Mechanics and Format for Writing Assignments

HSLA Douglas

 

Fonts and Spacing: Use a normal font for the paper and the title page such as Times New Roman.  Use 12-point type.  Double space all submitted drafts.  Left, right, top, and bottom margins are 1-inch.  There are two spaces between sentences (after a period, question mark, exclamation point).

 

Paper and Ink: All compositions are to be typed.  Paper must be white, standard weight, unmolested and unblemished.  The edges must be neat.  The ink must be black.  In-class writing must be in blue or black ink.

 

Heading: The heading of all work must be in the top LEFT hand corner of the top page and single spaced.  It must include your name, teacher, the period/class, and the date.  See below for an example.

 

Joe Smith

Mr. Douglas

1st period HSLA

Sept. 1, 2004

 

Title: Each composition must have an original and insightful title.  The title must be centered.  After the title, skip several lines.  Do not underline your own title or place it in quotation marks.  Capitalize the first letter of all major words in the title, including the first word.  Unless it is the first word, words like a, the, and of are not capitalized.  For HSLA, you do not need a separate title page.

 

Other titles: If you use the title of another work in your title or in your paper, that title would be underlined or in quotation marks (book/novel= underline title; short story, poem= quotations marks).

 

Numbering pages: Do not number the first page.  All other pages are number in the top right hand corner.  Write your last name and the page number in Arabic numerals. example: Jones 5

 

Citations: If you use ideas or words that are not yours, you must cite your source.  Otherwise it is considered plagiarism.  If you take directly from the source (exact words) use quotation marks.  Cite using inclusion.  Immediately following the referenced material, put the author’s name and page number in parenthesis (Jones 75-76).  Note that there is no comma separating name and page number.

 

Stapling: Staple in the top left corner (staple at home!!!).

 

Covers and Binders: Do not use them.

 

Lame excuses for late work: Do not use them J

 

Length: Length is determined by what you have to say.  Be specific, detailed and thorough, but do not be repetitive or use “filler”. 

 

Writing Process: Writing is a process that involves brainstorming/ pre-writing, writing, editing and revising.

 

Evaluation: Your final drafts will be evaluated for overall quality and criteria stated in individual grading rubrics.  Each paper has its own specific focus areas, but organization, spelling, grammar and mechanics are always important.

 

Grades:  I will gladly discuss with you the grade that you receive, but before meeting with me, please re-read your composition and any notes I have made on it and make your own notes on any specific areas of concern.