Research Paper Rubric for Informative Writing

Use the included learning resource.

• Share the rubric with students before they begin drafting, since it specifies concrete expectations such as a three-paragraph structure with hook, thesis, and conclusion.

• Use the Citing Reliable Sources row explicitly when teaching paraphrasing and plagiarism, since it distinguishes degrees of copied versus original wording.

• Score the Research Process/Notes row during the drafting phase rather than only at final submission, since it assesses note-taking independence rather than the finished essay.

• Assessment scoring — the teacher scores a student's research-based informative writing across five categories: conventions, organization, quality of information, source citation, and research notes.

• Rubric-referenced feedback — the teacher uses written level descriptors (e.g., "3 paragraphs with clear main ideas" vs. "missing main idea") to explain a score to the student.