any value to the scholarly conversation.
Position
Takes a supportable position on the chosen topic and acknowledges other positions.
Takes a supportable position on the chosen topic, but fails to acknowledge other positions.
Does not take a supportable position on their chosen topic.
Effectiveness
Thesis statement is specific, relevant, and compelling. It effectively organizes all the points made in the rest of the work.
Thesis statement is only slightly specific, relevant, and/or compelling. It partially organizes all the points made in the rest of the work.
Thesis statement is not specific, relevant, and/or compelling. It does not organize the points made in the rest of the work.
Grammar/Mechanics
MLA or APA is used correctly in the thesis statement. Sentence structure as well as grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are used correctly with minimal to no errors.
Generally, MLA or APA format is used correctly in the thesis statement, but with mistakes. Some awkward phrases or sentences appear as well as some grammar, punctuation, and capitalization errors.
The thesis statement contains multiple incorrect phrase or sentence structures and lacks the use of correct MLA or APA format. There are significant errors in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
TASK: Create an Annotated Bibliography
LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE:
Above Satisfactory (A/B)
Satisfactory (C)
Below Satisfactory (D/F)
Quality/Reliability of Sources
Gathers a sufficient number of appropriate sources, which are highly relevant and credible.
Gathers a few appropriate sources, which are somewhat relevant and credible.
Does not gather enough sources; sources are not appropriate or relevant, or lack credibility.
Currency of Sources
Includes sufficiently current content.
Lacks some sufficiently current content.
Current content is entirely lacking.
Summarization
Summarizes the relevant ideas of chosen sources, states the purpose of the resource, and discusses the resource’s contribution to the topic.
Vaguely summarizes the relevant ideas of chosen sources. Most entries state the purpose of the resource and the resource’s contribution to the topic.
Does not adequately summarize the main ideas of chosen sources. Does not state the purpose of the resource nor the resource’s contribution to the topic.
Annotation
The annotation shows careful reading and a clear understanding of the source’s content, quality, and relevance. It clearly explains why the sources were chosen. Offers insight into sources and makes explicit connections to the argument as well as to other chosen sources.
The annotation shows some understanding of the source’s content, quality, and relevance. It briefly explains why the sources were chosen. Offers some insight into sources but makes few connections to the argument or to other chosen sources.
The annotation shows little to no understanding of the source’s content, quality, and relevance. It does not explain why the sources were chosen. It offers little to no insight into the sources and does not make connections to the argument or to other chosen sources.
Grammar/Mechanics
MLA or APA is used correctly throughout the annotated bibliography. Sentence structure as well as grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are used correctly with minimal to no errors.
Generally, MLA or APA format is used correctly throughout the annotated bibliography, but with mistakes. Some awkward sentences appear as well as some grammar, punctuation, and capitalization errors.
The annotated bibliography contains multiple incorrect sentence structures and lacks the use of correct MLA or APA format. There are significant errors in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
TASK: Create a Literature Review
LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE:
Above Satisfactory (A/B)
Satisfactory (C)
Below Satisfactory (D/F)
Introduction of Topic & Research Question
Effectively introduces the topic and direction of the literature review. The research question is clearly identified and connected to the content of the review.
Introduces the topic of the literature review. The research question is identified and connected to some of the content in the review.
Does not introduce the topic of the literature review. The research question is either not identified or not connected to the content of the review.
Coverage of Content/Organization
Covers appropriate content related to the topic and research question in depth. Sources are cited correctly. The organization of material is clear, effective, and appropriate.
Covers some of the content related to the topic and research question. Sources are cited with minor mistakes. The organization of material is not as clear, effective, and/or appropriate as it could be.
Does not cover appropriate content related to the topic and research question. Sources are cited incorrectly. The organization of material is not clear, effective, and/or appropriate.
Meaningful Discourse
Demonstrates a clear understanding of the available research about their topic. It situates ideas in existing discourse.
Demonstrates a partial understanding of the available research. It partially situates ideas in existing discourse.
Does not demonstrate an understanding of the available research. Ideas are not situated in existing discourse.
Essay Form
The literature review is in essay form.
