Each phase of written feedback has its own best practices, and following the best practices for one will make it easier to follow them for the others. Here's a brief overview of each phase:
Reading the prompt + rubric
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All of the criteria you include in your rubric should be "nameable" (e.g., arguable thesis, sources from assigned readings, 5 pages long), and those naming conventions should be stable.
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How you approach evaluating the criteria should reflect what students have learned in your course (e.g., "what an arguable thesis for our assignment looks like" was presumably an exercise in section at some point). Teach what you give feedback on; give feedback on what you teach.
Margin Comments
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Observe and comment on patterns (= not every instance)
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Stick to criteria from your rubric (= let the rest go)
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"Name" a specific criterion from the rubric in as many comments as possible, and unpack your observation. In an essay where students have been asked to use source x to look at y, that might mean a margin comment like: “Great use of an example from x to support your upcoming analysis about y,” rather than one like "great" or like "!")
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Avoid a negative tone, and keep your comments focused on the argument, rather than the writer (e.g., "this claim isn't supported by any evidence," rather than "you're not supporting your claim here.")
End Comment / Feedback Letter
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Restate the piece's main point or idea, so that it's clear you engaged with its overarching goals
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Address its strengths, using criteria from the rubric and specific examples (avoid vague gestures such as, "There were some great moments here, but...")
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Address its areas for improvement, using criteria from the rubric and specific examples + actionable guidance on how to improve
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Break your end comment up into clear categories, e.g., bullets for a handful of categories that are themselves criteria from the rubric
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Limit yourself to 3–5 categories, and order them so that they reflect the priorities of the assignment prompt + rubric
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Remember that your end comment is an evidence-based argument