Recall that an "A" paper is excellent. It is difficult to improve. It is submitted on time and demonstrates insight, originality, and attention to detail. It adheres to American English grammar and usage. It follows the assignment s formatting requirements exactly. The information is presented ethically, comprehensively, and clearly in an easy and persuasive manner. Error Points Points are taken off until 55 percent of the total grade is reached unless the memo or paper meets the criteria for zero points (see the Critical Errors section of this rubric for more information). Critical errors cost at least five percent. Some critical errors are so serious that they can fail an assignment on their own. Spelling errors count two percent (except for British spelling or a compound word error that does not change the meaning of a sentence). All other errors cost one percent of the total grade; however, one conciseness error, one minor spelling error, and one punctuation error (as long as it is not a critical error) are allowed per page without penalty. Thus, for a 50-point memo, each critical error costs 2.5 points, each spelling error costs 1 points (except for the minor exceptions see below for more information), and all other errors cost 0.5 points. For a 300-point white paper, each critical error costs 15 points, each spelling error costs 6 points, and each other error costs 3 points. Marking Errors For formatting errors, each level-2 section will be treated separately; that is, if you format some or all of your level-3 headings incorrectly in a level-2 section, I will mark the first one and count off for it. However, if in the next level-2 section you format level-3 headings wrong again, I will mark the first one and count off for it. For grammar and spelling errors, every instance is counted off with the exception of one conciseness error, one hyphen error, and one minor spelling error allowed per page without penalty. Thus, for each paragraph or document element (for example, heading, heading segment, page header, or footer) I will mark what category of error (for example, ACC) is in that paragraph or element. Sometimes I will highlight the problem area and give you the error category (I will especially do this for the first assignment, the proposal). There may be a few times where I will mark an error and tell you how to correct it. Writing Corrections To improve your writing, you must learn to find and fix your mistakes. You need to become stronger in your grammar and spelling skills and that is not done by giving you the answers outright. Do not be lazy: learn how to be a self-editor. Businesses fully expect (and rightfully so) college graduates to have a command of the English language. For the error codes, you will then need to then figure out what particular error is and then, in the writing corrections sheet, write what you would do to correct the error for additional points (10 points each for the proposal and the literature review and 30 points for the definition). You can
Merchant page 2 look in Merchant s English Usage Guide for Technical Writers or the Style Guide for help (they both have extensive indexes) as well as going to the Writing Center. Each error category below has examples of the errors contained in that category. Critical Errors (CE) A. All page numbers are missing from a memo; all page numbers are missing from a white paper s section (each section missing page numbers counts as an additional error); most or all of the pages are numbered incorrectly. B. Numbering of visuals: there are multiple visuals and the numbering is disorganized. C. Table of Contents/Illustrations/Figures/Tables Errors (each is a separate critical error): List of illustrations/figures/tables or table of contents does not match up with the document. List of illustrations/figures/tables or table of contents missing. D. All or most items in the glossary, references, or unordered list (no ranking, for example) not in alphabetical order. E. The document was submitted as a PDF file and not as a Word file (as syllabus states, you must submit as a Word document). F. A section is too short (missing important information needed by your audience to understand or be persuaded) including; executive summary too short. This shows a lack of understanding of or care for your audience or purpose. For example, you may need to give background information or another definition so that a reader who does not know the issue at hand will still be able to understand. Do not talk down to your audience, but be sure to provide the necessary details so that reasonably educated people are not confused. G. Memo heading segment or paper title page are directed to the wrong audience, or (for memos) use the wrong CC: or Through: field. For example, if you use CC: instead of Through:, the memo does not go through your supervisor first they get it at the same time as the primary audience and this can be a major problem with your supervisor. It is like you went over their head. H. Contact information is wrong. I. A heading level is inconsistently formatted, confusing the hierarchical structure (for example, a level-1 heading formatted as a level 1 in some parts of the document and formatted as a level 2 in other parts). Each section in a white paper is graded separately. J. An illustration is so fuzzy or small that it is essentially unreadable. K. Misleading information or visual. L. Page headers/section breaks: page headers not in the document header; section breaks missing. This is cheating: learn how to insert page numbers instead of typing them; learn how to create and use section breaks. M. Font sizes are far too small or far too large. N. Major Sentence-Level Errors: Comma splice, fragment, or run-on (fused). O. Vague phrases, pronoun reference, or other confused or contradictory language. I have read the passage three times and I still do not understand what you are trying to say. P. Memo or paper could use more useful visuals.
