It Is More Than Just the Message: Presentation Effects in Scoring Writing

People write for many reasons. Writing is used as a tool to record ideas and information, communicate with others, chronicle experiences, express one's feelings, persuade others, facilitate learning, create imagined worlds, and evaluate students' competence (Graham, 2006). In some instances, the only intended reader of a piece of writing is the author. Examples of such writing include diaries, to do lists, and lecture notes. In other instances, writing is meant to be both read and formally evaluated by others. This kind of writing can range from term papers to state and federal writing assessments to writing requirements included as part of college entrance applications.