Here are the most common reasons why students lose points on their papers for grammar, syntax, and formatting. Please look for these common errors in your paper and correct them so you can earn all the points you possibly can!
Use of “you” and “your” – this is informal and does not belong in the writing you are doing for college level classes.
Use of contractions (isn’t, wasn’t, aren’t, shouldn’t, etc.) – again, contractions are informal and you should spell these out in formal writing.
Sentence fragments – do all of your sentences have a subject and a verb? Phrases that start with words like although, because, and since should be connected to a main sentence with its own subject and verb. Find more information here.
Spelling – use your word processor’s spellcheck!!!!!!
Citations – every fact you mention in your paper should have an accompanying APA style citation like this (Janofsky, 2019). The citation should link to an entry in your References list at the end of your paper. Facts include statements like “Many people think public health is very important.” Unless you have a citation for these, you should rephrase. Find more information here.
References – your list of sources at the end of your paper should be titled “References”, should be organized in alphabetical order, and should use a hanging indent (where the second and following lines are indented). Find more information here.
Vocabulary – avoid words like “huge”, “kind of”, “thing(s)”, “nowadays” – these are informal and should be avoided in academic writing.
Proof read your work – before you submit your paper, read it through from beginning to end at least once. You will find many of these issues and improve your grade. If you frequently lose points for awkward construction, consider reading your paper out loud – this can be very helpful.
Consider visiting the UNLV Writing Center – this valuable resource is free and can help you improve your writing skills.