Merchant page 3 Automatic Fail Errors (Auto F) Writing is not honest: as your textbook teaches, dishonest technical writing can open writers and their organization to legal charges. Intentional plagiarism will earn a zero grade. Unintentional plagiarism, missing citations for material that is otherwise clearly quoted or visuals that are not your own but forgetting to cite them, fails a paper. Writing is not accurate: as your textbook teaches, one wrong fact can confuse readers and can be dangerous. Paper is unfinished. Paper has so many clarity, formatting, grammar, or spelling errors it is burdensome to read or has a low-quality appearance (no longer professional). Automatic Zero Grade Errors (Auto 0) The assignment is not submitted or submitted after three days. Writing is not on an assigned topic. Writing is mostly plagiarized (earn a zero grade). A second occurrence fails the course and earns a referral to the Honor Council. Accessibility (ACC) All information must be in the appropriate section, organized logically; the document needs to be easy to navigate, making information quick to find by skimming or scanning readers. A. Heading Level Errors: a required heading for a level is missing. B. Numbering: Page numbering position error (header/footer/alignment). An illustration (figure or table) or page number is missing (most are numbered); each missing number is one error up to 3 times (after that, it is a critical error). An illustration is not numbered correctly (for example, there is only one table in a document, but it is numbered as Table 3) however, incorrect numbering where the visual numbering does not match or show up in a list of illustration, or where there are multiple visuals and the numbering is disorganized are critical errors. C. Memo line incorrect (Memo of Intent for an Extended Definition memo, for example). D. Ordering of Information Glossary, references, unordered list (no ranking, for example), etc., has one or a few, at most, items not listed alphabetically. If all the items are not in alphabetical order, that is a critical error. Information is not in the appropriate section of the memo, paper, or report; list information not organized logically; table rows or columns not organized logically. Clarity (CLA) The writing needs to flow smoothly and logically between ideas. The writer s meaning needs to be clear.
Merchant page 4 A. A crucial transition is missing or incorrect transition is used. B. Illustration/visual errors: important features not noted; not titled; not integrated, including not introduced first; using color as your only indicator of emphasis or importance. C. Paragraphs are not organized in a smooth, logical manner in a page. D. A cliché or cultural, religious, or sports analogy is used (unless pertinent to your topic). E. A sentence is awkward or language is not clear enough to be understood with one reading. I had to read the passage twice to understand what you are trying to say. F. A quotation is floating, not integrated. G. Unexplained terminology; vague pronoun reference where it is not immediately obvious what the pronoun s antecedent is. H. Unnecessary archaic language, jargon, or slang. I. Unsure language ( I believe, may, etc.) used to support your thesis; such language makes you sound like you are not sure of what you are saying and robs your writing of its power. Clearly support your arguments and clearly support your recommendation. But do not talk down to your audience. J. Weak or missing topic sentence. K. Sentences not organized in a smooth, logical manner in a paragraph. Comprehensiveness (COM) The writer has a thorough understanding of audience, purpose, and context: everything (and no more) that the readers need is present. Leaving out a required section is a critical error and can even automatically fail a paper; exceptions are noted below. A. Missing contact information in instructions or memo. B. Weak analysis, justification, or support for the recommendation. You are not thinking deeply enough; your writing relies too much on reporting your research material instead of a thoughtful analysis of those materials. You either just repeated an earlier point (or points) you made, given an off-topic analysis that does not really connect to your thesis (topic), or you gave shallow analysis (equivalent to a Wikipedia article). C. Abstract (white paper or technical report): too long more of a summary than an abstract; keywords missing D. Purpose statement missing (memo). E. The sentence needs more information: may leave the reader with an unanswered question that should be answered in that sentence (sometimes you can raise a question that then takes time to answer, that is OK); for example while both are useful, I researched only one. (The writer then moves on to another topic without ever saying which one they researched and the reader now wonders, which one?) F. A visual is added only for decoration or adds unneeded information. Conciseness (CON) Writing needs to be tight, concise. Paragraphs mostly do not exceed seven lines. Remember that in technical writing you need to have your paragraphs tightly focused. See section 2 in Merchant English Usage Guide for Technical Writers at davidmmerchant.com/merchants-english-usageguide-for-technical-writers/ for information on wordiness.
