Assignment Style Guide

463 students

This website has been largely copied & pasted from my professional website, where it applies to ALL courses I teach.

Therefore, most of it refers to traditional documents, not online documents. However,

Your Proposal will follow many of these guidelines.
For Blog and Website assignments, please refer more to the Redish textbook for principles of layout, headings, etc.
Supplement with the U of C Communications Office Style Guide, which teaches you how to use language regarding university programs, courses, etc

Calculating assignment length

The assignment description will provide you with an approximate length of the assignment and often will specify the length of sub-components of the assignments.

Unless otherwise stated, NOT INCLUDED in the minimum/maximum recommended number of pages or words per assignment are the following items:

long quotations (see genre guidelines below for an allowable % of a paper to consist of quotations)
borrowed images, graphs, or charts,
"Front and Back Matter" such as title pages, tables of contents, bibliographies, footnotes and endnotes
appendices not authored by yourself.

To calculate how many Pages or Words you have written, use Microsoft Word.

Omit all uncounted content features listed above.
Highlight the text you want to count (if it is the whole text, this is not necessary).
In the top Menu, click on "Tools" and then "Word Count."
To calculate the estimated page length, divide the word count by 250 or 300, depending on whether it is an academic essay or manuscript (1.5 spaced or double-spaced) or a professional document (single spaced with added white space as necessary). The result is the number of pages you have written.

Too short or too long?

Quality matters more than quantity, but document minimum lengths are suggested based on an understanding of how much text it usually takes for people to do a thorough job. It may be longer if necessary, as long as increased length does not mean adding unnecessary information, wordiness, or repetition. I am not necessarily "impressed" by length alone. Improper length can be a symptom of problems with the quality of a document. Consult with me if you are in doubt; there may be good reasons for an exception.
Editing Word Count
When individual assignments include a requirement or an option to edit another author's work, editing effort is normally calculated based on the following measures.
The policy does not apply to editing peers' work within a collaborative team assignment.
For each assignment, exceptions may be made to this policy.

NOTE for Individual Blog Assignment, COMS 463 W2010: 20-80% of any blog post for this assignment may consist of borrowed/edited material and it will count automatically as 100% of the assignment word count. The following policy applies if you choose to edit, or are directed to edit, within an attached (original) inherited document. If so, you should use Track Changes or colored text to highlight your edits.

The minimum edit that “counts” is a 10% change overall, and at least 5 discrete changes, on a total amount of 500 words or longer.

The maximum edit that “counts” is a 50% change / 25 changes. If you edit more than 50% of a text or make more than 25 changes, you are either going beyond your role as editor or you are working overtime voluntarily.

When editing selections of a longer text, the editor must make clear the boundaries of his/her editing coverage, and the edited selection’s length is considered the baseline.

Edits are weighed in 10% change / 5 change increments for simplicity.

Description

% Degree of editorial change to the original

# of discrete changes per 1000 words***

Editing effort word count

( % of original doc/section)

Light edit

10 % of text changed

5 changes

20 % of orig. word count

20 %

10

40 %

Substantial edit

30 %

15

60 %

40 %

20

80 %

Heavy edit

50 %

25 (max)

100%

The chart allows one to balance the % of overall change and the # of discrete changes:

If 10% of the original is changed via 25 or more changes per 1000w = 60%
50% of original changed via 5 or fewer changes per 1000w = 60%

Definitions

*% overall change is based on an estimate of the % of the original text that was altered for the better in at least 5 discrete changes, up to a maximum of 50%.

·         For example, If approximately 50% of the text was deleted or altered in at least 5 separate changes in order to enhance the whole, and no other types of changes were made, that would be an improvement of 60%.

** a discrete change is defined as any insertion, deletion, alteration or reformatting of any size or type that involved a careful decision or intelligent correction, not counting additional repetitions of the same decision/correction.

·         For example, fixing all hyphen errors of the same type with the same sort of alteration would count as 1 change because each subsequent change is merely mechanical. However, deleting a hyphen, inserting another, and changing the length of a third would count as 3 changes.

*** Original text rounded to the nearest 1000 words. A minimum of 500 words of text should be edited in order to qualify for an editor’s word count.

