Do
- Have a clear thesis. Make sure the reader understands your argument.
- Present the central points of the paper clearly and logically, and support them with evidence gained from appropriate and relevant research.
- Use a fluent writing style. Most importantly:
- Use one main idea per paragraph. Make clear the relationship between the paragraphs. (See b, below.)
- Employ clear transitions from one paragraph to another, with a connection between each point of argument and those that come before and after.
- Use direct quotations only to illustrate or underline your explanation, not to substitute for it.
4. Follow a recognized citation style.
Don’t
- Commit grammatical, spelling or other mechanical errors. (They are one of my pet peeves, be warned; you will receive a low grade if you don’t adequately proofread your paper.)
- Double-space between paragraphs.
- Confuse “it’s” with “its”; “their” with “there” with “they’re”; “your” with “you’re,” or make similar errors. (See “Ten Flagrant Errors,” below.)
- Have excessively wide margins.
- Make up your own citation style.
- Forget to end questions with a question mark.
- Skim the reading and/or conduct minimal research and hope to disguise this in the paper.
- Commit plagiarism (i.e., try to pass off someone else’s work as your own). If it is a direct quote, put quotation marks around it. Don’t use unattributed material from the internet. If I suspect you of any type of academic dishonesty, I will report you to every college authority I can think of.
Ten Flagrant Writing Mistakes
(from zdnet.co.uk)
#1: Loose for lose
No: I always loose my keys.
Yes: I always lose my keys.
#2: It’s for its (or god forbid, its’)
No: Download the HTA, along with it’s readme file.
Yes: Download the HTA, along with its readme file.
No: The laptop is overheating and its making that funny noise again.
Yes: The laptop is overheating and it’s making that funny noise again.
#3: They’re for their for there
No: The managers are in they’re weekly planning meeting.
Yes: The managers are in their weekly planning meeting.
No: The techs have to check there cell phones at the door, and their not happy about it.
Yes: The techs have to check their cell phones at the door, and they’re not happy about it.
#4: i.e. for e.g.
No: Use an anti-spyware program (i.e., Ad-Aware).
Yes: Use an anti-spyware program (e.g., Ad-Aware).
Note: The term i.e. means “that is”; e.g. means “for example”. And a comma follows both of them.
#5: Effect for affect
No: The outage shouldn’t effect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn’t affect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn’t have any effect on users.
Yes: We will effect several changes during the downtime.
Note: Impact is not a verb. Purists, at least, beg you to use affect instead:
No: The outage shouldn’t impact any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn’t affect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage should have no impact on users during work hours.
#6: You’re for your
No: Remember to defrag you’re machine on a regular basis.
Yes: Remember to defrag your machine on a regular basis.
No: Your right about the changes.
Yes: You’re right about the changes.
#7: Different than for different from
No: This setup is different than the one at the main office.
Yes: This setup is different from the one at the main office.
Yes: This setup is better than the one at the main office.
#8 Lay for lie
No: I got dizzy and had to lay down.
Yes: I got dizzy and had to lie down.
Yes: Just lay those books over there.
#9: Then for than
No: The accounting department had more problems then we did.
Yes: The accounting department had more problems than we did.
Note: Here’s a sub-peeve. When a sentence construction begins with If, you don’t need a then. Then is implicit, so it’s superfluous and wordy:
No: If you can’t get Windows to boot, then you’ll need to call Ted.
Yes: If you can’t get Windows to boot, you’ll need to call Ted.
#10: Could of, would of for could have, would have
No: I could of installed that app by mistake.
Yes: I could have installed that app by mistake.
No: I would of sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.
Yes: I would have sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.
Story URL: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,39273376,00.htm
