Hello everyone!

This document will explain how you should be rating STEM solutions.

As a recruited contributor for Slader, one of your responsibilities is to rate every solution you see on the site using the 5-star rating system. To do so, first make
sure that you are logged in. This will ensure that your rating actually counts toward the overall rating for the solution. Then, after you have read the solution and
decided the number of stars you wish to rate it, you should click on the red star at the top of the solution:

From there, you can click on the number of stars that you would like to rate the solution:
On Slader we have very specific standards that you should follow when rating a solution. Here is a rubric for general STEM solutions that you assist you in
determining how to rate a specific solution:
Legibility
The solution is written in LaTeX and technique used to solve the problem
does not overuse effects such as
5-Star bold, italics, color, tables, etc. Every special emphasis given to tricky
Rating bit of formatting serves a specific
purpose in creating a
professional-looking solution.
The solution is written in LaTeX, but
has distracting elements such as
multiple different colors used
4-Star
throughout or too much of it is bold
Rating
or italicized. Several equations may
have boxes around them instead of
just the final answers.
The solution is handwritten, but with
3-Star
fairly good penmanship and a good
Rating
quality image.
2-Star The solution is handwritten, but is
Rating difficult to read in places.
1-Star The solution is practically
Rating unreadable.
Explanation
The solution gives a full explanation
of the main concept used with
neither too much exposition nor too
little. An overview of the principle/
is laid out before calculating with
parts. However, the solution does
not overdo the explanation by going
into detail on topics that were
covered in early sections of the
book. The explanation makes use of
any relevant theorems/ examples/
previous exercises from the text.
There is some good explanation but
it is not focused on the main
concept of the problem. The main
principles may not be named
(example: the solution might write
down the formula for Gauss's law
but not use the term "Gauss's law"
anywhere in the solution).
There is some explanation but it is
only of the type "Now do this"
without giving any motivation for
why the steps are done.
Essentially no explanation or no
relevant explanation.
Incorrect information is given.
Diagrams/ Images Layout English/ Typos
The solution is laid out in a way that
Any diagram or image included in
emphasizes the main steps.
the solution serves to supplement
Important equations are centered,
the information contained in the
calculations in which one side of an
solution. The diagram looks good
equation stays the same are aligned
and very quickly conveys the
at the =, and formulas that are used Proper English syntax and grammar
relevant information. There are no
multiple times are numbered. are used throughout. No words are
elements of the image on top of
Different parts of the solution are consistently spelled incorrectly and
each other. If the image is a graph,
separated into their own cells (rows) there are no major typos.
then the axes are appropriately
in the editor and may include bold
labeled. If the image is a free-body
headers like \textbf{Knowns} \\ or
diagram, then the positive x and y
\textbf{Part A} \\. The text is broken
directions and origin are specified if
into paragraphs with a blank line
necessary for the problem.
between paragraphs.
The text is broken into paragraphs
and important equations are given
The images are relevant and
their own lines, but the layout leaves Proper English syntax and grammar
convey the information they are
something to be desired. Perhaps is not maintained throughout, but
supposed to but they do not look as
all equations are left-aligned or the the intent is still completely clear.
professional as they could. Perhaps
author of the solution tries to create There may be a few typos, but
there are overlapping elements or
some effect without looking up the nothing major.
unlabeled axes.
correct way to do it in LaTeX and
the result is less than professional.
Important equations are given their
There are unnecessary diagrams or Improper syntax and/ or grammar
own lines, but the text is either not
diagrams that are in some way hard makes some statements hard to
broken into paragraphs creating a
to read or ambiguous, but they do understand but the general idea is
'wall of text' or there are ​too many
not affect overall understanding of not lost. There may be several typos
lines breaks -- even sometimes in
the solution. riddling the solution.
the middle of sentences.
The diagrams/ images do not clearly
The solution is written in 'broken
convey the information they are
Everything is written in a single English' and there are several typos
supposed to and the graph is an
paragraph as a 'wall of text' or 'wall in both the text and equations, but
essential part of the exercise or it
of equations'. with effort the main steps can still be
makes the solution more difficult to
understood.
understand.
Completely unrelated, The layout is so bad that it is
incomprehensible, or profane unclear what order to read the parts
The solution is written so badly that
images. In the latter case, be sure of the solution in (generally this is
it is incomprehensible.
to notify your content manager so only possible with handwritten
that the solution can be removed. solutions).
You will probably want to keep this rubric handy for the first few times that you rate a solution. Then you can go through each column and decide which statement
in that column corresponds best to the solution you are looking at. Usually you will not find that a solution has all of the same ratings in every column. For
example, you may find that a particular solution has 3 for legibility, 4 for explanation, no diagrams, 4 for layout, and a 5 for English and typos. Not every solution
will require a diagram, so that is not a problem. But how do we rate this solution overall? We average those numbers and round if necessary: (3+4+4+5)/4 = 4.
So we would rate this solution 4 stars.

After a while, you should hopefully have a feel for how to rate solutions and won’t need to go through this process. But it would be a good idea to go through the
rubric explicitly for each solution you rate for the first day or two.

Example 5-Star Solution

Here is an example of a 5-star solution:

As you can see, this solution exemplifies many of the qualities listed in the 5-star row of the rubric. The author of this solution has used LaTeX well to format his
solution in a visually pleasing way. He has centered the most important equations and written in a ‘paragraph’ style with a space between the two adjacent
paragraphs that don’t have an equation between them. The known values are listed at the top along with the goal of the exercise. An equation that is used later is
numbered, the English is correct, and the work is easy to follow. The name and formula of the most important concept are given in the second ‘paragraph’.