Sociology

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Writing Requirements for Sociology Papers - Dr. Hamill PAPER FORMAT

1. Type and double-space papers. 2. Indent each paragraph 5 spaces. 3. Do NOT leave an extra blank line between paragraphs. Adjust paragraph defaults if needed. 4. Use only black ink. Use 12 pt font. Use Times New Roman if it is available to you. 5. Put page numbers at the bottom-center of each page. Do not manually type in the page numbers.

Use the “insert page numbers” function on your word processing program. 6. Margins should be between 1” and 1.25” on all 4 sides. 7. Include a simple, single-spaced header at the top left of page 1 including your name, the date, and

course ID (e.g., SOC 103-001 or section 002 or section 003). See below for date formatting. 8. No “Title” is needed at the top of the paper. 9. No title page is needed. 10. No abstract is needed. 11. Do not write more than ½ page more or less than the assignment calls for. 12. If you have a paragraph running longer than ½ of a page, you should very seriously look to see if it

is focused on one topic. It is likely to be rambling. Full-page paragraphs are never acceptable at this level.

13. Be sure each paragraph is focused on one point or concept. Each sentence within the paragraph should relate to that clearly stated point, and in fact, develop or support it. Double-check to be sure the first sentence of each paragraph indicates what the rest of the paragraph is about.

14. Note that for SOC 103 papers, simple “in-text” (author, year) citations are needed. No separate bibliography is required unless new sources are used. If you include a bibliography, I prefer APA style, but MLA is fine too if you know that style better.

GRAMMAR 1. Use complete sentences. Edit the paper several times. Grammar and punctuation count! 2. Avoid casual, informal, and often times grammatically incorrect contractions like:

We’d, might’ve, could’ve, didn’t, or don’t. Instead, spell the words out. For example, “I’ve” becomes “I have.”

3. Use parallel terms like “ladies” and “gentlemen” OR “men” and “women”. 4. Do NOT use unparallel terms like “men” and “girls” OR “guys” and “girls”. 5. Avoid colloquialisms like “you know”. 6. Be careful using the word “all” or “never” in sentences. Do you really mean “all” races and/or

ages were present?? I doubt it. 7. Avoid using “amongst.” The term is antiquated. Use “among” instead. 8. Be careful to appropriately distinguish between:

there and their; affects and effects; descent and decent; i.e., and e.g.; than and then; and except and accept

9. Avoid redundancy – that is, do not use the same word or phrase over and over again. 10. Avoid “very.” It is an empty word not usually adding much to a statement. 11. Please write dates in this format: January 25, 2015 (note the commas and spacing) 12. Do not use “etc.” in your essays for this class. It is imprecise. Write what you mean. 13. Be careful when changing tenses. It is generally best to use the past tense when describing

something in the past. 14. Use an active voice and direct, simple sentences. 15. Avoid awkward, long, run-on sentences. 16. Avoid using “kind of” or “sort of”. These terms are imprecise. 17. Avoid statements like, “You could tell….” I was not there! 18. Avoid sentence construction like, “They would move to another chair.” It should simply read,

“They moved to another chair.” 19. Be careful with capitalization. Unless it is a name, formal title, the word “I,” or the beginning of a

sentence, it is probably not capitalized. 20. Be sure there are no spaces between the last letter of the last word of a sentence and the period.

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I am happy to meet with you (in person, or via phone) to discuss what you plan to write about, or to provide feedback on your writing style and grammar. Email me well in advance of the due date to set something up (mailto:[email protected]).