English is the most prominent second language used in educational programs throughout the world. Unfortunately, there is a limitation of time and skill to guide students with learning the language and for evaluating their writings. Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools would help in addressing this gap.

In this thesis, I document a contribution to the field of Automated Writing Evaluation in the form of a new AWE tool called the Research Writing Tutor (RWT). The system design, user interface design, and features of this tool are introduced first, and then the findings obtained from an user evaluation study are reported. The website has been designed and developed to be user friendly. This tool could be of great use to graduate students and undergraduates in writing research reports, articles, and thesis or dissertations.

Unlike most studies that concentrate on the accuracy of the AWE systems, this study aims at the usability and utility of the RWT in addition to the trust on automated systems.