Scoring Rubric: Criminology vs. Media

Criteria	Exemplary	Acceptable	Unacceptable
Introduction / definition	- Clear statement of what crime being examined and purpose of paper - Interesting presentation of the question that gets the reader's attention without being flamboyant	- Able to tell what crime being examined - is a question or purpose for the paper that can draw from introduction - Introduction fairly standard / basic information	- is not clear what crime selected - no statement about purpose of paper or question being asked - The introduction leaves the reader wondering whether anything will be of interest in the paper
Findings	- Clear and accurate discussion of significant and interesting details from BOTH data sources - Information from both sources well integrated - Appropriate level of detail discussed including all key findings in both data types - Similarities or differences pointed out	- presents basic information about the crime - includes information from both data sources that relevant to question - Attempts to make connections between data - misses one or two interesting comparisons or pieces of information	- difficult to follow the information provided to have a clear understanding of the extent and characteristics of the crime being studied - Uneven presentation, with most or all data from one source - Does not discuss key findings - Fails to compare data
Charts / Tables	- Includes interesting charts / graphs from both data sources - charts / graphs include all relevant information needed to answer research question - data from media and official source easy to compare	- The data is in tables but the clarity or format could be improved. - has to read explanation to figure out key findings - some points of comparison between data sources	- do not include charts or tables from one or both data sources - or - - I am unable to decipher what you have done on the tables you do provide
Conclusion	- Develops a clear and compelling answer about how media representation of crime compares to reality and why this is important - Answer fits with findings - conclusion provides sense of closure for the reader	-Answers how media data compare to reality - Discussion of why this important is attempted but stays at fairly basic level - Answer mostly fits with findings - more restating earlier findings rather than synthesis or providing clear closure for the reader	- does not answer question of how media images compare to reality. - Does say how compares but does not attempt to discuss why this is important - Answer has no connection to findings - does not provide any sort of summary or closure for the reader
Organization & Writing	- fulfills all requirements of assignment - cites any necessary sources (including bibliography) - Writing follows the guidelines for organization - writing is clear and succinct - no (or almost no) errors in spelling or grammar	- fulfills all requirements of assignment - One or two minor problems with citing sources (or bibliography) - Writing follows the guidelines but needs better organization or clarity on occasion - contains only a few spelling or grammar errors	- misses at least one required piece of the assignment - Writing fails to follow guidelines for organization - contains so many spelling or grammatical errors that the meaning is obscured

This rubric gives you three points of comparison on the grading scale. The other two categories of “Good” and “Needs Work” would have characteristics in between the two described categories. The highlighted sections are those that are closest to representing your work. Below are additional comments concerning your paper