Self-Assessment: Communication Style

Below is an outline of what I look for in the paper assignments in this class. All paper assignments should be APA formatted. Always, always, always take the time to thoroughly proofread your papers. Run them through WritePoint as well.

1. Margins: The margins should be set at 1" for top, bottom, right, & left. The header and footer should be .5".

2. Fonts: The paper fonts should be Times New Roman or Arial 12 points. I prefer the look of Times New Roman.

3. Spacing: The lines need to be double spaced with a .5" indentation at the beginning of the paragraph. Do not add blank lines between paragraphs. Also there should be no extra after paragraph spacing. After paragraph spacing happens when you hit return. You need to check MS Word since the program is set up for 10 points automatically. You correct this on the formatting palette under the alignment and spacing in the paragraph spacing section.

4. Title page formulations: There needs to be a page number in the header in the upper right corner. Running heads are not required in this class, but if you put one in, it must be formatted correctly. The title information should be centered on the page. The specifications call for centering in the upper half of the page, but I accept centered on the whole page. You need to list the title of the paper, the course name, your name, my name, and the date. These are all aligned in the center and are upper and lower case letters. All caps = yelling, so no all caps.

5. The second page of the paper (the first after the title page) should have the paper title centered on the first line with the paper starting on the second line. Do not add extra blank lines.

6. In-text citations: Any information that you use in the paper that did not come directly out of your head needs to be followed by an in-text citation in the form of (Author, year). If you are quoting material and I prefer you keep that to the barest minimum, then the citation is (Author, year, p.#) If you have three authors, the format is (Author, Author, & Author, year) You only use the author's last name in the in-text citation. For example the correct way to cite the text in your paper is (DeVito, 2009).

7. The reference page needs to be formatted correctly. The first line should have the word Reference centered on it. The entries need to be in alphabetical order. The first line has a hanging indent of .5". You create a hanging indent by making the first line have a -.5" indent.  The names of the authors come first and start with last name and then initials. You have to look at the references to see the exact formatting for the entries. You just copy the formatting for the type of book or article that you have.

This document is a good reference for everyone in the class since these are the main things I look for that people miss. Here are a few more things I see that are commonly missed.

· In the text of the document, numbers under ten should be spelled out.

· Anything in quotes must have an in-text citation so do not use quotes to emphasize words - only for direct quotes. Again try to avoid direct quotes. I prefer you paraphrase. Remember you still must have an in-text citation.

· In APA papers, we means you and your fellow authors. Us means the same thing. It is incorrect to use we, us, or our in a single author paper. It will lose you points. I recommend you stick to third person only. (Not needed for the personal papers)

· Avoid too casual language. Do not use contractions. Avoid using slang or colloquialisms. These papers are formal papers and should not sound like a conversation you would have with a friend.