Paper Length

All submissions should be no less than three pages long. The work cited page does NOT count towards the number of essay pages. Failure to comply with some of the other criteria may affect your overall paper length, so please be sure to look over all the criteria very carefully. Submissions that do not meet the paper length requirement, automatically disqualifies a submission from receiving an A. The total number of points deducted is up to the professor’s discretion. For example, a paper that is only half complete will be deducted more than a submission that is missing a few lines.

Sometimes, students tend to overuse quotes. If the paper has too many quotes, the professor reserves the right to decide that the excessive use of quotes was so much that it affected the paper length with not enough original writing. This may also be the case with having used only one quote but it being too long. Keep quotes short and to a minimum to ensure this does not happen.

Why is it left up to professor’s discretion? Shouldn’t there be a specific criteria?

The decision considering the paper length is left to the professor’s discretion because students are very different. If a student does tend to use excessive quotes but their submission is 4 pages instead of the required 3, this will be taken into consideration. However, it is still possible to turn in a 4-page submission and it have much too many quotes. As students can see, this may get a little complicated, so the professor must use their own judgement.

One of the criteria students will learn about later is that the heading must be single-spaced. If a student writes exactly three pages but the heading is double-spaced, the professor has the right to deduct point for violation of both criteria (Not single-spacing the heading and not meeting the length requirement). This is because double spacing the heading would mean that student did not write as much as the one who complied with the heading criteria and also has two complete pages.

The three pages must be complete. It does not matter if the submission is one sentence short of the three pages. The paper length requirement must be followed through completely.

Late Submissions

In the interest of fairness, late papers are penalized 10 points off per day. If a student who submitted their paper on time missed an A with an 87, it is not fair for a student who gave themselves an extra day to get an A. Students may ask, “Isn’t 10 points off still a 90?” This is true, but students who submit a late paper will start with a 90 before I begin grading and other deductions are enforced. If the drop box closes and your paper is late, you do NOT have to email me to ask if you can still submit it. Students should email me their paper as soon as possible.

Sources

There is no set number of sources that need to be used; however, I have found in the past that the more sources students use, the better the paper usually is. ONLY peer-reviewed journal articles are allowed. When the peer-review journal article is used, the web site for Jstor or Ebsco should not be included. Only the information belonging to the article should be included. There should be absolutely NO web site in the work cited page. The Lone Star College University Park web site has a tab titled “database.” You will find peer-reviewed journal articles here. A deduction of 5 point for each web site used will be enforced.

Every name on the work cited page should also be somewhere within the body of the submission. By contrast, every author mentioned in the in-text citation should be in the work cited page as well. Failure to include a source in both the in-text citation and the work cited page will be penalized 3 points for each violation.

Spacing and Heading

All submissions must be double-spaced. The heading, however, should be single spaced. Every submission should have a heading. The heading should include student’s name, the date, and the course. The professor’s name should not be included as it is understood it is for my course. In essence, each heading should be 3 single spaced lines while the actual paper is double-spaced. There should only be double-space between the heading and the title. Here is an example.

Tony Jones March 12, 2020 English 1301-6312   Essay 3               In the years following the Vietnam conflict, many social changes took place in both Vietnam and the United States. First, racial tension became prevalent in the business world. Many Vietnamese who were business owners in America were no longer welcomed. Secondly, Americans who found their future marital partner while in Vietnam were being criticized for the Amer-Asian children that were being left in hostile Asian territory.

Students should notice that the title is simply the name of the assignment. Every title should only be the name of the assignment.

The heading should always be on the top left-hand corner of the paper as is shown on the example. Also, the heading should only be on the first page. Including the heading on more than just one page is grounds for the point deductions. If students submit a paper that is longer than the required three pages, the additional pages also qualify for deduction if the criteria are violated. Criteria are considered for the entire submission and does not stop with the required number of pages.

Gaps between paragraphs are not allowed. Sometimes, when a student clicks “Enter” at the end of a paragraphs, it leaves a space larger than doubled-spaced when it jumps to the next paragraph. This is not allowed and can be remedied by going to “paragraphs” on the menu bar. Just below the portion where students select “double-spaced,” there is a box labeled “Do not add space between paragraphs.” Please click this box before closing out the menu. If you do not see this on your computer or have a MAC or notebook, you can log on to YouTube and type in “How to remove gaps between paragraphs using (Your system here).” Violation of the gap criteria may also result in a paper length violation.

Students should not use the header. It is acceptable to include page numbers, but there should not be a name at the top right hand of each page.

Violation of any criteria under the “Heading and Spacing” section will be deducted 11 points for each violation. For example, if you violate the same criteria twice, you may be deducted 22 points instead of 11.

Formatting

All submissions should follow MLA style. I am under the assumption that all participants in this course have taken Composition 1301 and know what MLA is. Since this is not an English 1301 course, I do not offer grammar lesson; however, if you need assistance, please reach out. Papers that are not MLA style will be deducted 15 points for each violation of this criteria. This includes submissions that have a very long introduction or if the paper is completely in block formation without indentions at new paragraphs. All submissions should follow an introduction, body, and conclusion format. If you need a refresher as to what MLA is, students are responsible for one of the following:

1. Visiting the University Park writing center for assistance.
2. Logging on to the many web sites available that explain MLA style.
3. Using YouTube to search for video lessons on MLA style.
4. Emailing paper to professor before submitting to get an opinion on the style.

Mechanics

This course is a 3000 level course. The assumption is that students in this course have already completed Composition 1.  Please let me know if for some reason you have not completed Composition 1. It is expected that students avoid excessive errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity in their work. The instructor reserves the right to deduct points where it is seen fit to do so for mechanic issues. The amount of points deducted will be left to the instructor’s discretion.

No submissions should use first person narrative. Students should not use (I, me, us, we, our, you, you’re, we’re etc..) Students who do not know how to avoid first person are encouraged to visit the writing center for assistance. Use of first person even once will disqualify a submission from getting an A. Further deductions can be incurred (3pts for each first person use) for additional first person use after the first one.

Academic Honesty

Submissions that have an unacceptably high percentage on the similarity index will receive a 0 and they cannot be made up. What is considered unacceptable is up to the professor’s discretion because some index numbers sometimes come out high because of quotes. No essays previously submitted for another class are allowed.

What is My Topic?

The topic for your papers can be found in the instructions for the paper on D2L. Please let professor know if you cannot find it.

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