PLS 300 Paper Grading Criteria — Part 1 and Final Version - Gvsu

PLS 300 Paper Grading Criteria — Part 1 and Final VersionRated on each criteria, your grade is not strictly determined by the sum of the ratings. For part 1 of the paper, the DataAnalysis section will be excluded.Category 1 2 3 4 5 Mult.Use of Inadequate Use of Concepts Adequate Analysis of Excellent Evaluation and x2.5ConceptviewConcepts relating to the lit re-Concepts Concepts are Use of Concepts Besidesare mentioned but not central to the essay. Essay in-depth analysis of con-(A) explored, or are used incorrectly.shows an ability to focus cepts, the paper may conitedThe essay shows lim-correctly on a few concepts tain evaluations of alterna-use of concepts to definitions,to reach new insight about tive positions or counter-buzzwords, surface-level the theme of the paper. arguments in order to ex-observations, or even repetition Identifiable theory.plore a few concepts moreof reading/class material. Littledeeply and correctly. Clearpresentation of theory.presentation of a theory.Evidenceand LitReview(B)DataAnalysis(B.5)Organization(D)Adequate organization.The introductory portions ofessay contain new ideas unexploredin subsequent sections.The essay strays offtopic. Thesis not clearlywritten, no clear supportand progression of it throughessay.Some questionable generalizations.The studentleaves some ambiguity aboutwhat is true and what isbased on opinion or theory.Representationof FactsandTheory(E)Presentation(F)Lack of evidence and meaningfulLit Review Evidenceis either absent, or when used,unrelated to the essay’s mainpoints. Discussion of literaturehas no purpose other than toshow what the student read ineach.Absence of Hypotheses andAnalysis Analysis of survey (orother) data is either absent, superficial,or unrelated to theoryand hypotheses. Little or no attemptto meaningfully exploredata. Hypotheses may be absentfrom paper or poorly expressed.Author did not follow directionsfor completing any of the analyses.Poor organization. The essayis poorly organized. The studentfrequently strays off topic or hasmany irrelevant points. Essay isoften indecipherable or incoherent.No thesis or clear organizationof literature review.Many questionable generalizationsThe student’s considerationof the topic containsmany questionable generalizations.The student presents personalopinion or theory as generalizablefact. No adequate citations.Poor presentation The essayappears rushed or has numerousproblems in grammar, wordchoice, spelling, or punctuation.Any paragraphs are poorly constructed.Tables and figures arepoorly or incoherently formatted.Adequate Evidence Someof the evidence appears tobe related to the essay’smain points. But descriptionleads to somewhat superficialconsideration of literature,organized in a waythat obscures ideas.Adequate Data AnalysisSome analysis, attempt totest a clearly specified hypothesis.Adequate presentation.The essay has occasionalproblems with grammar,word choice, spelling, orpunctuation. Some intraandinter-paragraph formationproblems. Someelements of tables or figuresare inappropriateExcellent evidence Allevidence is necessary andstrongly related to essay’smain points; lit review organizedthematically. Descriptionis only used sparinglyas a building block forlonger, more in-depth considerationsof concepts.Excellent Analysis Analysisshows clear relationshipto testing hypotheses.Meaningful interpretation.Analysis of data exceedsexpectations.Excellent organizationThe organization is clearand logical. The essay iswell-developed; introductorypoints relate strongly tothe rest of the essay. Clearprogression of thesis.No questionable generalizationsThere is no ambiguitybetween fact/theoryand opinion and there are noobvious errors.Excellent presentation.The essay reads like a 4thor 5th draft. No obvious errorsin word choice, spelling,punctuation, or paragraphs.Tables and figures clearlyformatted. Follows APSAstyle guidelines for citations,bibliography, language.x2.5x5x5x2x3

Minimal standards for data analysisBeyond these criteria, your data analysis must meet particular standards to be eligible for a gradewithin an A range (90 - 100%). If analyzing survey data from the 2008 ANES, in order to beeligible for an A, your analysis must include a test of a theoretically meaningful multiple regressionmodel. Variables within the model must be clearly specified (in terms of scaling, etc.) and justifiedfor inclusion. Your results must be clearly explained, with respect to the hypothesis and theorytested. And all other instructions for data analysis must be followed as well.If preparing a paper based on country-level data, your analysis must include the following tobe eligible : 1) A sensitivity analysis, to compare the results of your test given different empiricalmeasures of the theoretical concepts tested; 2) appropriate transformations for linearity in bi-variatecomparisons. The work required in country-level analyses must be as rigorous as the work requiredfor multiple regression models.In addition, to be eligible for an A, R code used to prepare the analysis appearing in the papermust be submitted as an additional attachment to the paper. (It does not count toward the paperpage limit.)Levels of analysis — minimal standards for Grade levelsThe following describes the minimal standards for each range of grades. These characteristics arenecessary but not sufficient conditions for each grade.A range Paper must include a multiple regression model, as discussed in class. Or if a regressionmodel is inappropriate for the data, careful sensitivity analyses and appropriate variabletransformations to linearity (such as log transformations) must be included. Thorough analysisof results and attention to all aspects of the measurement and data analysis process. Mustalso meet standards for a B grade.B range Some inferential tests (as appropriate), comparing means or other statistics, as relevantto your hypothesis. Must include analysis of bi-variate measures of association, includingcorrelations and . Bivariate visualizations for key bi-variate comparisons, as well. Crosstabulationsas appropriate.C range Paper must include at least a cross-tabulation of variables and discussion of results.Papers without any attention to inferential statistics (as appropriate) can not receive anygrade higher than a C.2