Rubric for Evaluating Written Report

Attribute	1-Not acceptable	2-Below expectations	3-Meets expectations	4-Exceeds expectations	Score
Report Mechanics
Organization	inappropriate content of several sections of report	some content placed incorrectly in report	content appropriate to all section of report	excellent organization enhances readability and/or understandability of report
Complete Story Told	story told is incomplete	a few aspects of story missing	story told is complete	material added enhances quality of story told
Aesthetics	unacceptable appearance e.g., tables and figures cannot be read or understood, fonts difficult to read; style unclear	some portions are sloppy and difficulty to read; style needs improvement	text, tables, figures readable and understandable; style is acceptable	text, tables, figures so clear and understandable as to enhance report impact; style enhances readability
Format	so many format errors as to make report ineffective	a few format errors	followed specified format	unique format aspects that enhance report impact
Spelling	any spelling errors	only spelling errors are different spellings for same pronunciation	no spelling errors
Grammar and Punctuation	pages or paragraphs with multiple grammar and punctuation errors	a few significant grammar and punctuation errors	minor grammar or punctuation errors	no grammar or punctuation errors
Length	more than 20% too long or too short	10% to 20% too long or too short	length is appropriate
Content
Cover Memo problem stated, conclusion summarized	not present	simply says “here it is”	includes key results and recommendations	so clear and complete as to enhance impact of report
Abstract/Executive Summary problem stated, conclusion summarized	problem not stated, conclusion not summarized, only stated what did; not written for appropriate audience	problem stated somewhat, significant results not included; some material not appropriate for intended audience	problem clearly stated, key results clearly stated; easily understood by intended audience	so clear and complete as to enhance impact of report
Introduction problem stated, constraints explained	problem not stated, constraints not explained, assumptions not listed, contains results/conclusions	problem stated, perhaps poorly, no or limited discussion of constraints and assumptions	problem clearly stated, constraints and assumptions clearly listed	so clear and complete as to enhance impact of report
Requirements user needs or product technical requirements	many ambiguous statements, incomplete or inconsistent set of requirement, or poorly written statements	some ambiguous statements, some wording could be improved	all requirements clearly stated	so clear and complete as to eliminate any questions about what is required
Design hardware and software	unclear or major portions omitted	some ideas not well explained, but all topics addressed	clear and complete	so simple and clear the design is understandable to all intended readers
User instructions commands and responses	instructions are inadequate for the typical user	unclear explanations, for design report, few optimizations	clear, for design report, optimizations presented and explained	so clear and complete as to enhance impact of report
Theory of operation appropriate detail	missing, incomplete or incorrect description	users may have a few questions or have to reread material	instructions are complete and clear	so clear and complete as to enhance impact of report
Results- presented, methodology clear, problem solved	missing or inaccurate results	unclear or incomplete	clearly stated results	so clear and complete as to enhance impact of report
Conclusions/Recommendations present, significance explained, no new ideas	not stated, includes ideas not already discussed in report	includes ideas not already discussed in report, some recommendations not supported in document	clear, clearly follow report discussion, meaningful recommendations	so clear and complete as to enhance impact of report
References provided as appropriate	incorrect format, not cited in report		correct format, all cited in report
Appendix	appendix does not contain material cited in report	appropriate locations, appendix not clear and easy to follow	appropriate locations, appendix indexed, clear and easy to follow	so clear and complete as to enhance impact of report
Effective use of Software to prepare written report	sloppy, format for graphs and figures not followed	poor, some format errors	appropriate, all formats followed	superior clarity, all formats followed