Criteria

Report and Manual Evaluation

Here you will find how your reports will be graded. This is an evaluation grid that has been developed with the help of many English teachers here and at other schools who agree that a common criteria is important to report grading. Try not to be too discouraged if your reports are not receiving the grades you would like. Instead use the grid to help you understand where you need to focus your energies to develop more competence as a writer. Also, you are allowed to rewrite each report once, except in-class ones of course, so that you may increase your score by ten points.

Criteria for Technical Writing
Each category is worth 20 points.

Clarity:

	Use specific detail. Avoid general terms. Don't say some when you mean six. Don’t say a few hours; say three hours.
	Present vocabulary that is known to the audience. Also avoid jargon words, those that avoid saying what you mean: supercede=replace, endeavor=try, cognizant=know.
	Know your audience. Different types of details are needed by different audiences.
	When using acronyms, always define than first.

Accessibility:

	Arrange information so it is easy to read.
	Use bullets, boldface, italics, underline, and CAPITALS to help make information more accessible.
	Organize material with headings.
	Order paragraphs logically, using transition words to help the reader navigate your change of ideas and thoughts.

Conciseness:

	Since the purpose in technical writing is to transmit information to an audience, don't be chatty or add extra information.
	Make sure each paragraph contains one central ideas with no more than three sub-points with details.
	Keep those sentences short and to the point. If a sentence has over twenty words in it, it is too long.
	Say what you mean right now. "You will now begin assembling the parts" is much more confusing than "Assemble the parts."
	Avoid redundancies: the month of May=May, new innovation=innovation, during the year 1998=1998.

Accuracy:

	Make sure your information is accurate. Do not guess or gloss over information. Your readers deserve exactness.
	Proofread all documents.
	Have a co-worker read your report before submitting it.
	Use spell checks. Use the dictionary if the computer insists you are wrong.
	Remember one minor error or imprecision will cast doubt on the entire work.

Correctness:

	Mechanics such as commas, periods and semi-colons are the bedrock of sentences. A misplaced comma leads to confusion
	Don't misuse common words. Know the difference between there, their, they're; know, no; your, you're; to, too.
	Avoid the intrusive "you". It is too informal in technical writing. Use third person pronouns, he, she, it, they.
	Avoid sexism: use plurals or interchange the he and she pronouns throughout the work

In order to figure out your grade from the percentage you receive on your essay, use this conversion:

100=4.0	90=3.0	80=2.0
99=3.9	89=2.9	79=1.9
98=3.8	88=2.8	78=1.8
97=3.7	87=2.7	77=1.7
96=3.6	86=2.6	76=1.6
95=3.5	85=2.5	75=1.5
94=3.4	84=2.4	74=1.4
93=3.3	83=2.3	73=1.3
92=3.2	82=2.2	72=1.2
91=3.1	81=2.1	71=1.1
Anything below 70 percent is a failing grade.