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Announcing the New Studio Rating Checklists
“Writing is something that you can never do as well as it can be done. It is a perpetual challenge and it is more difficult than anything else that I have ever done.”—Ernest Hemingway
Most talented writers will tell you they’re never quite satisfied with their first drafts. As I type this, I do so knowing full well that even after I’ve written the last sentence, it’s not over. I’ll begin to hone and painstakingly revise this blog post. Then, I’ll ask Jennifer, my fellow Studio editor, to copyedit it for me. Still, at some point, I’ll just have to take a deep breath and click “publish.”
There is no surefire mathematical equation or formula that makes for glorious writing. Sure, we have grammatical rules and style preferences, but following these rules and preferences won't necessarily win you an award.
When we set out to clarify our current ratings system, we struggled to define each number on the scale in a way that is objective and finite. Because of its artistic nature, great writing is hard to define. In an effort to provide an accurate ratings at scale, we’ve tried to define it anyway.
And so, after much deliberation and research, we’ve developed the ratings checklist you see below. The goal is to ensure accuracy and objectivity across the board in that writers know exactly what comprises each rating, and multiple copy editors reading the same article will assign the same score.
Please take a moment to carefully review the checklist below. We suggest printing it out and using it as a reference to weigh the quality of your articles before you submit them. The higher your average scores, the more opportunities you will have within the Studio. We want you to succeed within our community, and we hope you’ll use this as a tool in your success.
Structure Rating Checklist
Content Rating Checklist
Most talented writers will tell you they’re never quite satisfied with their first drafts. As I type this, I do so knowing full well that even after I’ve written the last sentence, it’s not over. I’ll begin to hone and painstakingly revise this blog post. Then, I’ll ask Jennifer, my fellow Studio editor, to copyedit it for me. Still, at some point, I’ll just have to take a deep breath and click “publish.”
There is no surefire mathematical equation or formula that makes for glorious writing. Sure, we have grammatical rules and style preferences, but following these rules and preferences won't necessarily win you an award.
When we set out to clarify our current ratings system, we struggled to define each number on the scale in a way that is objective and finite. Because of its artistic nature, great writing is hard to define. In an effort to provide an accurate ratings at scale, we’ve tried to define it anyway.
And so, after much deliberation and research, we’ve developed the ratings checklist you see below. The goal is to ensure accuracy and objectivity across the board in that writers know exactly what comprises each rating, and multiple copy editors reading the same article will assign the same score.
Please take a moment to carefully review the checklist below. We suggest printing it out and using it as a reference to weigh the quality of your articles before you submit them. The higher your average scores, the more opportunities you will have within the Studio. We want you to succeed within our community, and we hope you’ll use this as a tool in your success.
Structure Rating Checklist
Content Rating Checklist
Darnell Clayton
Mar 30, 6:06 PM
Is this implemented immediately, and if so, can we see feed back from previous articles that are approved? (with comments?)
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Janice W. Fahy
Mar 30, 6:07 PM
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Sam Ellyn
Mar 30, 6:11 PM
This will be very helpful.
Will we see a rating for each story going forward? Also, the ET told me we are going to be able to see CE edits highlighted on our edited articles after they are approved, to help us see where we're making mistakes.
Do you know when this will happen?
I think once we have both of these in place, you'll see the quality of writing soar!
Thanks.
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Michaele Curtis
Mar 30, 6:11 PM
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Jessyca
Mar 30, 6:19 PM
Copy editors are now aware of the improvements made to the ratings system, so changes to your scorecard should be noticeable immediately. Please note that our rewrite/rejection system is still in place. These checklists are simply meant to strengthen the accuracy of your grammar and research scores. I hope that helps further explain the system.
Thanks!
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DuaneC
Mar 30, 6:20 PM
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Jessyca
Mar 30, 6:20 PM
Our copy editors are now aware of the improvements made to the system, so changes should be noticeable immediately. Please note that our rewrite/rejection system is still in place. These checklists are simply meant to strengthen the accuracy of your grammar and research scores. I hope that helps further explain the system.
Thanks!
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Jessyca
Mar 30, 6:37 PM
I'm so glad this will be helpful for you.
At this time, writers will not be able to see each individual rating, only the average scores.
Additionally, while we are working on a system that will show copy editors' edits, the release date is unknown.
Anything we can do to improve the quality of writing!
Jessyca
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Suzie Faloon
Mar 30, 6:37 PM
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MeghannLeigh
Mar 30, 6:37 PM
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