Supplementary LaTeX Rubric

There are several sections of the Research/Design Paper Rubric that may be considered by some just a bit subjective in nature since the "Dimension" that they address is very broad. This supplementary rubric will help you to address those Dimensions more carefully and to appreciate the seriousness our department attaches to these sections.

Writing Quality

This Dimension addresses:

Most writing classes do not prepare students to write technical papers in the area of CS. The supplementary rubric measures elements related to style delineated in DrAndersonsRulesForWritingPapers. This is a technical paper. Hence you must follow DrAndersonsRulesForWritingPapers especially with regard to style. You should read that page carefully and follow it assiduously!

This paper must be written in LaTeX. Thus make sure you follow the WritingTechnicalPapersInLaTeX guide. The Supplementary rubric below will cover the elements of LaTeX that you MUST incorporate.

Thesis Support

The introduction, including the thesis or problem statement and support for that statement is THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTION OF YOUR PAPER. In the first paragraph you should clearly and concisely inform the reader of the problem and the motivation for its importance. Why its not solved comes later. See WritingTechnicalPapersInLaTeX for in depth explaination on all the parts.

NOTE: If you cannot write a paper on your chosen topic that meets the requirement of both DrAndersonsRulesForWritingPapers and WritingTechnicalPapersInLaTeX, then pick another topic!

The Supplementary Rubric

Dimension

Not yet

Beginning

Adequate

Excellent

NEVER have the titles of a section and subsection without texts between them.

Subsections always follow sections without any text between them

Most sections have text between them and a subsection

At most one subsection directly follows a section with no intervening text.

ALL sections have text following them before a subsection

NEVER have a section with a unique subsection

There exists a section with a unique subsection

There are no unique subsections

Use active and not passive form

Most of the text uses passive verb forms.

At least half of the text uses passive verb forms

Nearly all the text uses non-passive verb forms.

WOW. No passive verb forms exist in this paper.

All captions are in \small and end with a full-stop.

Captions incorrectly formatted

Half of the captions incorrectly formatted

Most captions correctly formatted

All captions are correctly formatted

All Figures/Tables are referenced before they appear

Tables/Figures not used or not referenced

Content lacks appropriate use of Figures and tables.

Figures and Tables appropriately support the content and references almost always appear correctly.

Tables and Figures form a central part of explanations in the paper and references appear correctly.

All acronyms are properly defined

Acronyms are used without definition.

Some acronyms are defined

Most acronyms are defined.

All acronyms are defined upon first usage using the full words first and the acronym in parenthesis.

Formally introduce technical definitions

No Technical definitions introduced used form \begin{definition}… LaTeX

The writer uses LaTeX \begin{definition}… to introduce Technical definitions

NO Informal English used (#25-31),

This paper breaks all or most of rules 25-31. (I, can’t, this shows, very, seems, I think, appears…)

This paper breaks the rules mentioned in about half of the instances.

Most rules are followed

All rules are systematically followed.

LaTeX

Paper does NOT Compile correctly.

Paper does compile correctly

Appropriate Bibliography is included using BibTeX

No Bibliography or not included as a BibTeX

BibTeX included but without the appropriate number of peer reviewed articles

BibTeX included with a adequate number of peer reviewed articles included.

BibTeX included. includes relevant peer reviewed articles and appropriate references to similar projects/research.