This is required information. Please read it carefully! Points are deducted for not following instructions precisely.
Document Formatting Requirements
All assignments should be double-spaced, written in an easy-to-read 12pt font (e.g., Verdana, Arial, Times New Roman), and have one inch margins. All essays require a title. Your name, section number, and assignment name should be the first line in the upper left hand corner. Please see Formatting and Submitting Assignments for details.
Writing Guidelines
- All essays should use Standard American English and avoid slang and trite expressions.
- Use a consistent verb tense throughout the essay; generally the past or the present tense is most effective.
- Use very specific, concrete, descriptive vocabulary. Vague language will not lend clarity to your examples.
- Write the essay in third person unless otherwise directed.
- All essays require a title.
- You may need sources to support your thesis. For more information on how to create a Modern Language Association (MLA) Works Cited page or a American Psychological Association (APA) References page and use in-text citations, check the following links:
Editing, Revising, and Researching
Refer to handouts from the Purdue OWL about:
- Proofreading, Editing and Revising
- Research and Documenting Sources
- Research Skills and Sources
- Writing Research Papers
Use Microsoft Word tools, but do not rely on them completely. Set Microsoft Word Tools to check more than spelling by following these directions. You may set your spelling/grammar tools to check for use of third person, proper quotation style, clichés and slang, sentence fragments, repetitive words, and more.