How to Critique a Paper

"A" work

(1) Responds fully to the assignment set; (2) Discusses clearly the topic under study in terms of its biological and where appropriate historical context; (3) Shows the current state of research in this area and discusses and comments on areas of controversy (4) Is written at a level appropriate for a biologically literate but non-specialist audience; (5) Begins and end effectively; (6) Provides adequate supporting arguments, evidence, examples and details: (7) Is well organized and unified; (8) Correctly acknowledges and documents sources; (9) Is free of errors in grammar, punctuation, word choice, spelling, and format; and (10) Maintains a level of excellence and creativity in realizing (1) through (7).

"B" work	Realizes (1) through (9) fully and completely - and demonstrates overall excellence - but shows little or no originality or creativity.

"C" work	Realizes (1) through (9) adequately - and demonstrates overall competence - but contains a few, relatively minor errors or flaws. A "C" paper may show great creativity and originality but those qualities do not make up for poor or careless writing and research. A "C" paper usually looks like a next-to-final draft

"D" work	Fails to realize some elements of (1) through (9) adequately - and contains several serious errors or flaws, poor research or many minor flaws. A "D" paper often reads like a first or second draft.

"F" work	Fails to realize several elements of (1) through (9) adequately and contains many serious errors and flaws and usually is based on inadequate research.

Here are some questions that might help you as you evaluate the papers:

• Does the paper fit the course topic?
• How well does this paper contribute to our understanding of an aspect of Population or Quantitative Genetics?
• What is the main point of this project? Is it clear or did you have to work to figure out what the author was talking about?
• How well did the author utilize the tools at her or his disposal (the library, the Internet)?
• Are there diagrams or pictures that would have helped?
• How well written is the paper?
• Are there typos or grammatical errors?
• Is the general style clear?

Evaluate papers and score them as "needs work", "good", or "excellent" based on the above criteria.