CRITERIA FOR WRITING OR CRITIQUING AN ACADEMIC PAPER
Dr. Bob Colvin
Christopher Newport University-Government Department

1. Did the writer comply with the assignment? Is the paper the assigned length? Is the topic acceptable; and, if required, was it approved by the professor in advance?
2. Is the paper well written and does it coherently convey its intended message? Or, do you have to guess the message or pick from among many possible messages?
3. Does the paper show that the author understands the topic? Or does it contain factual errors; and does it appear that a lot of filler and "fast talking" is replacing careful reading and thoughtful writing?
4. Does the paper show comprehension of assigned material? Does the writer draw intelligently from important, relevant concepts?
5. Is the material organized in a logical manner and does the paper flow smoothly from one idea to another? Are headers used to provide a roadmap to the reader? Or, does it ramble from one marginally related subtopic to the next?
6. Are paragraphs constructed around a single idea or message to the reader? Or, are paragraphs used merely to make the pages look less cluttered? Do all the sentences in the paragraph relate to the message?
7. Limit the use of directly quoted material. The reader wants to read your writing, not that of someone else. If most of your paper comprises direct quotes, the professor is left to evaluate your ability to cut and paste rather than your ability to discuss the topic in writing (which will result in a very poor grade).
8. Is there evidence of critical thinking, or does the paper just mix and repeat the thoughts of other writers. Worse yet, does the paper simply reword another writer's description of a topic? An academic paper needs to be more than just transferring some statistics and statements from several published works and compiling them into a basic description of a topic. The writer must add "intellectual" value to the paper by identifying and explaining relationships, by suggesting a particular interpretation, and/or by telling the reader the "so what" of his or her findings. This task is much more elaborate and formalized in research papers.
9. Are the conclusions logically derived from and reasonably supported by the findings? Is the writer consistent in interpreting the information throughout the paper?
10. Is there evidence of appropriate selection and usage of journal articles.
11. Does the paper properly cite sources of information? Or, is the writer presenting the work of others without giving credit, which is PLAGIARISM. A list of references is required, but is no substitute for honest, accurate, and properly placed citations in the text portion of the paper (line, foot, or endnotes).
12. Is the paper well-proofed and free of punctuation, spelling, grammar, and language-usage errors? Dr. Bob Colvin, rev Jan 2002

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