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Essay Requirements
Your report should be about 800-1,200 words (this is a guideline – if you’re a little over or under the word count range, that’s okay. The final word count of your report really depends on the topic and what information you include in your essay, so the word count has a wide range).
Your report includes three quotations (these quotations can come from any of your sources; if you don’t quote from a source you may reference it through paraphrase or summary instead). The quotations must be referenced in correct MLA format – this means that your quotations should include signal phrasing with reference to the source the quotation came from, or your quotations should include signal phrasing and a parenthetical reference following the quotation.
Your report includes an annotated bibliography instead of a work cited page. Your annotated bibliography should contain at least three sources, but no more than seven. If you have less than three sources, the information and variety of sources you’re bringing to your research may be incomplete, and if you have more than seven sources your annotated bibliography may end up being longer than your report, but it may also suggest that the sources are not quality sources. Stay away from websites where no author or publication date are clearly labeled. If the website isn’t willing to admit authorship of the information it’s sharing, it’s going to make it more difficult for you to cite and reference, and more difficult for you to verify the trustworthiness of the source in your annotated bibliography. Try to stick to peer-reviewed sources.
Report is in MLA format throughout.
Note: failure to include three quotations, with signal phrasing and correct MLA reference, will result in an automatic 0 for this report. Do not forget to integrate three quotations.
(This final note is here because this final report tests your ability to naturally integrate and reference source material in the correct format, which is an essent

ial skill for college writing.)
Topic-How did Amazon (the company) become so successful?
Grading Rubric
Grading Criteria
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Weak
Unacceptable
Focus –Have you decided on a specific topic to focus on, and is it presented early on in your essay?
5
4
3
2
0
MLA format – Are your in-text citations formatted correctly? Did you remember to include a minimum of three quotations in your essay? All in-text references (whether it be quotation, summary, or paraphrase) must be in correct MLA format. Text should be in Times New Roman, size 12 font and double spaced. Heading on the first page should be in MLA format and all page numbers should be labeled with the page number and your last name.
25
20
15
7
0
Annotated bibliography – Does each source listed in your annotated bibliography page have an annotation that summarizes what each source is, and includes a brief analysis of the credibility/reliability of the source? Your annotated bibliography should not rely on personal, opinionated, or repetitive statements like “I used this source because…” or “I liked this source because…” Your annotations (the summary and analysis) should maintain the same objective tone as the rest of the report.
30
25
20
10
0
Information and language – Is your tone informative and understandable? Are your ideas explained in an interesting and clear manner, and are the ideas diverse enough to avoid sounding very repetitive? In order to remain objective your report should be free of biases, personal conjecture, exaggerations, false information, and should avoid the use of personal pronouns like “I/me/my/our/we/you/your.”
30
25
20
10
0
Structure – Does your essay consist of a rational sequence? Are you focused in your delivery, or are your ideas repetitive or disjointed/disconnected from each other? Transitional phrasing can help to connect one idea to the next.
20
15
10
5
0
Grammar – Does your paper communicate clearly and effectively without too many grammatical errors?