Over the course of the term, student's written assignments exhibit common problems. A set of these problems is presented below in an effort to proactively assist the student in writing the papers. The first task, of course, is to reread the class syllabus regarding Idea Papers, written assignments and term projects. Syllibi may be located via their respective class' web page.

The GSCIS Dissertation Guide (downloadable) and the APA Publication Manual are the preferred style and form references for all assignments.

See also a separate paper on Discussion Questions and Annotated Bibliography Assignments.

Use the two paragraph model (see syllabus). First, define the problem or area of investigation, and second, define your research approach and deliverable(s). Insure the problem is course-oriented and has adequate magnitude and scope.

Check the "Topics" web page for the class. It lists topics of prior papers and is regularly updated with new approved topics. The "Topics" page is intended to provide sample topics - not suggestions for new papers. Hopefully, these topics plant a seed into a fertile mind.

The papers must be research oriented. As such, they generally fall into only a few categories:

- an examination of classical or applied research theories, models, methods and practices.

- a pre or post-mortum of a real project as evaluated against accepted models, theories, etc.

- a proposed new method, practice, etc. The proposed method or practice may be entirely new or a synthesis of old and new.

Follow the prose style of format as indicated in the reference documents. Do not use hierarchical numbering for subsections or paragraphs. Chapters do not need to be numbered for our papers.

Use chapter and subchapter headings to present your paper's organization and to assist the reader. Always number the pages.

Direct quotes should be used very sparingly. They are for emphasis only! Rather than direct quoting, paraphrase the idea and properly cite the source. Excessive direct quoting can be interpreted as plagarism. Don't do it!

Some papers seem to be a compendium of short, cited paragraphs. The flow is very disjoint thus making the paper choppy and difficult to read and understand. Edit the paper to provide flow and consistency.

For short papers, an outline, Table of Contents and abstract is not necessary.

Provide a good title and introduction to the paper. State the problem or issue and define the coverage and methodology of the paper.

Graphics may be presented in a "working" or draft form. Publication quality graphics are not necessary and, generally, indicate an inordinate effort by the student. Concentrate on content and not on cosmetics.

Graphics may be presented in the text or in appendices, as appropriate. Often, reduced graphics are unreadable. Place them in the appendix and reference as such.

The paper must have a meaningful conclusion, recommendations and summary, as appropriate. This section(s) is a key feature of the paper and should be mentioned in the Idea Paper.

The items in the Reference List must match citations in the text; citations must match their source in the Reference List. No exceptions.

For WWW references, insure the citation is complete. It should have a title, author, complete path and date when accessed. See referenced Guides for format.

Remember that WWW references are often anecdotal, promotional or ego papers and should be used with care. Thus, the need for a complete citation to assist the reader's evaluation.

"Anonymous" as the author is generally not acceptable. Every article has an author - person, editorial group, company, etc. Cite appropriately.

Don't over cite. Read both Guides for directions on when and what to cite. Over citing is nearly as bad as under citing.

Check for the proper way to cite the same author several times within one paragraph.

Check for the proper way to use "et al" in the text. "et al" is not used in the Reference List.

Treat interviews as a regular reference but include some statement as to the person's validity as a cited reference. This could include their position (senior analyst), experience (15 years consulting), profession (Y2K consultant, author) and so on. Generally, the best place for this information is in the text - not the Reference List.

In our papers, people and companies may be listed with pseudonyms such as Company ABC or Sr. Analyst Mr. Jones. Use of anonymous listings must be approved by the instructor, a priori.

Check spelling and syntax. There is no excuse for syntax or spelling errors in any assignment at this level.

Listed below are the main reasons for deductions:

- Lack of content. This includes lack of content within the subject domain and inclusion of content outside the class' focus.

- Lack of overall quality.

- Improper and/or missing citations.

- Lack of title.

- Citations and Reference List items do not match.

- Obvious and/or numerous syntax errors.

- Missing or weak summary and/or conclusions.

Writing style is not an issue here and is not subject to grading. Communication of facts, ideas and conclusions is the issue. Sloppy, incoherent and incomplete presentation will affect the overall grade.

Dr. W. Hartman, Ph.D., NSU
©Copyright 2005

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