Merchant page 5 A. A long paragraph needs to be split into two or more smaller paragraphs. Paragraphs need to be tightly focused. Most paragraphs should be fewer than seven sentences. B. An average of two unnecessary complex sentences per page is acceptable. C. Wordiness: includes doubled words; redundant acronyms; redundant constructions; expletives; wordy phrases such as in order that, in order to, all of the, and of [to] the fact ; unnecessary modifiers or relative clauses; fancy diction; and wordy indefinite quantifier phrases. Format (FOR) Some formatting errors are covered by accessibility errors. For example, while a memo page heading being right-aligned instead of left-aligned is a formatting error, it is counted as an accessibility error (as a reader expects the information to be on the left when looking for page numbers). Formatting errors specific to font styles is a separate error code (see below). A. Cover/Title Page Errors: Elements are not placed on the page correctly. Pagination is visible. B. Heading segment elements in a memo not aligned correctly. C. Illustration/Visual Errors: a visual splits across at two pages when cropping, resizing (as long as clarity is not lost), or, for tables, changing the font size to 11 or 10 (no less than 10) could allow the visual to not split across two pages. It is better to have a few lines of white space at the bottom of a page than to have a visual split. D. Letterhead missing on memos E. Page Header Errors: Memo page header missing the date or the To: line (each is a separate error); White paper or technical report section is missing the report or section title in the page header (each is a separate error). F. Page Margins Not 1 Inch for Entire Document G. Table of Contents/List of Illustration Errors: The List of Illustrations has the list of tables before the list of figures. Some or all lines missing ellipses. Subheadings not indented. Vertical alignment issues. H. Text Alignment Errors: No spacing between paragraphs in a memo or paper section. Paragraphs indented in a memo or in a paper section. I. Glossary entries not formatted with hanging indents. J. Heading Level Errors Heading titles are not parallel in phrasing (see Style Guide). Headings back-to-back (with no intervening text; exception: level-1 heading with a level-2 heading immediately following). Headings bumped or orphaned (heading at bottom of a page) K. Illustration/Visual Errors Error with format, placement, or alignment of visual or title.
Merchant page 6 A table header row does not have the correct background color or text color. A table that has to split across two pages (resizing text does not help keep it from splitting across two pages) does not have the table header row repeated. L. Letterhead not in top margin (page header). M. List Errors: List incorrectly formatted (bullet or numbering choice, indents, nesting, etc.). List only has one item. N. Page Header Errors The dash between section title and page number is incorrect or missing in white paper or technical report page headers. Pound sign (#) or other unapproved page numbering style. O. Page Margin Not 1 Inch on one page (counts off for each page up to three pages). P. Reference Format Errors (MLA) (each reference item is treated separately). Q. Text Alignment Errors: the text is justified (aligned to both left and right margins). Format (FOR-ls) This error involves issues with line spacing. A. The blank line between page header and body text is missing or incorrect size. B. Double-spacing instead of single-spacing. C. The spacing after or before a heading level is incorrect (for example, a level-2 heading with no blank line between it and the body text or the blank line is of an incorrect size). D. The spacing between entries in Glossary, List of Illustrations, References, or Table of Contents is not correct. E. The spacing between lines is single-spaced but is greater than 1.15 or less than 1.0. F. The spacing between paragraphs is missing or incorrect. This includes padding before or after a paragraph that makes the blank line between paragraphs larger or smaller than a blank, size 12, Times New Roman line. G. The spacing between a visual and its title or between a visual s titles and the source information is incorrect. H. The spacing between lines change (inconsistent); for example, one paragraph is singlespaced at 1.0 and another paragraph is single-spaced at 1.15. Format (FOR-t) This error involves issues with font style: A. Capitalization, B. Color. C. Emphasis (italics or underlining, for example). D. Family (Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, etc.). E. Size: font size for body text is smaller than 10 or larger than 12 (if the size is much smaller or much larger, this becomes a critical error). F. Titles (figure, page, paper, section, or table) not in proper title case (see Style Guide). G. Weight (bold).
Merchant page 7 If the heading levels are formatted incorrectly (font, size, etc.) but inconsistently applied (so that document hierarchy is not preserved), the error become a critical error. For references, this error usually involves text that needs to be italicized not being italicized or URLs are underlined and in blue color. For table of contents, this error includes subheading listings not italicized; if inconsistent (some are italicized and some are not), then each subheading that is not italicized is a separate error. Grammar and Usage (GRA) Go to the Writing Center, have someone help you with peer editing on a regular basis (a peerediting buddy), and use writing aids listed on my WordPress site (davidmmerchant.com/writinghelp/) including the English Usage Guide. A. Absolute or Hyperbole Error. B. Abbreviation, Acronym, or Initialism Errors (not punctuation). C. Article use. Too many article errors can fail a memo or paper. D. Faulty Modifiers (webapps.towson.edu/ows/moduledangling.htm): dangling, misplaced E. List Error (not punctuation): Ordered list with no introductory explanatory text (explaining the order). F. Number/Numbering Errors (not page numbers): Billion or trillion, range, spelling out, formatting or punctuating (including date or time). G. Pronoun Errors: Antecedent-agreement. Case. Either or