biology paper
| Components | Outstanding | Good | Average | Below Average | ||
| Title 2 points | Is descriptive of question and work performed Includes dependent variable, independent variable and organism studied | Gives a general description of question and work performed Missing one of the following: dependent variable, independent variable and organism studied | Is present Missing two of the following: dependent variable, independent variable and organism studied | Not present | ||
| Abstract 5 points | States clearly question being asked Gives hypothesis being tested Highlights most important findings with enough information to understand experiments States major findings and conclusions Is a concise summary of question and findings | Is missing one component of good abstract Abstract is not well organized or concise. | Is missing two components of a good abstract Does not give an overview that leads directly to the reader being able to state the major findings of the study | Is missing three or more components of a good abstract Is not written in a scientific style Includes references in abstract | ||
| Introduction 8 points | Provides the reader with the necessary information to understand the present study Piques the readers interest and makes the importance of the question real Gives appropriate information to previous studies that has an impact on the current study Does not contain superfluous information and/or is not wordy Gives a description of the specific purpose of the study, a description of the hypothesis being tested and a brief summary of the experimental strategy being used at the end of the introduction Gives a description of the study system and why it is appropriate to use it to answer hypothesis | Contains some superfluous information Does not pique the interest of the reader Is missing some needed background information Gives too much information--more like a summary Has all the components of a good introduction but some parts may be difficult to understand Gives a description of the study system with some comment on its appropriate use | Is missing one or two components of a good introduction Contains significant superfluous information Gives a description of the study system | Is missing needed information to understand the present study or is Is missing a description of the specific purpose of the study, a description of the hypothesis being tested and a brief summary of the experimental strategy being used at the end of the introduction Contains no information about the study system | ||
| Materials and Methods 6 points | Is written in paragraph form Describes how the experiment was performed with sufficient detail to enable another scientist to repeat the experiment and obtain the same results Presents easy-to-follow steps which are logical and adequately detailed without including standard procedures that all scientist know how to do Specific chemicals and equipment are mentioned along with their source (not as a list) | Is written in paragraph form Describes how the experiment was performed with sufficient detail to enable another scientist to repeat the experiment and obtain the same results Most steps are understandable but some lack detail or are confusing Most specific chemicals and equipment are mentioned along with their source (not as a list) | Is written in paragraph form Describes how the experiment was performed with some critical details are lacking Most steps are understandable but some lack detail or are confusing Most specific chemicals and equipment are mentioned along with their source (not as a list) | Is lacking several critical details so that it is impossible to repeat the experiments described Many steps are missing in describing steps in an experiment Chemicals and equipment are in a list or are not described | ||
| Results 8 points | All pertinent data is described Raw unprocessed data is absent Results presented as both narrative text and in figures and tables Data presented in a logical manner to enable the reader to draw conclusions Important data is highlighted No conclusions are present All tables and figures have appropriate legends All tables and figures are described in the narrative text | All pertinent data is described Raw unprocessed data is absent Most results presented as both narrative text and in figures and tables Most data presented in a logical manner to enable the reader to draw conclusions Most important data is highlighted All tables and figures have appropriate legends All tables and figures are described in the narrative text | Most pertinent data is described Raw unprocessed data is absent Most results presented as both narrative text and in figures and tables Most data presented in a logical manner to enable the reader to draw conclusions Most important data is highlighted Most of the tables and figures have appropriate legends Most tables and figures are described in the narrative text | Raw unprocessed data is present Some results presented as both narrative text and in figures and tables Data not clearly presented Important data not highlighted Data in tables or figures not described in narrative form | ||
| Discussion/ Conclusions 8 points | Question and hypothesis restated Conclusions are stated clearly with explicit reference to the data that support a conclusion Argument for conclusions well organized Importance of conclusions discussed Conclusions related to other studies and put into a context of current knowledge Clear differentiation between speculations and conclusions Final paragraph states the major finding of the study (the take home message) | Conclusions are stated clearly with explicit reference to the data that support a conclusion Argument for conclusions is generally well organized Importance of conclusions discussed Conclusions related to other studies and put into a context of current knowledge Final paragraph states the major finding of the study (the take home message) | Conclusions are stated clearly with reference to the data that support a conclusion Argument for the conclusions can be understood but difficult to follow Final paragraph states the major finding of the study (the take home message) | Conclusions are stated but without sufficient reference to the results that support it. Lacking several of the characters of a good discussion | ||
| References 5 points | All cited sources present No references not cited in the body present In the required format References all highly relevant | All cited sources present In required format References relevant and appropriate | Most cited sources present Generally in required format References relevant and appropriate | Many sources absent Inappropriate format References not most relevant/appropriate to study | ||
| Grammar and mechanics 4 points | Paragraphs well organized Sections with logical organization of paragraphs (especially introduction, results and conclusions) Few grammatical errors, typos and misspellings Appropriate word selection Correct use of scientific terms | Most paragraphs well organized Sections with logical organization of paragraphs (especially introduction, results and conclusions) Several grammatical errors, typos, and misspelling may be present Some misappropriate word useage errors (effect vs. affect) Some misuse of scientific terms | Many paragraphs well organized Several grammatical errors, typos, and misspelling may be present | Paper lacks well organized paragraphs Sections do not contain information presented in a logical order Many grammatical errors Many misappropriate word useage errors (e.g., effect vs. affect) Many misuses of scientific terms | ||
| Format 4 points | All components in the appropriate format Author name displayed Latin scientific name italicized with genus capitalized and species in lower case Paper stapled | Most components of the required format followed Author name displayed Paper stapled | An attempt made to follow required format Author name displayed Paper stapled | No evidence of required format or Author name missing Latin scientific name not italicized Paper not stapled | ||
| Overall Evaluation | 45-50 points | 40-44 points | 35-39 points | 0-34 points | ||
