Writing Tips

Academic Style

Students with a background in journalism, creative writing or other non-scholarly styles may be unfamiliar with the style of writing required for the research paper in this course. The best way to familiarize yourself with the proper style is to read articles in the standard scholarly journals in our field, mass communication. The words "academic" and "scholarly" in this context refer specifically to work by acknowledged scholars in the discipline of mass communication.

Articles published in newspapers and mass-market magazines such as Time and Newsweek are not scholarly. Articles published in professional journals such as Columbia Journalism Review and Quill are NOT scholarly.

A scholarly article is one written by a scholar. It includes a reference list and provides accurate citations throughout the text.

Who Is a Scholar?

Usually an acknowledged scholar in an academic discipline holds a university position such as professor and also has an earned Ph.D. Some scholars work for think tanks or quasi-government organizations. Journalists and elected officials are not considered scholars (or even experts).

Scholars conduct original research in their field and publish their results.

Why Do We Compile a Reference List?

If you read articles in scholarly journals, you will begin to understand the value of reference lists and how professional scholars cite their sources. The reference list shows every work consulted by the author of the present article. More important, a good reference list confers credibility on the author; by showing that he or she has thoroughly examined the previous scholarly work related to this topic, the reference list proves that the author is competent to write about the topic.

What Kinds of Sources Are Reliable?

Articles published in the aforementioned scholarly journals make excellent sources. Books published by university presses are usually reliable, unless they are out of date. For other books, check out the credentials of the author. What are his or her qualifications?

The authorship of any Web page must be thoroughly investigated before you rely on information found there.

How Are Sources Cited in the Text?

Not many social science journals use footnotes today (law journals are an exception). You must not use footnotes to cite your sources in this course.

Different scholarly journals require different citation styles. In this course, you are required to use APA style. You should buy the APA manual (see Books) and follow it exactly for both the format of your reference list and also for citations in the text.

Each time you refer to an idea from another author, you must cite the source where you found the idea. The citation refers to your reference list, where you give the complete details about the source. Proper use of citations in the text protects you from a charge of plagiarism. Please note that any commission of plagiarism in this course results in a failing grade for the entire course.

Use of Quotations and Copying

When you copy text from someone else's work, you are plagiarizing. If you use quotation marks properly to enclose the copied text, you can avoid a charge of plagiarism. However, overuse of quoted material from other authors is not considered good scholarship. If you read articles in scholarly journals, you will learn how professional scholars refer to previous work by others. You are expected to figure this out by reading journal articles.

If you have any questions or doubts about proper use of citations or the use of quotation marks, please come and see me during my office hours. Bring your own work and the original source with you.

When Is a Source Too Old?

The World Wide Web was invented in 1990. Mass use began late in 1994. The Internet of 1996 (and even the Internet of 2000) was quite different from the Internet of today. Scholarly journal articles and books are typically published one to two years after completion. So, use your head. A statement made about the Internet in a book published in 2005 may not be valid today. It depends on what the statement concerns.

Formatting Your Papers

(1) All written work for this course must be word processed and double-spaced. Use normal page margins of at least one inch (top, bottom, left, and right).

(2) Use 11- or 12-point serif type of a standard font family such as Cambria, Times New Roman, Georgia or Palatino.

(3) Use flush-left, ragged-right justification.

(4) If the assignment specifies that it should be printed: Print it on white 8.5- by 11-inch paper. If your printer produces blurred or light text, please use a better printer. If you hand in something unreadable, you will receive no credit for it.

(5) All reference lists must be double-spaced and must use a hanging indent.

(6) Do not use any kind of report cover. Use only a staple or a clip to bind your pages together. Always use some kind of clip or staple; do not hand in loose pages. (If the staple is not holding the pages together securely, for heaven's sake, go and buy a binder clip!)

(7) Always put an appropriate heading at the TOP of your paper. This will include your first and last name, of course. For an assignment such as a WWR&DQ, identify the assignment by its name (e.g. WWR&DQ 6) and content (e.g., Tilly, Preface and Chapters 1-4). Include the date and year. For other work -- such as a book review and a research paper -- the appropriate heading will be different.

 

These formatting requirements are in line with the expectations for a professional paper when it is submitted for publication.

When you submit a paper to a journal, always be sure to get that journal's unique formatting requirements, and follow them.