1. Purpose and Topic:
____ Focused on analyzing one of the selections listed on the assignment sheet
____ Summarizes and directly responds to ideas presented in at least two academic analyses of the same text.
2. Essay Structure:
____Has a precise title, centered (no punctuation). Example — Memory and Metaphor: Critical Analysis of Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Facing It.” An engaging title with a clear indication of the topic is needed.
____ Starts with a short introduction that identifies the title of the literary text being analyzed, the author’s full name, and the original date of publication
____ Introduction also sets up a focused main point for the essay; this is the essay’s thesis statement, based on the overall response to the research.
____ In the body, the essay breaks down the thesis into sub-topics and defends each point using the story or poem, the student’s own analysis, and the research gathered
____ Ends with a conclusion that maintains the focus established in the introduction
3. Research:
____Cites a minimum of 2 academic articles or book chapters (found using the NSU Library Databases)
____All sources are listed on the Works Cited list in MLA format after the essay
____ Story or poem from the textbook is listed on the Works Cited, as well
4. Plagiarism:
____Written in the writer’s own words and source material, both paraphrasing and quoting, is inserted as support
____Extreme care is used to name and give clear and direct credit to any outside sources within the sentences
____Introduces, summarizes, quotes, and cites research sources properly in MLA format
____No more than about 1/3 of the essay is directly quoted material
____Quotations are handled properly – quotation marks are used when needed
5. Audience Awareness:
____Seems directed to a diverse group of curious, educated adults and peers
____Makes interesting and engaging points focused on analyzing the literary texts and responding to specific ideas in the research, not just summarizing the piece or making general commentary about it
____The writer represents him/herself as well educated, professional, and shows an academic tone in the word choices (No use of “I” or “you”; no overly-casual or conversational phrases or transitions)
6. Proofreading:
____No spelling errors, or typos
____No fragments, run-ons, wrong words, or garbled sentences
____ Wordiness and repetition are avoided
____ All titles are properly punctuated in the body of the paper and in the Works Cited: article, poem, and story titles in quotation marks; journal, book, and database titles in italics.
____ Page layout is done in precise MLA style
