If the page being scored is currently being worked on, my rating will tend to be based off of two other articles picked at random. My rating score is not affected that much by links or references as this skews the scoring away from original creative work that are stand alone web pages IMO. Scoring based on references at the suggested 30% of total score heavily skews the results/rewards/future content from non fiction to fiction. However the use of references and links are noted and do lean me towards a higher score, but not at the 30% level.
I agree, it would be a problem if the rubric for fiction included links and references, but fortunately this is not an issue. The fiction rubric doesn't include links/references. The thirty points for links/references only applies to non-fiction.
http://www.devtome.com/doku.php?id=devtome_rater#rating_methodFor non-fiction:
30 for the content, how interesting or useful the article is.
30 for links and references
10 for grammar and readability
10 for spelling
10 for formatting
9 for images, 0 for no images, 5 for one adequate image, 9 for more than one image or for one perfectly suited image
For fiction:
60 for the content, how interesting or original the book is.
10 for grammar and readability
10 for spelling
10 for formatting
9 for images, 0 for no images, 5 for one adequate image, 9 for more than one image or for one perfectly suited image