Professional vs. Academic Genres

Academic
Essays and "Papers"

double- or 1.5- line spacing within and between paragraphs
few or no headings throughout the document, and usually no point form sections. This requires you to create transition sentences to signal the relationship between paragraphs and sections. The introduction is not too general that it states what is obvious to the audience, and the conclusion isn't merely a summary.
approximately 250 words per page
continuous paragraph format
paragraphs are indented on their first line without extra line spacing between them. There's usually at least one paragraph break per page, for increased readability

Professional
Letters, Proposals, Formal Reports, many types of online documents

The document has many headings and subheadings so that readers can skip sections and go back to a previous section easily.
The main organization error in professional writing is to take too long to get to the main point--it's a functional document so it must be efficient. Under each heading, immediately write a clear, concise statement of the section's main point, usually in a sentence that includes one or more key words from the heading. After this you can elaborate and provide details and background information within the section.
Sections don't need to begin with transition sentences linking to the previous section because the heading itself functions as a transition/topic flag. However, the first couple of sentences should use the heading's key terms
Page count is based on an average minimum 300 words per page
Spacing is single within paragraphs
Paragraphs are not indented on the first line; instead there is an extra line of space between paragraphs and headings, and surrounding lists (such as this list).
Under each heading or subheading, the subsequent text has an indented left margin to signal subordination (as in this document).
Paragraphs are usually short, 3-10 lines, since it is visually difficult to read long paragraphs that are single-spaced.
Compared to the Academic Essay genre, there are more headings and sub-headings, occasional numbered or bulleted lists, and original charts or graphs

Standard document features

Cover page or main page header

Do not waste paper for a separate title page unless the document is long and formal, like a final Term Project.
Put your name and the professor's name and course name on your work in case it is misplaced on campus.
If it's a DRAFT (not the final version), mark clearly in big letters at the top of the first page "DRAFT" and the date.

Fonts

Use Arial, Times New Roman, Courier, or some other common, readable, formal font.
Default / Paragraph text: 12-point font
Titles: Maximum of 24pt font bold.
Footnotes at bottom of pages (optional, NEVER used for bibliographic citation in APA/MLA formats): Minimum 8pt font
Headings: Maximum 18pt font bold or italic (may be in colored text in professional documents)

Margins

1 inch (2.54 cm) on top and bottom
1 inch to 1.5 inches (3.17cm) on the right and left
All text except titles should be justified to a left margin (Ctrl L). Do NOT justify your text to the right margin, nor to both margins.
Headings and subheadings are oriented to the left margin. Titles/subtitled are centered (Ctrl E).

Page Numbering

Pages are usually numbered at the bottom center, bottom right corner, or top right corner.
Page numbering begins with the first full page of your document (its introduction) and ends on the last page of your Works Cited pages.
Page numbers should be in the same font and size as your default paragraph font.
You may use simple page numbers without punctuation (i.e. 7) inclusive page numbers (i.e. Page 2 of 5) or a page with your name or short title next to it (i.e. Smith 4)

Exceptions

If the page has a title at the top, there is either no page number printed on the page, or the page number is located at the bottom of the page where it does not distract from the title. (In MS Word 2000, this feature is controllable in "Insert, page numbers, format.")
The Works Cited pages and each Appendix should begin at the top of a new page rather than being added to the bottom of a previous page. This is the same with any new sub-document that has its own title.
Single-paged front and back matter (Cover pages, tables of contents, cover letters, appendices) do not need to have numbered pages and are not included in the main page count. If front matter items are several pages long each, they should use a different numbering scheme (i, ii, iii, iv) which starts at their first page. Back matter may or may not have page numbers, but if it does, numbering continues from the last page of the main document.

Paper

A print copy may be unnecessary, optional or required, depending on the type of grading / evaluation process it will go through, so please find out what the requirements are for your assignment.
print on one side of each page unless you have a good reason not to
use white or cream colored paper unless you have a good reason not to.

Colors

For formal documents such as memos, essays, proposals, and reports, no color is necessary, and normally the more formal it is, the less color there is.
For professional print documents, color is optional for titles, headings, and images. You may choose to use color when appropriate for these documents, but I will not be biased against those who do not use color. Limit your text colors and background to a regular "color scheme" of 4 or fewer colors. Headings of the same level and content of a similar variety should be in the same color.

Images

All images borrowed (i.e. from the Internet, from a photographer) must be properly cited.
If the professional format--such as a brochure--does not usually cite in-text (right under the image,) then submit to your instructor a second "academic version" of the document with in-text citations added.
Borrowed Images are not included in the page count of assignments.
Included in the page count are graphs, charts, and images that you create or creatively combine from several sources

End Matter

Bibliographies

I usually ask for APA format.
Anything you submit for a score in a university course, including an oral presentation or a website, MUST have a bibliography submitted with it if it paraphrases, summarizes, names the title of, or quotes from any source that could be catalogued in a library. EVEN IMAGES and other media must be properly cited. This is because the university itself survives based on respect for "intellectual property" and guards it religiously.

