Setting Up Review Rubrics

A review rubric ensures that all reviewers assess applications using the same criteria. Applly's review system provides a standardized scoring mechanism that makes it easy to compare applications objectively.

How Reviews Work in Applly

Each reviewer assigned to a program can submit one review per submission. A review consists of:

• Score — A numeric rating from 0 to 10
• Notes — Free-text observations and justification for the score
• Recommendation — A high-level decision: Recommend, Neutral, or Do Not Recommend

The submission detail view shows all reviews in aggregate, including the average score and a breakdown of individual reviewer recommendations.

Assigning Reviewers to Programs

Before reviewers can access submissions, they must be assigned to the relevant program. From the program detail page, click Manage Reviewers and use the dropdown to assign existing reviewer accounts to the program.

Reviewers access their assigned submissions through the Reviewer Portal (a separate, simplified interface). See Accessing Your Review Portal for what reviewers experience.

Interpreting Review Results

Once reviewers have completed their assessments, the Review Summary on each submission shows:

• Average score across all reviewers
• Individual reviewer scores and notes (admin only)
• Breakdown of recommendations (e.g., 3 Recommend, 1 Neutral, 0 Do Not Recommend)

Use these signals alongside your own qualitative judgment to make final decisions.

Best Practices for Review Rubrics

Consider providing reviewers with written guidance (outside of Applly, in your program documentation) that explains what each score range means. For example:

• 8–10: Exceptional application, clear priority for funding
• 5–7: Strong application, competitive candidate
• 3–4: Meets basic requirements, but lacks distinction
• 0–2: Does not meet program criteria