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Research Paper Rubric (Grades 9-12)
This research paper rubric fits a multi-source paper of roughly four to ten pages in grades 9-12, in ELA or across content areas. Synthesis and citation carry real weight here because a paper can meet a source-count requirement and still be a stack of summaries. Hand it out with the assignment sheet so the source requirements in the second row match the number you actually assigned.
- Grades 9-12
- Subject ELA
- 100 points
- 5 criteria
- Free to copy, print and adapt
| Criterion | Exceeds | Meets | Approaching | Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Question and Thesis15 points | 14-15 ptsStates a research question narrow enough to answer in the assigned length, and a thesis that answers that question with a position rather than a summary of what was found. | 11-13 ptsQuestion and thesis are both present and connected, but the question is broader than the paper can cover, so at least one section drifts from it. | 8-10 ptsNames a topic instead of asking a question, and the thesis states that the topic is important rather than answering anything. | 0-7 ptsNeither a question nor a thesis is stated, and sections read as separate reports on the general subject. |
| Source Quality and Range20 points | 18-20 ptsMeets or exceeds the required source count using at least two source types such as peer-reviewed article, book, primary document, or established news outlet, and every source has an identifiable author and date. | 14-17 ptsMeets the required count with credible sources, but leans on one source type or includes one source whose author or date cannot be verified. | 10-13 ptsFalls one or two sources short of the requirement, or rests central claims on encyclopedia entries, undated web pages, or aggregator sites. | 0-9 ptsFewer than half the required sources appear, or sources listed on the works cited page are never cited in the text. |
| Synthesis of Sources20 points | 18-20 ptsParagraphs are organized around ideas, with two or more sources appearing in the same paragraph and their agreement or disagreement stated in the writer's own sentence. | 14-17 ptsMost paragraphs are organized around ideas, though one or two walk through a single source from start to finish. | 10-13 ptsEach paragraph reports one source in turn, and the sentences joining them do no more than say another source says. | 0-9 ptsThe paper is a sequence of summaries or stitched quotations with no sentences of the writer's own analysis. |
| Citation and Documentation20 points | 18-20 ptsEvery quotation, paraphrase, and statistic carries an in-text citation, each in-text citation matches an entry on the works cited page, and all entries follow one style. | 14-17 ptsQuotations and most paraphrases are cited; two or three formatting errors appear, or one in-text citation has no matching works cited entry. | 10-13 ptsQuotations are cited but paraphrased material is not, or several works cited entries are missing required elements such as date, publisher, or page range. | 0-9 ptsBorrowed wording or ideas appear with no citation at all, or the works cited page is missing. |
| Structure, Academic Voice, and Mechanics25 points | 23-25 ptsSections appear in the order the introduction sets up, headings or topic sentences let a reader find any claim without hunting, and the paper stays out of second person and defines the terms it uses. | 18-22 ptsOrder is clear and topic sentences carry their paragraphs; a few sentences slip into second person or informal phrasing. | 13-17 ptsThe reader must finish a paragraph to learn its point, or informal usage such as a lot and you can see appears alongside repeated mechanical errors. | 0-12 ptsNo order is detectable between sections, or errors in sentence boundaries and subject-verb agreement appear in most paragraphs. |
Total: 100 points across 5 criteria.
How to use it
- Grade the works cited page first and check three in-text citations against it. That two-minute pass sets the Citation score and often flags source problems before you read a word of the body.
- Collect an annotated source list a week before the draft is due. Source Quality is the one row students cannot fix the night before, so catching it early changes outcomes.
- For a first research paper, shift 5 points from Synthesis to Citation; for a junior or senior paper, reverse it, since summary-stacking is the ceiling by then.
- State your required source count and style on the assignment sheet in the same words used here, so the rubric row and the requirement cannot be read differently.
What students most often get wrong
- Building the paper source by source, one paragraph per source, instead of one paragraph per idea.
- Citing quotations but leaving paraphrased sentences uncited, on the assumption that rewording removes the need.
- Choosing a question so broad that the paper can only survey the topic, which makes every section shallow no matter how many sources are used.
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