LANGLEY'S
RULES OF WRITING
STANDARDS
FOR PAPERS
HELPFUL
WEBSITES ON WRITING
BASICS
Read. Research shows the best writers are people who read.Get a good dictionary, carry it with you, and use it.
CONTENT/STYLE/GRAMMARUse active voice ("The dog chased the cat, not "The cat was chased by the dog." )
Use gender inclusive language ("humanity" rather than "mankind," "she or he" rather than "he.")
Use present tense when discussing the text.
Avoid clichés and slang.
Avoid repeatedly saying "I think" or "I believe."
Don’t use second person ("you") unless you actually are referring to me!
Underline book and movie titles. Use quotations for article titles.
Don’t use "It is" or "There are."
Nouns and verbs must agree. "We are" rather than "We is.")
Verb tense must agree. No mix and match, please.
MECHANICS
With the following exceptions, you should use APA style format:---don’t waste paper on a title (cover) page;
---you may use any reasionably readable 12 point font;
---you are not required to use page headers.
---you are not required to use any headings.
Properly and fully cite scholarly sources.
1" margins on all sides, doublespaced, numbered pages, 12 point font.
Submit an electronic copy (in Microsoft Word format) via e-mail to me.
Keep a copy on a movable disk, jump drive or a hard copy.
No slop! Proofread. Spell and grammar check your paper.
For other issues in formatting, follow this link.
REVISIONS
Don't just tinker: re-vise, re-think, re-vision the paper. Learn from your mistakes.Time to think, read, percolate, write, re-think, re-read, and re-write is critical. If you don’t have the time to work hard, you should re-think your priorities, including whether this is the right time to be in college.
Re-read your paper, read my comments and think about them. Do you understand what you were saying? Do you understand my comments? Talk with me if you don't.
How can you improve the content? Can you improve the theses? Can you add more supporting points, or better develop those you included in the essay? Can you delete or strengthen the weakest points?
How can you improve the structure of your paper? If you outline your essay by writing about one idea per paragraph, does it make sense? Do you need to re-order or re-arrange ideas? Can you combine or divide? Are transitions smooth and logical?
How can you improve the prose of the essay? Read it out loud to yourself. Does each sentence say what you really mean? Can you be more specific and concrete? Can you be more precise? Are you using the “right” word for what you mean?
Get feedback on your revision. Take it to the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) with a copy of your original; read it to someone who is a good writer, or bring it to me for feedback.
Back to Top
STANDARDS FOR PAPERSA: A truly outstanding paper. Well organized and comprehensive, it provides a clear thesis and an in-depth analysis of the concepts or text. It is precise, clear and concise, avoiding vagueness and over generalization. The argumentation or support is convincing and logical. Rather than merely describing or summarizing the thought of others, it offers a critical analysis. It is original and creative. It lacks factual and writing errors. It requires hard work and intellectual struggle.
B: A very good paper. Usually comprehensive and well organized, it provides a strong thesis and an in-depth analysis of the concepts or text. The argumentation or support is generally convincing and logical. Typically the prose is fine with only an occasional lapse in grammar. Nonetheless, it lacks one or more of the qualities of the outstanding "A" paper described above.
C: A competent paper. It shows weaknesses in one or more of the following: organization, proofreading, or in-depth focus on the major concepts. The thesis may be too general or simplistic, the argument may be incomplete or illogical. Typically the writing is competent but marred by consistent grammatical errors.
D: An unsatisfactory paper because it includes some of the problems described under the "C" paper, but to a greater degree. It typically has an ill defined or poorly supported main idea, serious flaws in logic, argumentation or grammar. It shows signs of haste, sloppy thinking and lack of attention.
F: A poor paper which shows little comprehension of the subject matter, is written so poorly as to be incomprehensible, or is plagiarized.Back to Top
HELPFUL WEB SITES
ON WRITING
GENERAL ACADEMIC WRITING
ESSAY WRITING
MISCELLANEOUS
Questions or Comments?