The literature review is mainly or partly in essay form.
The literature review reads like a list of sources summarized.
Consideration of Audience
Addresses the target audience.
Addresses the target audience.
Does not clearly address the target audience.
Connections to Discipline/Synthesis of Ideas
Creates “wholes” out of multiple parts, synthesizes, and/or draws conclusions by combining examples, facts, and/or theories.
Struggles to make “wholes” out of multiple parts, synthesize, and/or draw conclusions by combining examples, facts, and/or theories.
Does not create “wholes” out of multiple parts. Does not synthesize or draw conclusions. Merely summarizes material from different sources.
Grammar/Mechanics
MLA or APA is used correctly throughout. Sentence structure as well as grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are used correctly with minimal to no errors.
Generally, MLA or APA format is used correctly throughout, but with mistakes. Some awkward sentences appear as well as some grammar, punctuation, and capitalization errors.
Lacks the use of correct MLA or APA format. There are significant errors in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
TASK: Create an Abstract
LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE:
Above Satisfactory (A/B)
Satisfactory (C)
Below Satisfactory (D/F)
Purpose
The abstract is clear, concise, and relevant.
The abstract could be clearer, more concise, and/or more relevant.
The purpose of the abstract is not clear, concise, and/or relevant.
Methodologies / Methods
Identifies the methods / methodologies used to support the thesis or answer the research question in an organized, specific, and concise manner.
Identifies the methods / methodologies used, but does not show how they support the thesis or answer the research question.
Does not identify the methods / methodologies used or how they support the thesis or answer the research question.
Evidence
Identifies key evidence found within the research clearly and concisely, and connects it to the purpose of the study.
Identifies evidence found within the research but does not clearly connect the evidence to the purpose of the study.
Does not identify key evidence.
Results/Conclusion
Provides an explanation of what was expected, discovered, accomplished, collected, and produced throughout their research in an organized, specific, and concise manner.
Provides an incomplete or confusing explanation of what was expected, discovered, accomplished, collected.
Does not provide an explanation of what was expected, discovered, accomplished, collected, and/or produced throughout their research.
Grammar/Mechanics
The abstract is the appropriate length and MLA or APA is used correctly throughout. Sentence structure as well as grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are used correctly with minimal to no errors.
Generally, MLA or APA format is used correctly throughout the abstract, but with mistakes. It’s not quite the appropriate length, and some awkward sentences appear as well as some grammar, punctuation, and capitalization errors.
The abstract contains multiple incorrect sentence structures and lacks the use of correct MLA or APA format. There are significant errors in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization, and it is not long enough.
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COMMENTS
PDF Scoring Rubric: Research Report/Paper
Writing; Scor.. Rubric: Research Report/Paper
PDF Research Report Portfolio Rubric
Directions: Use the rubric below as a guide to writing and revising your research report. Criteria (Weight) Good (3) Fair (2) Poor (1) Points Awarded. Introduction. A topic sentence clearly tells the topic and the main idea that readers will learn. The writer adds an interesting fact that readers will want to read.
PDF WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORT GRADING RUBRIC
WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORT GRADING RUBRIC. 9. Findings: accuracy of univariate analysis. Univariate analysis is consistent and accurate. No errors made. Analysis is generally consistent and accurate. Some errors are made. Analysis is too often inconsistent or inaccurate. Enough errors are made to distract a knowledgeable listener.
PDF Writing a Research Report
Use the section headings (outlined above) to assist with your rough plan. Write a thesis statement that clarifies the overall purpose of your report. Jot down anything you already know about the topic in the relevant sections. 3 Do the Research. Steps 1 and 2 will guide your research for this report.
PDF ASSESSMENT RUBRIC FOR RESEARCH REPORT WRITING: A TOOL FOR ...
research writing requires extensive writing describing empirical-based research. Such complex and demanding tasks require a specific and detailed assessment rubric. With such analytical rubric, students would be able to improve their writing skills (Andrade, 2000, 2001) and their understanding of the task and materials (Timmerman et al., 2010).