neither. Incorrect use or overuse of I or you. Overuse of it or this (sentence could be rewritten to eliminate the pronoun). Reflexive pronoun. Shift. K. Preposition Errors (not the correct preposition; however, while awkward, distracting, or odd choice, does not change the meaning of the sentence). L. Plural: Noun should be plural but is not, or noun is plural and should be singular. Other plural issues not created by apostrophe error (for example: type of switches should be types of switches. M. Social media abbreviation or symbol use. N. Symbol Errors: Copyright or trademark symbol; percent symbol. O. Verb errors: Ending a sentence with a to be verb (too casual tone for formal writing). Avoid this by using more polished word choices or sentence structures. Passive voice. (Not all passive voice constructions are wrong; see Merchant s English Usage Guide for Technical Writers for more information.) Split Infinitive: too many words between to and the verb. Tense shift: needless verb tense shifting confuses your reader and is an unpleasant
Merchant page 8 distraction. P. Grammar Errors Other A confusing double negative Adjective agreement error (for example, this containers ). Anthropomorphizing machinery. An incorrect phrase (for example, I could care less or one in the same ). An incorrect preposition, one that changes the meaning of the sentence. An incorrect verb tense. Incorrect word order (for example, A char can be single any letter ). Double negatives. For example, while not unnecessary is not confusing, it does take more effort to read than necessary. Parallelism. Subject-verb agreement error. Subjunctive Mood. A word is missing from the sentence. Other (will indicate or give a hint). Grammar: Punctuation (GRA-p) Go to the Writing Center, have someone help you with peer editing on a regular basis (a peerediting buddy), and use writing aids listed on my WordPress site (davidmmerchant.com/writinghelp/) including the English Usage Guide. A. Abbreviation, Acronym, or Initialism Errors (punctuation). B. Apostrophe: incorrect use of an apostrophe, including missing one for a possessive construction ( it s incorrectly used is a spelling error). C. Comma Error Comma needed after an introductory clause, phrase, or word. Comma needed before the coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence (except for while which is a minor comma error). Comma needed for clarity. For example, Ever since, Frank has been a better person versus Ever since Frank has been a better person (sentence fragment). A comma splice is a major sentence-level error. Comma needed before a quote (if appropriate). Comma needed between coordinate adjectives. Comma needed to set off a non-restrictive element. Comma not correctly used with while. Comma not needed (for example, a compound predicate). Comma separating the subject from its verb. Comma used for convention (address, date, direct address, or place name. Oxford, or serial, comma not used. D. Hyphen (one hyphen error allowed per page without penalty). E. List Errors List items syntactically part of a sentence punctuation error.
Merchant page 9 Punctuation error with text introducing a list. F. Quotation/Quote Mark Errors Misplaced punctuation: comma or period not tucked inside quote. For example, a period before the opening parenthesis of an inline citation located at the end of a sentence instead of after the closing parenthesis. Quotation marks. (Single quote and double quotes mixed incorrectly but both not are missing. If both marks in a set are missing, can fail a paper on its own.) G. Punctuation Errors Other Brackets or parentheses. Capitalization. Colon. Dash (en dash or em dash) Ellipsis. Exclamation mark: Do not use exclamation marks (unless in quotes). Italicization or underlining (including in a reference item). Period missing from the last sentence in a paragraph (missing within a paragraph counts as a run-on a critical error). Punctuation in equation or formula. Question marks: Avoid using rhetorical questions in technical writing. They can come across as the writer not really knowing their mind and reads like filler. Semicolon. Slash misuse or overuse. Unnecessary punctuation (for example, commas in inline lists of only two items, punctuation after single words or clauses in a list that is not part of a sentence). Other (will indicate or give a hint). Spelling (SPE) Be aware that each instance of a spelling error is counted. Partly this is because of professional appearance: writing with multiple errors has a lower ethos. Misspellings and wrong word choices also increase chances of misreading, especially by those whose first language is not English; misspellings and wrong word choices also increase the price of properly translating a document. Use spell check and the writing aids listed on my WordPress site (davidmmerchant.com/writinghelp/), including the English Usage Guide, to help catch spelling or word choice errors. A. Misspelled words or abbreviations; nonexistent words (words not accepted as official by major dictionaries; for example, alot and conversate are not proper words). B. Misused possessive pronouns. C. Wrong word choices (including coordinating conjunctions, compound word errors [that changes the meaning of the sentence], prepositions, sexist language, sound-alikes, and transitions). An example of a major compound word error is back up (a verb) used instead of backup (a noun) or vice versa. Minor Errors (SPE-minor) These errors cost only 1 percent of the total assignment grade; one such error per page is allowed
Merchant page 10 without penalty. A. British spelling of a word. B. Compound word error that does not change the meaning of the sentence: two words should be a compound or a compound should be two words: space flight instead of the correct spaceflight or lifeform instead of the correct life form (Yes, bands, songs, and Wikipedia use the incorrect lifeform. However, life form is the official spelling.) Potentially, another minor error is a word not using its first definition (first definition listed in a standard dictionary) but is otherwise properly used. However, for this course, I will ignore this error unless you are using the archaic definition of a word.