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Writing Manual
As either a student, or a professional in the workplace, the ability to create well written and formal documents is a very valuable skill. The purpose of this writing manual is so that the student will learn, and put into practice, the creation of formal, professionally produced, written documentation.
A student, when completing a written
assignment should use all available resources, including application / operating
help screens (FIRST!), course textbooks (SECOND!), online resources (HOW-TO
DOCUMENTS FIRST, FORUMS AND WIKIPEDIA FOURTH!).
When writing the document a student should never copy and
paste from any type of resource.
When creating a written assignment document, a student should:
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Access resources containing information relevant to the topic (see
above).
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Read, analyze, and parse the information to the best of their ability.
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Create the written document to be submitted in their own words that
meets the formatting specifications below.
- A document submitted by a student that includes as much as a complete
sentence, or partial sentence, that has been copied directly from any type
of resource will be considered as plagiarism, as specified in the SMCC
Academic Honesty Policy (link).
- Any type of assignment submitted by a student found to be plagiarized in
any way shall be penalized according to the following rubric:
- First offense = redo / resubmit the assignment = -50% grade penalty
- Second offense = student will be reported to the colleges
disciplinary committee and will fail the class.
Formatting specifications:All written assignments created and submitted to the Professor as
a hard copy (printed document) and must conform to the document formatting specifications below. Note: On-line, HTML based documentation, when required, should follow best practices for on-line documentation as explained at: http://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/instrux.html
Each page of the assignment, not including the cover page, shall include the following components.
- Page header, 8 point type
- Page Footer, 8 point type
- Course code and section #
- Page #, if more than one page
- Body text, 12 or 14 point type, headings and titles may be larger point size, margins no larger than 1.5 inches and line spacing of no more than 1.5 lines
- Any assignment that consists of more than 2 sheets of paper must have a cover page.
- The cover page must include the following:
- Course code, course name and section #
- Name of the assignment
- Student name
- Minimum of 18-point type in a standard font, e.g. Times New Roman, Arial or equivalent.
- The cover may include graphical images at the student’s option. The images must be located after the required text.
- Assignments consisting of more than two pages must be stapled together. Please do not use any type of folder or cover.
- All written assignments shall include a bibliography that will identify any printed references, Internet references, lecture notes, etc. used a source of information contained in the assignment
Note: A written assignment, as defined by the instructor, is any document that the student creates, prints, and submits to the instructor as a requirement of this course.
Grading of Written Assignments:
The following grading rubric is used for all written assignments.
- For an assignment to be accepted for grading, the assignment must be original work created by the individual student.
- Any form of plagiarism shall not be accepted.
FOR AN A GRADE, THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS MUST BE PRESENT: - Technical:
- The document follows all aspects of the writing manual
- All aspects of the assignment are complete.
- All questions are answered
in a complete and thorough manner.
- Responses are grammatically correct.
- Responses indicate proofreading that eliminates spelling and punctuation errors.
- Logical:
- Ideas logically follow one another.
- Detailed examples to support responses (when necessary) are evident.
- Responses are presented in a structured and logical manner.
- Reflective:
- Reflection on the writer’s learning is evident.
- Lecture notes, reading material, and personal experiences are integrated into responses.
- The writer provides periodic evidence of original, creative thinking with synthesis and analysis.
FOR A B GRADE, THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS MUST BE PRESENT: - Technical:
- The document follows most aspects of the writing manual.
- All questions have an answer.
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Most questions are answered in a complete and thorough manner1.
- The majority of responses are grammatically correct.
- Responses indicate proofreading that eliminates all but a few spelling and punctuation errors.
- Logical:
- Most of the responses are presented logically and sequentially.
- All responses are presented in complete sentences, except for bulleted items.
- Most responses are presented in a structured and logical manner.
- Reflective:
- Most responses have some detailed information with periodic examples (when necessary).
- Logic and organization are evident.
FOR A C GRADE, THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS MUST BE PRESENT: - Technical:
- The document follows some aspects of the writing manual.
- All questions have an answer.
- Logical:
- Most responses are presented in complete sentences, except for bulleted items.
- Reflective:
- Logic and organization are evident.
Writing Resources:
1 A complete and
thorough answer to a question on a written assignment should be a minimum of 75
words, and should include a definition, an example, and an analogy. Back to top
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