Authors
The first time you refer to an author in a paper, use both first and last name (middle or middle initial too, if it looks like they like to use it. The second and subsequent times, use only the last name. (NEVER use only the first name.) You may use titles sometimes with the last name, like Professor Garcia.
Authors not properly introduced:
"Over the last few years exceeding amounts of students have been attending college and the fantasy of college has become much more vying, Washington said "The doors..." WHO is Washington?!?!
"Jon Boeckenstedt, author of the chapter 'Outside the Gates, Looking In'..." Why are you citing him? How do we know that he is an expert and not just some schmo? OBVIOUSLY he wrote the article/book. What the author wrote is not a proper introduction.
WHY are they qualified to proffer an opinion? You need to justify this.
When citing facts and non-opinion items such as the number of ships lost in such a naval engagement, there is no requirement to introduce the source. But when you are citing someone's opinion, you MUST establish your source's credibility. EXAMPLE: There are 23 California State Universities and ten University of California schools (University of California). But according Alia Wong, who covers education issues for The Atlantic, this number is not sufficient to cover the needs of California, making it harder and more expensive to attend college in the state. This perceptive observation is confirmed by the fact that more and more California schools are rejecting more students than they can accept (Wong). Lesser known school such as the California State University, Dominguez Hills now are accepting fewer than 50% of its applicants.
Properly done:
Richard Weissbourd, senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education suggests that students combine more social aspects into their academic career as he states...
Alphabetizing (see guide)
When alphabetizing titles that begin with definite or indefinite articles, begin with the first significant word (ignoring the articles).
Example: The Great Gatsby would be ALPHABETIZED by "Great" (not "the")
End Punctuation
"people start to think “What do I want?”. Remove the period
"...engineer how to get there." (54). Remove first period
Used second person Pronouns (you, your, yours, yourself)
Picking a college is the most important decision in your life
Spacing - "...continues to fuel interest"(23).
Use of reflexive pronouns - What is done for oneself = reflexive (does not take place of subjective or objective)
Improper - As myself and many other seniors start the process of applying to colleges...
Proper - I can envision myself joining a fraternity...
Quoting other author's Quotes?
NO! Generally speaking this is not allowed for two reasons: 1. You have not read that article yourself. How do you know its purpose and intent? 2. You could be perpetuating a mistake.
Error:
Heather D. Washington states “Cognitive educational psychology experts, Hidi and Anderson (1992) suggests that individuals with more interest in an area probably pay more attention to information that is being learned. Presumably, the relationship between interest and knowledge acquisition drives program concentration and ultimately degree completion” (Washington 23)
You must not use other authors' citations in your paper. If you want the idea, just offer a summary of the paragraph and credit the author. That was the point of that author as well. - you don't need the quote of the quote.
Thus if you want to use this quote - go find it in the original, read the original, and cite it from the original. The ONLY exception is when the original no longer is available after an exhaustive search. Then you may use something like:
Aristotle as cited in Wingate S. D. (1931). The mediaeval Latin versions of Aristotelian scientific corpus, with special
reference to the biological works. London, England: The Courier Press.
Sources not evaluated (criticized, considered, discussed, praised):
Properly done:
"The article finds that among workers in STEM fields, college prestige has no relation to salary (Eide and Hilmer 14). Contrarily, the quality of a student’s education has more impact upon his or her future salary as it determines how well he or she can perform in a future career."
Properly done:
"Clopton, from the University of Kansas, states that not only do students feel more integrated in the university, but the overall view of the school is more positive with athletics. My point is not that the school has to be well known for athletics. As a matter of fact, I would prefer that the school have smaller teams, primarily because getting tickets to the student section of Division 3 football games is challenging. I hope to be able to attend when convenient for me, in time that has not been dedicated to school work. Coming from a small high school where the entire community attends sporting events, I do believe that sitting in the stands brings unity. Athletic events form a “sense of attachment to their university” (Clopton 110). Feeling attached to my school is important to me. I want to be able to feel proud of where I am getting my education, and I most certainly want to be excited to return after a long summer home. If there is no sense of attachment, it will be more challenging for the return trip due to the lack of sentiment with the school."
When evaluating sources, go beyond an adverbial modifier:
Clopton brilliantly states, Sasso enthusiastically asserted, etc. = poorly done.
Properly done:
Clopton argued that college athletics empower students to feel a kinship and belonging to the university. His argument is verified by continued support of alumni who continue their support long after they have graduated.
Good discussion = your ideas woven together with an evaluation/analysis of your sources:
This is evident as Lou Glazer reports that C. Kirabo Jackson, a Northwestern University economist, found that “a non cognitive index of grades, attendance and disciplinary records was more predictive of long-term success than test scores” (10). But to validate the persistence and hard work that was put into attaining high test scores, “Research has consistently found that ability tests like the SAT and the ACT are strongly predictive of success in college and beyond” (Wai B3). While Glazer’s report does highlight the importance of key factors other than standardized testing in the college application, Wai explains why the SAT and ACT are still prominent pieces of the process. Even though there is controversy on the importance of test scores, students still strive to achieve good scores to gain admittance into higher-ranked institutions. After attending various presentations about the college admissions process, I have learned that scores are what qualifies a student, while extracurricular activities and other achievements are what make them stand out. Because of this, I have dedicated certain amounts
See Merriam-Webster web site