Citations must be capable of being "followed" from their orignial source to the sentence(s) in which you use them. There must be a clear and obvious connection between each bibliography item and the place where you cite it in a paper. I should easily be able to go from the in-text citation to its bibliography entry and vice versa, in both directions. Do not list sources that you did not actually cite or name in your paper.

The bibliography usually begins on a separate page after the end of your assignment, with the page numbers continuing from the document. APA bibliographies are titled "References" (MLA bibliographies are titled "Works Cited").

Appendices

Appendices for this course should be titled "Appendix A," "Appendix B," etc. unless there is a good reason to do it differently.
They are used to support your document to aid the reader in his/her research or to aid in grading.
They are usually not considered part of your document's body; they are separable from it. They may also function as an archive of evidence or data.
They appear in a separate section of a binder, or are stapled or bound separately, and they should be in a separate electronic document so that it is visually clear where the document ends and where the appendix begins.
The appendices should be headed by a title page "Appendices For [Term Project Title]. This title page should have the same information as the title page in case the two documents are accidentally separated, and the files should have similar electronic file names.

Audience-friendly tips

Keep appendices as short as possible. Appendices should be chosen judiciously, considering the fact that the imposing size of your report and appendix combined may discourage a person from perusing it. Realize that they may not have time to skim or read the appendices. If the combined package is heavy, the appendices may eventually be separated and filed away separate from the report.
Make sure each and every appendix is referenced at least once within the body of materials you provide to your audience, wherever it is most relevant, as "See Appendix A" in parentheses or as part of a sentence so that the reader may choose to refer to them at that time.
Don't force your reader to refer to the appendix to find information that is essential to understand your meaning, or to find an example. Being forced to flip back and forth can be disruptive and frustrating for readers. If the piece needed is shorter than 1 page, then quote it or paste a table or image at the right place within your body. If the piece you refer to is 1 page or longer, at least describe or summarize its content. Refer to the relevant appendix where it can be found, and cite the original source if it is borrowed.

Footnotes / Endnotes

Footnotes should not be used for bibliographic citation. Citations should be within sentences (or in parentheses) in your body text and in your academic bibliography.
Use footnotes only when a piece of secondary commentary is too long to include in your sentence or in parentheses ( ).
Use footnotes very sparingly in most documents.
Endnotes, for either bibliographical or commentary purposes, can be used instead of footnotes, and instead of in-text citation and bibliography. Use APA format.

Style and Errors

If you desire to earn an A on your papers, they need to demonstrate skill with language. Every instructor has particular errors and style features that annoy or frustrate them more than other errors. Here are the most common errors.

Style Features

1. Inadequate, incorrect or awkward integration of quotations into your papers, such as:

Using the wrong verb tense to introduce quotations. When analyzing or discussing the works of authors, use present tense: "Toni Morrison writes." When writing a history or chronology of events in which one text is written before another, use the appropriate past tense: "Cicero wrote this before the trial."
Not providing enough information about the context of the quotation at its beginning, especially if it is unclear which author or character is speaking, or the ideas to which the quotation is responding
In a textual criticism or textual research paper, ending a paragraph with a quotation, or otherwise assuming that a quotation will interpret itself
Speaking through an analytical quotation like a ventriloquist instead of using your own words to analyze or evaluate something
Referring to a quotation you've just used as "it" or "This quote" instead of using a more specific, functional term (this phrase, analysis, commentary, question, opinion).

2. Overuse of passive verb forms, and using passive verbs when they are not necessary and active verbs would be much clearer. (In some cases, however, the passive is necessary.)

3. Choosing a fancy word to impress someone when the simple one is more direct and clear. i.e. "societal" should be "social"; "utilize" should be "use."

4. Burying a very important idea (such as one of your argument's main claims) in the middle of a long sentence or the middle of a long paragraph. Beginnings and ends are the natural places for emphasis.

Punctuation

Punctuation marks are often difficult to manage without a sensitivity to sentence structures and modern North American conventions for their use. Refer to Purdue's OWL documents on Punctuation.

