OUT-OF-CLASS ESSAY GUIDELINES
FORMAT
1. Be certain to make use of common eight ½ x 11 white typing paper. Keep away from excessive bond, colour, or erasable paper. Don’t use scratch paper or kind on either side of the sheet.
2. Use one inch margins on the highest, left, proper, and backside margins. In case you are utilizing the pc services on campus, usually they’re already set this manner because the default margins and shouldn’t should be modified.
three. Be certain your papers are typewritten and double-spaced. Proofread your paper for typos and apparent grammatical or spelling errors. Don’t be afraid to mark up your last draft after you’ve printed it out if it’s impractical so that you can do any extra modifications. As an alternative, mark the paper cleanly with a skinny pen or pencil. I’d somewhat have a barely marked-up, good essay than a wonderful, clear essay with errors.
four. Your identify, the teacher’s identify, the category quantity, and the due date of the work must be within the upper-left hand nook of the primary web page of the project.
5. All the time give your essay a title. The title must be content-related as it’s a approach to introduce your reader to what the essay is about. The title of the work must be centered on the web page, double spaced down from the due date and double spaced above the beginning of the particular textual content. By no means underline your individual title, enclose it in citation marks, daring the letters, or change font sizes and kinds. Do capitalize the primary letter of every essential phrase, together with the primary and final phrases of the title. Don’t use a title web page except particularly requested. They’re only a waste of paper.
6. Quantity all of the pages together with your final identify and web page quantity, together with the primary one, even when you’re utilizing just one web page. This ought to seem within the higher right-hand nook of each web page of your essay, together with the Works Cited web page.
7. You’re accountable for binding your paper in some method, both with a paper clip or a staple. I cannot settle for free sheets, or sheets whose corners are crimped or folded.
STYLE
eight. Know the right way to spell all names, phrases, and phrases in your paper. Don’t rely blindly on spellcheck applications to catch your errors. Be cautious of grammar examine applications.
9. Assume twice about utilizing first or second particular person (e.g., “I” or “you”) in your essays, and another case types of the pronouns. Use solely third particular person pronouns.
10. Don’t use colloquialisms or slang, resembling “get it collectively” or “couldn’t deal with it” and such. Keep away from clichés – resembling “chilly as ice” – as nicely.
11. Keep away from using contractions.
12. Keep away from utilizing parentheses besides when required for documentation. Often a pair of commas will do the identical job higher.
13. Keep away from utilizing gross abstractions resembling “the truth of life” or “view of the world.”
14. Keep away from sounding sure that your opinion is certainly right: “The one correct interpretation is….” Additionally, keep away from sounding too unsure as nicely: “It might be attainable underneath some circumstances that may happen….” Be constructive, however not excessive.
15. Keep away from utilizing the passive voice. Use the lively voice.
16. Keep away from utilizing “it,” particularly when the antecedent is unclear.
17. Don’t inform the reader what you’re going to do. Simply do it.
18. Don’t ask questions – reply them! You can’t assume the reader will reply the Question Assignment in the identical approach that you’d.
19. When utilizing outdoors sources, doc the fabric correctly utilizing MLA documentation format. Seek the advice of the most recent version of the MLA Handbook to make sure you might be right.
20. Don’t write papers consisting of single-sentence paragraphs. Alternatively, don’t write overly lengthy paragraphs both.
21. Be certain that you’ve met all of the minimal necessities for the project. A paper that fails to fulfill minimal necessities will be failed for that alone!
22. Embrace a phrase rely on the finish of your essay. Don’t embody any additional supplies such because the Works Cited web page in that rely. For those who fall in need of the phrase requirement, make sure that you’ve stated all you could say about your matter.
23. Proofread! PROOFREAD!! PROOFREAD!!!!!
FOR LITERATURE STUDENTS
24. Point out the titles and authors of the works you’re writing about within the Introduction (first paragraph) of your essay.
25. Don’t inform whether or not you appreciated the story except that’s a part of the project. Don’t praise the creator.
26. Don’t retell the plot of the story. You’ll be able to assume your reader has familiarity with the story, however you will need to analyze the story for the reader (alongside the assigned Question Assignment).
