iRubric: Literature Review rubric

Neither implicit nor explicit reference is made to the topic that is to be examined.

Readers are given the overall problem, challenge, or topic that is to be examined.

The topic is introduced, and readers are shown why this topic is significant for researchers in the discipline.

The report appears to have no organization, with subtopics reflecting sources rather than sub-topics.

There is a basic organization reflecting research questions, methods, or directions, but separate sources are not well integrated into the paragraphs.

The review is organized according to research questions, methods, or sub-topics, with sources well integrated to demonstrate trends in current research.

It is hard to know what the writer is trying to express. Writing is convoluted. Misspelled words, incorrect grammar, and improper punctuation are evident.

Writing is generally clear, but active verbs are sometimes missing. Meaning is sometimes hidden. Paragraph or sentence structure is too repetitive.

Writing is crisp, clear, and succinct. The writer uses strong active verbs when appropriate. Sentence structure is varied when appropriate. Style is appropriate for a scientific audience.

There is no indication the author tried to synthesize the information or make a conclusion based on the literature under review. No recommendations for future research are made.

The author provides concluding remarks that show an analysis and synthesis of ideas occurred. Some of the recommendations, however, were not supported in the body of the report.

The author was able to make succinct and precise suggestions for future research based on the review. Conclusions or summarizing claims are strongly supported in the report.

Citations for statements included in the report were not present, or references which were included were not found in the text.

Citations within the body of the report and a corresponding reference list were presented. Some formatting problems exist, or components were missing.

All needed citations were included in the report. References matched the citations, and all were encoded in CSE format.