1. Incorrect use or omission of commas, semicolons (;) and colons (:). Here are some tips on how to avoid the most common errors:

Most people forget commas after introductory phrases. Many introductory phrases begin with words like "because, if, when, while, whereas" (subordinate conjunctions). Introductory phrases can also be long phrases starting with words like "in, within, at, on, above, below" (prepositions).
Some writers incorrectly insert a comma before every quotation. You only use a comma before a quotation if you are using a verb of expression such as "said, asked, complained, wrote, explained," or if your sentence grammar would require a comma if you removed the quotation marks.
A comma is also needed when you join two complete sentences using a word like "and, but, or, nor, for, yet" (coordinating conjunctions). If you can replace the conjunction with a period (.) and start a new sentence there, then you need a comma before the conjunction.
Semicolons are needed to join two related sentences without using the words listed above.
A semicolon is also needed whenever you join two sentences by inserting between them a word like "however, therefore, moreover, nevertheless" (conjunctive adverbs). These words are also followed by a comma before the clause they introduce.
A mid-sentence colon (:) is only used after a grammatically complete clause. Therefore you cannot say "Please beware of errors such as: too/to, then/than." but you can say "Please beware of errors such as the following: too/to, then/than, if/whether."

2. Incorrect use of apostrophes and possessive forms

If something belongs to many people or many things, the apostrophe comes AFTER the "s" that makes it many. For instance, students' means belonging to more than one student, but student's means belonging to one student.

"It's" is a contraction that means "it is." If you mean "belonging to it," use "its" without an apostrophe. Correct: (Don't sit on that chair! Its leg is broken.) Correct: (Don't sit there! It's a broken chair.)

The same rule distinguishes "whose" (belonging to whom) from "who's" (who is)

It is becoming more common, but is still incorrect, to use apostrophes to make capitalized abbreviations and numbers plural, because there is no possession signified. For example, Do you own two Pentium 3's? is incorrect; you should remove the apostrophe. Correct: (I downloaded ten MP3s)

3. Placement of quotation marks, and the incorrect use of single quotation marks. In North America, you ONLY use single quotes for quotations within quotations, like this:

Correct: Gibbons writes, "He said loudly, 'Ouch!'," thereby emphasizing the shocking manner in which he broke the silence.

When you punctuate a sentence with a quotation in it, your own comma or period goes inside "" the final quotation mark. Your own semicolon or colon is placed after the closing quotation mark.

4. Incorrect use of hyphens, and using hyphens when you need a dash.

use a hyphen (-) to join two or more words IF they form a single concept that comes BEFORE the noun it describes. Correct: (white-sided house) Correct: (the house that is white sided).

However, do not use a hyphen with compounds using obvious adverbs like "well" or words ending in "-ly". Correct: (well manicured lawn). Correct: (partly finished essay).

use a DASH (—) to replace a colon or semicolon for emphasis in a sentence. Correct: (I told you not to go there--I knew you would get hurt!) Correct: (I told you not to go there—I knew you would get hurt!). In newer versions of MS Word, the program will automatically create the long "Em-dash" as soon as you type a space after the word following the dash.

Other Errors

1. Faulty parallelism in sentence structure (see especially part 2 of this link, which focuses on clauses)

2. Common misspellings of words that sound similar but mean different things, such as:

they're, their, there
to, too
effect, affect (the "effect" is the "end result" and "to affect" is an action verb)
accept, except
principle, principal
you're, your
lead, led
conscious (refers to awareness), conscience (refers to guilt/innocence)

3. Using an non-idiomatic preposition with a noun or verb.

Here are some examples of some common idiomatic prepositional constructions that most English users should know:

agree -- to a proposal, with a person, on a price, in principle
argue -- about a matter, with a person, for or against a proposition

Idiomatic usage is learned through a lot of experience in reading English, and some usages are rarer than others. In addition, some idiomatic usage is specific to North American English, while other usage is specific to British English.

4. Inappropriate division, combination, or shortening of words

"every day" is an adjective and noun (I go to work every day). Combine them and the word becomes an adjective. (In everyday texts, that would be fine).
"A lot" (meaning very much) is two words, not "alot." (Allot is another word with a different meaning)
"All right" (meaning O.K.) is still officially two words. Avoid the conversational form "alright" unless you are writing dialogue or casual texts.

5. ESL errors. (English as a Second Language)

For a document explaining a "Hierarchy of ESL errors" (which errors are more harmful than others) see this page from Highline's Writing Across the Curriculum Homepage.
Faculty, program, course names

There is NO letter S in the faculty name. I teach courses in the "Faculty of Communication and Culture"
There are 3 letter Ss in the course and program name. "COMS 461" means "Communications Studies 461"

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