Essay One Guidelines

We'll talk during our next class about how an academic paper should be formatted.  For this class and many others, you'll follow MLA guidelines, which are explained in your handbook beginning on page 429.  As you are not conducting any research for this essay, no works cited page is needed.  If you do happen to include something that requires acknowledgement, simply embed that acknowledgement into your text (e.g.: "According to the National Council of Dentists...").

Certain other classes will require you to use APA guidelines; these are described on page 528.

Below are a few mistakes students commonly make.  Be advised: you will lose points on your paper if you do not follow these instructions.

• Staple: Your pages should be attached with a single staple in the upper left corner.  I do not carry a stapler to class.  Please don't ask me.
• Title: Your paper needs one. A title does more than name the assignment.  For example, "Essay One" is unsuitable.  A title does more than name the topic.  For example, "My Grandmother's Kitchen" needs to do more. A title should create interest, and sum up the work in just a few words.  "Cinnamon Flavored Hair" might be a good title for an essay that tells the story of a grandmother who mixed up her hair care products with her kitchen spices.
• Paragraph Spacing: As the guidelines state, your essay should be double spaced throughout.  No additional spacing should appear between paragraphs.  Warning: recent versions of Microsoft Word insert extra spacing as a default setting.  You will need to change this.

We'll talk more about these issues in class.

 

As stated earlier, in addition to the essay itself, you will submit all of the written work you've done in the creation of the essay (i.e. brainstorming, outlining, rough drafts, etc.)  Your essay will receive one grade that evaluates your process and another for your final draft.

Due dates for different sections are as follows:

T/R: 9/27

M/W: 9/28

F: 9/30