Survey of U.S. History (HIST101)

Written Assignment Guidelines

Guidelines – Remember :

· You are writing about the past, use the proper tense

· Do not, as modeled by CNN and other media, use the present tense to write about the past

· Do not use contractions: Can’t for can not, won’t for will not, etc.

· Do not write in the first person (“I will write about…”; “We now believe…”)

· Do not hedge, i.e. “It seems that…” or “It appears that…” Be resolute, take a firm stand and support it with facts and details

· All essays will have an Introduction, Body and Conclusion

· Use the formula:

· Tell what you are going tell

· Tell

· Tell what you told

IMPORTANT: Size does not equate with importance. Do not write: “One big thing about the Renaissance was the development of Humanism.” Big does not mean important. Use an accurate word to describe what you are writing. For example:

“One of the major developments of the Renaissance was Humanism.”

“One important development of the Renaissance was Humanism.”

“One central development of the Renaissance was Humanism.”

Do not use big, huge, giant, colossal

Instead write: important, central, or major

Grading parameters:

You will lose points for not complying with any of these (above or below) guidelines. You will be graded on:

· The accuracy of your facts

· Your analysis

· Grammar and spelling

· Adherence to assignment instructions

· Length of submission

· Adherence to the standards of formatting

· Normal font size is 12 pt.

· Normal parameters for margins are the standard margins

· Standard fonts are to used: Palatino, New Times Roman are most preferred

· Do not use boldface anywhere except the title page

Other considerations:

· You must submit by uploading your work through the link(s) provided by your instructor.

· All papers must be double-spaced (for face-to-face sections – no handwritten submissions)

· Each submission must have a title page that includes

· Assignment title

· Your name

· Your section number (for face-to-face sections add – day and time)

· Date of the submission

· Begin your essay at the top of the first page

· Do not use paragraph headings or number to denote subject changes

· Do not skip lines between paragraphs, that is, do not put 4 lines between paragraphs instead of the standard double-spacing

Final Word

This is a formal academic essay. Write it as such. This is not your typical conversation style English class essay from high school or some social media activity. Everything you set down in writing you must be able to prove. Be specific when describing events or developments. Use all the details that can possibly be included to more accurately describe what you are discussing in your essay.

· The Instructor reserves the right to make changes to these parameters if necessary

· The Instructor reserves the right to use the resources of the College to check student work for plagiarism

· Students shall adhere to the laws governing the use of copyrighted materials. They must ensure that their activities comply with fair use and in no way infringe on the copyright or other proprietary rights of others and that the materials used and developed at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana contain nothing unlawful, unethical or libelous, and do not constitute and violations of any right of privacy