Formatting requirements

Failure to comply with these parameters sufficiently could result in the loss of one letter grade (e.g., B to B-) for the assignment.

All graded assignments should be in MLA format. Failure to document completely and correctly will have an adverse effect on your grade. Please consult the MLA Handbook (7^th ed.) for formal guidelines, but note that I prefer a title page on some assignments. Other sources and other editions may not be correct; please purchase a copy of the MLA, or use a library copy, if you do not already have one.

All assignments except the seminar reports will be submitted in paragraph (essay) format unless otherwise specified.

For these assignments, please check whether a title page is required or not.

For those assignments with a title page, the title page should contain the student’s name, student ID #, the course number and name, the instructor’s name, and, of course, the title of the paper itself. The title page should be formatted according to the example under “Course content: Assignments: Assignment examples.”

In cases where no title page is required, please put your name, date, assignment title, and word count in the top left-hand corner of the first page, following the MLA style. Do not embed this information in the header, and do not forget to include it.

Type or word process your paper.

Use a 12-point serif font (Times, Palatino, Baskerville, etc.). Please do not use Bookman or Garamond, as my computer does not have them. Use the same font throughout: one only.

Margins must be 1″.

Use italics, not underlining, in all cases where either is needed.

Double- or 1.5-space all assignments.

For assignments longer than one page, include page numbers in a header or footer that does not interfere with the reading of the text.

• To have a blank title page, in your word processing application, under “Format: Document: Layout,” select “Different first page.”
• To have your first page of text start at “1,” under “Insert: Page Numbers: Format,” set the beginning page number to “0.”

The bibliography (entitled “Works Consulted” for term paper proposals, and “Works Cited” for term papers) should be complete (with all primary and a minimum of either 6 or 10 secondary sources, depending upon the assignment), formatted according to MLA standards, and beginning on a separate page. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in a reduced grade.

Seminar reports are expected to be in point form, but incorporating full sentences and a logical progression of your argument. Your classmates should be able to read through your report and understand fully the progress of the presentation as it unfolded in class.

You should include your original presentation notes and any ideas brought up in class that augment your information.

The formatting and publishing of your seminar report constitutes a portion of your overall grade for the assignment; please work at making your report readable and attractive.

Seminar reports should follow the example posted on WebCT under “Course content: Assignments: Assignment examples.” Reports must be published within the week after the seminar is presented (see “Submitting assignments online”).

Powerpoint presentations can be published with no changes. Keynote presentations are best exported as Quicktime or Flash movies, as PC users will not have Keynote. Please publish both your slideshow and the notes that accompany it.

Many assignments will be graded online; this requires that your files are clear of extraneous formatting commands. Please format your papers using the formatting commands in the word processing package (e.g. set margins for paragraphs, do not indent using tabs nor end lines with a paragraph return), and use styles for headings and lists.

Please save your files in a format I can open and edit: .doc, .docx, or .rtf. I cannot edit .pdf files, and I cannot open .wps files.