Name_____________________________________________________
Introduction to Biblical Literature Essay Grading Rubric
_____ Formatting (5 points): MLA style, Times New Roman (12 point font), double-spaced,
1” margins on all four sides, appropriate title/heading (make sure it is single spaced and
that your name is on there), one FULL page of writing (but no more than three pages),
and a bibliography (not included in the three pages of writing). Is the paper turned in
online and on time?
_____ Spelling and Grammar (12 points): No run-on sentences/paragraphs or short
paragraphs (one sentence), agreement of subjects and verbs, nouns, and adjectives, no
inappropriately chosen words or clauses ended in preposition, consistency in verb
tenses, correct spelling and capitalization, correct punctuation and spacing, complete and
cogent sentences, and no words missing from sentences.
_____ Content (13 points): Minimum of one or two academic sources used and cited in the
paper (make sure your sources are approved by the professor), content of the
component/accurate argumentation (are the important aspects of the component there or
are they missing? Is any material out of place? Is there any incorrect information? Are
there any conflicting statements? Are the Scripture references accurate? Is the
conclusion solid?), redundancies, and citation problems (information missing from
citations, missing references, no references used in the paper, etc.).
_____ Total Points (out of 30)
_____ Percentage
For All Written Assignments: Proofread your written work. This is a college level course, so
the instructor expects college-level work. This means that students should comply with
conventional English spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation. Make sure of
noun-verb and noun-adjective agreement. Avoid “incomplete sentences.” In other words, each
sentence must have a subject and a verb in order to be considered a complete sentence. Do not
change verb tenses in the same paragraph. Avoid long, run-on sentences and run-on
paragraphs. Use appropriate paragraph format.
Adhere to the following format requirements:
1) All writing should be saved in a Word document format
2) Times New Roman font, 12 point.
3) 1″ margins on all sides of the page.
4) Double-space except when quotes are longer than 3 lines. Quotes longer than three
lines are to be single-spaced and indented, using no quote marks. Double-spacing is
also to be used between paragraphs.
5) When citing a source, the following format should be followed
for single-page citations: (Coogan, p. 130). For multiple-page
citations, the following format should be followed: (Coogan, pp.
93-105). Reference to material presented in the lectures and in-class
discussions should be documented as follows: (Class notes, 1/29/15). Note
that in all these examples, the period follows the in-line citation of
the source.
6) Any time you make use of the ideas or words of someone other
than yourself, you must cite your source. This is equally true when you
paraphrase the words of others. Failure to do so is plagiarism and
results in serious penalties.
7) It is important to focus your writing on primary and secondary sources. A primary
source is an original source. A secondary source is about the original source. A
tertiary source is about the original AND the secondary source OR just about the
secondary source…and on and on from there. Most blog posts that revolve around the
idea that “so and so said such and such about so and so” are at the tertiary level or
lower, which is not reliable.
8) In addressing the topics assigned, specific and constant
reference to the textbooks (and for the final paper, the Class notes as
well) should occur. Further, you should demonstrate meaningful
interaction with these sources, rather than merely stringing together
disconnected quotes from the sources to achieve the minimum required
length.
9) Make your papers adhere to the length requirement, and be sure
to address each aspect of the assignment.
10) The following information should appear in single-spaced format
in the upper-left corner of the first page: Your Name, Course
Identification, Due date for the Assignment, Name of the Assignment.
11) Papers are due online by the beginning of class on the specified due date.
12) Failure to follow any of these instructions will result in points being subtracted from
your grade for the assignment.