As developed by Saint Vincent Faculty in the Interdisciplinary Writing Program. You can use the questions under each criterion to help yourself draft, revise, and edit your work.

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• Purpose - Thesis and direction are clear; the writing is addressed to a well-defined audience.
• What is the Thesis or Main Point? Is the thesis an argument, a debatable hypothesis?
• How clearly is the thesis expressed? Is there a blueprint, either implicit or explicit, indicating how the essay will develop the thesis?
• Does the thesis and the essay as a whole seem to address a clearly defined audience?

 
• Support - All generalizations and conclusions are justified by logically presented evidence.
• Is each Division of Thought and each of the essay's generalizations supported with examples, illustrations, and specifics?
• Are the generalizations made about each point fully explained? Have you fully explained how each example illustrates or proves the essay's thesis or the paragraph's topic sentence?
• Are all quotations fully commented on and analyzed?

 
• Insight - The writer has found creative ways to integrate, synthesize, and interpret challenging ideas.
• Does the essay synthesize, evaluate, and interpret the material presented?
• Is the essay creative or innovative in any ways?
• Are the thesis and arguments challenging?

 
• Organization - Ideas and support are developed one at a time systematically and logically.
• What are the main Divisions of Thought?
• Does their order match the essay's "blueprint" or organization step?
• Are the points covered in ascending order?
• Does the conclusion systematically summarize the essay's main divisions of thought and major subpoints in the same order as that of the essay?

 
• Coherence - Conceptual links are provided between individual elements of the writing.
• Are key terms set up in the thesis/organization step and then repeated at the beginning of each major division of thought? Are they repeated again in the conclusion?
• Is a summary statement made at the conclusion of each of the major divisions of thought?
• Does the essay use such connective words as "First, . . . Second,"; "Finally"; "On the one hand, . . . On the other hand"; "However"; "In spite of"; "Similarly"; "Likewise"; "In addition"; "Furthermore"; "Therefore"?
• Examine the topic sentence of each paragraph, then review the rest of the paragraph:
• Does the rest of the paragraph develop the same topic as the topic sentence?
• Is the relationship of each sentence in the paragraph to the topic sentence made plain?
• Is the relationship of each sentence to the sentence before and after it made plain?

 
• Clarity - Diction and syntax are precise; the writer has considered the reader's understanding.
• Read your essay out loud--do you or your listener hear any unclear or awkward sentences?
• Is the essay's word choice unclear or inappropriate in any places?
• If you have used a Thesaurus, be especially careful--those choices are likely to be inappropriate. You know what you mean--will your reader?
• Are grammar, spelling, and mechanics correct?

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