fsmt311 week 8 final project

Writing Assignment Expectations

I wanted to go over what I expect out of the writing assignments during this course unless otherwise noted in the assignment.

Formatting:

APA 6th Edition Writing Style Guide is what you will use to format your papers. I suggest you purchase this guide but if that is not possible, I have provided many APA documents to assist you. They are found in the Course Materials announcement and in the Course Materials section of the classroom.

Running head:

You must have a correct Running Head in your paper. I have provided an example below:

It should look like the following on the Title Page and be in the Times New Roman 12 point font:

Running head: TITLE OF YOUR PAPER 1

On the rest of the paper as follows and in the Times New Roman 12 point font:

TITLE OF YOUR PAPER 2

Title Page:

You must have a correct Title Page. Only put the items required by APA on the Title Page

Title of Paper

Student Name

University Name

Abstract:

You must provide an Abstract page which is on page 2 of the paper by itself.

The abstract paragraph should contain your research topic along with a summary of the key points of your paper.

The Abstract paragraph is never indented. Each line of the Abstract paragraph is placed against the left margin.

Content: (Introduction, Body of Text, Conclusion)

Introduction:

The first line of the paper is always the title of the paper centered on the page. The Introduction is not labeled as it is known by default to be the first paragraph of the paper.

When writing an introduction, it should include the following and it should be in your own words:

1. Introduce your topic.

2. Create some interest in your topic.

3. Provide a little background information on your topic.

4. Identify your main idea

5. Preview some of the key points of your paper.

Your introduction will also include a thesis statement which will be covered by points 4 and 5.

Body of Text:

The body of text will include the information to back up your thesis statement. It will include proper headings throughout to help the reader identify the key points of the paper.

Conclusion:

The conclusion should accomplish the following:

1. Restate the main idea of the paper.

2. Summarize the main points of the paper.

3. Leave the reader with an interesting final impression.

Reference Page:

The Reference page is always on the last page of the paper by itself. It will contain all the sources you used in the paper. Sources must be in alphabetical order, and every line must be double spaced. Remember, only the first line of a source is placed against the left margin, each additional line of that source is indented ½ inch. I have provided an example below:

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location:

Publisher.

Citing and Referencing:

Always, cite and reference every source you use in your paper.

Not citing or referencing your sources or citing or referencing incorrectly will not be tolerated. APUS takes plagiarism very seriously. Please be sure to review the APUS plagiarism policy.

Never use Wikipedia as a source in any paper. It is not an academically recognized source.

Citing:

Example: (Author Last Name, Year of Publication) or if there is no author, then use the following example (Publishing Organization, Year of Publication). You can also cite like the following example: Smith (2009) discusses the need for additional building codes to keep ensure the safety of all occupants.

Referencing:

Never place just a website address on the Reference page as a source. APA has specific instructions for electronic sources.

A basic, but not thorough representation for referencing an electronic source is as follows:

Author (last name first and the remaining initials. If there is no author then use the publishing organization. (Year of Publication). Title of the article (Be aware that only the first word, a word after a colon, and proper nouns are to be capitalized in the article title). Publishing organization if the article contained an author. Retrieved from and then the web address if it is a source your retrieved online.

You will need to look up, on the Internet, some of the minor differences from what I have shown above when referencing books, journal articles, newspapers, etc.

Other Grading Items:

· You should not have any punctuation, grammar or spelling mistakes. 

· Your paper must answer the questions presented for the assignment in a well written and organized manner.

· Never use contractions in a formal paper unless it is from a direct quote.

· Never copy and paste from a source directly into your paper.

With all of the APA guides that are available in the class and on the Internet, there are no excuses for turning in an improperly formatted paper.  If you meet these expectations, you will receive a good grade.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.