Finding Evaluations     Developing Criteria    Submission Notes     Evaluation

Writing an Evaluation

An evaluation is a careful assessment combined with a recommendation for others and therefore, it is a type of persuasive writing.  Evaluations use relevant criteria to evaluate; criteria are the standards by which something is judged. Evidence is provided to persuade the audience of the legitimacy of the evaluation.  For the evaluation (3 – 4 pages), you must develop criteria including standards appropriate for your specific focus.  As you develop criteria, consider what others might assess in order to make a well-reasoned judgment about the subject of your review.   You will also need to provide reasons for your judgments as well as address relevant counter-arguments.

In your evaluation essay, you will choose a topic of your choice and evaluate it; this evaluation must place the subject in a class of related objects and must develop appropriate criteria. Narrowing your topic to something that can be addressed and argued in three to four pages is central to this assignment. Think deeply and be innovative as you consider possible ways to narrow your topic; topics that you know a lot about and about which you are enthusiastic are best.  For this essay, we will begin to develop a reliable writing process that focuses on prewriting for ideas, planning your organization, drafting, revising content, and editing sentences.

            In this essay, focus on these aspects specifically:

·        write a clear and specific thesis statement with a clear evaluation

·        develop a convincing and trustworthy tone (ethos)

·        develop appropriate criteria based on recognizable standards (logos)

·        provide support for your evaluation of each criteria (logos)                               

·        use the active voice and experiment with tone; academic writing needs to be professional but it need not be dull

·        vary your sentence structure and length