Guidelines

Your name should appear on a separate title page and nowhere else on the paper.

Papers must be double-spaced.  Please use a font similar in size to Times New Roman 12 point.

Page maximums provide an explicit maximum length for the main body of the paper. Generally speaking, to properly and thoroughly cover the assignment you should be writing at least 75% of the maximum length. Title page and bibliography do not count towards the paper length.

Papers should use MLA, Chicago, or APA format to cite appropriate references in text and in a Works Cited page. That is I really want to see your references in the form (Greene 2022) in text. Do not site long, temporary URL's in the works cited page.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated

View NCSU's plagiarism Policy

Before Turning In Your Paper...

The following is a list of items that you should really think about in order to get the best possible grade on your paper. Please leave yourself adequate time after completing an initial draft of your paper so that you can go back and address these issues as needed. A written assignment is a very important reflection of your ability and how you approach academic work and you should plan your time accordingly.

Proofread! Read your whole paper. Make sure there are no typographical errors, extra words, etc.

Read for grammar, flow, etc. Read the paper aloud to yourself. Does what you are writing sound funny/awkward to you? If so, it will sound even worse to someone else.  If you used AI to help with your writing, make sure the style is not overly showy/ornate as AI often tends to do.

Read for organization. Does your paper follow a logical flow? Is it clear why you are moving from one topic to the next? Consider using sub-headings to guide the organization.

Use the present tense and active voice (first person is fine!)

Look for excessively long paragraphs. Each paragraph should deal with a single main idea. Overly long paragraphs are a sign of poor organization.  Sections and headings, where appropriate, help the reader understand what you are trying to communicate.

Are your word choices appropriate? Do not use a particular word if you are at all unsure of the meaning it conveys. I am not impressed by attempts at a sophisticated vocabulary that fall short.

Avoid common traps, e.g., "I believe" "It is obvious that" "It is important to" "This proves" etc., to establish your "expertise" rather than make a meaningful point.

Have you appropriately answered all the questions in the assignment?! Also consider if you have included extraneous-- thus distracting-- material that does not actually address the assignment.

Have you taken the opportunities to directly apply course material where it is relevant to what you are discussing?

Do your conclusions make sense based upon the information you have supplied? Where appropriate, are your conclusions supported by appropriate research and have you correctly cited the research?

Do you really have enough references that bear directly upon the questions in the assignment and have you used them appropriately?

Make Sure You Have Read All The Guidelines