Collaborative Research Paper Evaluation

The following is a list of questions that I will ask myself as I evaluate your research papers. Keep in mind that I am taking on the role of the "scholarly, critical audience" that is typically invoked in college research papers; your paper needs to show consideration for this deceptively complex rhetorical situation.

• Rhetorical Appropriateness–
  • Have you presented an argument that is timely and relevant? Is your topic meaningful? Does the issue that you address offer you a reasonable chance of rhetorical success? Have you presented an argument with realistic aims?
  • Do you pose your argument in a way that is convincing to a scholarly, critical audience using the modes of persuasion that are familiar and effective to them (in this case, a traditional "rational" argument, with strong emphasis on ethos and logos)?
  • Ultimately, is your argument likely to be effective with its audience?
• Appropriate Construction of Ethos—Does article take the appropriate steps to construct your ethos? Do you use the quotations, statistics, and other forms of evidence from reputable and believable sources? Do you do so in a way that constructs your own ethos as an informed participant in a scholarly debate, or does your paper read like the collected opinions of an underinformed individual?
• Style Does your article adopt the formal, stylistic conventions of an undergraduate research paper? Despite being written by two or three people, does it read as if it was written by one (that is, does it avoid obvious disparities in written style, modes of argumentation, etc.)? Does it follow with due strictness the citation style that you have chosen (MLA or APA)?
• Group Dynamics—Have you made sufficient effort in your peer evaluation memos to keep me aware of the activities within your group, your obligations to each other, and how those obligations were or were not met? Do the evaluations from you and your peers suggest that you contributed a "fair share" of the labor and have contributed productively to the effort overall?