Example 9
Example 9 - Original Research Project Rubric
Research Report
Thesis. Thesis is a type of research report. A thesis is a long-form research document that presents the findings and conclusions of an original research study conducted by a student as part of a graduate or postgraduate program. It is typically written by a student pursuing a higher degree, such as a Master's or Doctoral degree, although it ...
Research Report Rubric Maker
Research Report Rubric Maker. Enter the appropriate information in the correct box below. Please note that if the title is left blank, nothing will appear in the output. Once you have completed the form above, click the "GENERATE RUBRIC" button below to create your rubric.
PDF Rubric Roadmap: A Guide for Creating Rubrics
There are four main stages involved in constructing a rubric: Stage 1. Reflect on what you want from students, what are your expectations, why you created the assignment, and what students learned from the assignment in the past. Stage 2. Focus on the assignment dimensions as well as the details of the assignment.
Writing a Reflective Paper
Writing a Reflective Paper - Organizing Your Social Sciences ...
Writing Rubrics: How to Score Well on Your Paper
9 Elements of a Writing Rubric: How to Score Well ...
(PDF) Assessment rubric for research report writing: A tool for
The roles of a rubric in writing a research dissertation are two-fold: (1) it serves as a meaningful guide for students' writing of their. dissertation and (2) it provides a proper reference for ...
PDF Research Project Writing Rubric
Evidence of using mostly reliable sources of information on 2 art forms (arch., art, design, drama, music). Excessive reliance on 1 or 2 sources. Reasonable picture of historical context in which arts were made. Reasonable choice of examples. Evidence of using unreliable sources, or excessive reliance on a single source.
Research Guides: How to Write a Literature Review: Start
This guide will help you to. Define a literature review. Recognize that different fields of study have their own way to perform and write literature reviews. Prepare to search the literature. Read critically -- analyze and synthesize. Prepare to write a literature review. Graphic from Literature Review (2009) by Machi and McEvoy.
How to Write a Literature Review
How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & ...
Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
How to Use Rubrics
How to Use Rubrics | Teaching + Learning Lab - MIT
Research Guides: Evaluating Sources: Evaluation Tools & Rubric
Content is related -- And at correct level -- But you are not comfortable using the source in your research. Content is related -- And at correct level - And you are comfortable using the source in your research. Authority: No author is listed -- and No contact info provided. No author is listed - but includes contact information.
Creating rubrics for effective assessment management
When creating a rubric, start with just a few levels of performance. It is easier to expand a rubric to include more specificity in the levels of performance than it is to shrink the number of levels. Smaller rubrics are much easier for the instructor to navigate to provide feedback. Using a rubric will (likely) not eliminate the need for ...
LibGuides: Writing Center: How to Read and Understand a Rubric
Marshmallow: your S'more has one black spot, so you receive 3 out of 4 points for that criteria. Chocolate: Your chocolate was melted and stayed on the crackers. The marshmallow, chocolate, and crackers "fused" or stuck together, so you receive 4 points. Graham Crackers: T. : You will find a link to the Discussion Rubric directly below each ...
[Pdf] Assessment Rubric for Research Report Writing: a Tool for
Purpose - Assessment rubric often lacks rigor and is underutilized. This article reports the effectiveness of the use of several assessment rubrics for a research writing course. Specifically, we examined students' perceived changes and observed changes in their Chapter 1 thesis writing as assessed by supervisors using an existing departmental rubric and a new task-specific rubric ...
Rubrics
Composing a Title Rubric. The title references the student's chosen literary work, theory, and/or method. The title is vague about the student's chosen literary work, theory, and/or method. The title does not reference the student's chosen literary work, theory, and/or method at all.
PDF Using Rubrics to Guide Reflective Writing in Nursing Education
lective writing rubrics, the focus is on the thinking process. Rubrics used in this manner can help organize the students' thinking for clinical. judgment development and provide a guide for faculty feedback. Reflective writing rubrics in nursing education have the potential to provide guidance.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Writing; Scor.. Rubric: Research Report/Paper
Directions: Use the rubric below as a guide to writing and revising your research report. Criteria (Weight) Good (3) Fair (2) Poor (1) Points Awarded. Introduction. A topic sentence clearly tells the topic and the main idea that readers will learn. The writer adds an interesting fact that readers will want to read.
WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORT GRADING RUBRIC. 9. Findings: accuracy of univariate analysis. Univariate analysis is consistent and accurate. No errors made. Analysis is generally consistent and accurate. Some errors are made. Analysis is too often inconsistent or inaccurate. Enough errors are made to distract a knowledgeable listener.
Use the section headings (outlined above) to assist with your rough plan. Write a thesis statement that clarifies the overall purpose of your report. Jot down anything you already know about the topic in the relevant sections. 3 Do the Research. Steps 1 and 2 will guide your research for this report.
research writing requires extensive writing describing empirical-based research. Such complex and demanding tasks require a specific and detailed assessment rubric. With such analytical rubric, students would be able to improve their writing skills (Andrade, 2000, 2001) and their understanding of the task and materials (Timmerman et al., 2010).
Example 9 - Original Research Project Rubric
Thesis. Thesis is a type of research report. A thesis is a long-form research document that presents the findings and conclusions of an original research study conducted by a student as part of a graduate or postgraduate program. It is typically written by a student pursuing a higher degree, such as a Master's or Doctoral degree, although it ...
Research Report Rubric Maker. Enter the appropriate information in the correct box below. Please note that if the title is left blank, nothing will appear in the output. Once you have completed the form above, click the "GENERATE RUBRIC" button below to create your rubric.
There are four main stages involved in constructing a rubric: Stage 1. Reflect on what you want from students, what are your expectations, why you created the assignment, and what students learned from the assignment in the past. Stage 2. Focus on the assignment dimensions as well as the details of the assignment.
Writing a Reflective Paper - Organizing Your Social Sciences ...
9 Elements of a Writing Rubric: How to Score Well ...
The roles of a rubric in writing a research dissertation are two-fold: (1) it serves as a meaningful guide for students' writing of their. dissertation and (2) it provides a proper reference for ...
Evidence of using mostly reliable sources of information on 2 art forms (arch., art, design, drama, music). Excessive reliance on 1 or 2 sources. Reasonable picture of historical context in which arts were made. Reasonable choice of examples. Evidence of using unreliable sources, or excessive reliance on a single source.
This guide will help you to. Define a literature review. Recognize that different fields of study have their own way to perform and write literature reviews. Prepare to search the literature. Read critically -- analyze and synthesize. Prepare to write a literature review. Graphic from Literature Review (2009) by Machi and McEvoy.
How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & ...
Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
How to Use Rubrics | Teaching + Learning Lab - MIT
Content is related -- And at correct level -- But you are not comfortable using the source in your research. Content is related -- And at correct level - And you are comfortable using the source in your research. Authority: No author is listed -- and No contact info provided. No author is listed - but includes contact information.
When creating a rubric, start with just a few levels of performance. It is easier to expand a rubric to include more specificity in the levels of performance than it is to shrink the number of levels. Smaller rubrics are much easier for the instructor to navigate to provide feedback. Using a rubric will (likely) not eliminate the need for ...
Marshmallow: your S'more has one black spot, so you receive 3 out of 4 points for that criteria. Chocolate: Your chocolate was melted and stayed on the crackers. The marshmallow, chocolate, and crackers "fused" or stuck together, so you receive 4 points. Graham Crackers: T. : You will find a link to the Discussion Rubric directly below each ...
Purpose - Assessment rubric often lacks rigor and is underutilized. This article reports the effectiveness of the use of several assessment rubrics for a research writing course. Specifically, we examined students' perceived changes and observed changes in their Chapter 1 thesis writing as assessed by supervisors using an existing departmental rubric and a new task-specific rubric ...
Composing a Title Rubric. The title references the student's chosen literary work, theory, and/or method. The title is vague about the student's chosen literary work, theory, and/or method. The title does not reference the student's chosen literary work, theory, and/or method at all.
lective writing rubrics, the focus is on the thinking process. Rubrics used in this manner can help organize the students' thinking for clinical. judgment development and provide a guide for faculty feedback. Reflective writing rubrics in nursing education have the potential to provide guidance.