In this week's readings, we read a lot about what is important to reporters and what is not. We also learned about how reporters cover "viewpoints" rather than "truths." b. Write an essay (minimum of
Writing Assignment Expectations
I wanted to go over what I expect out of your writing assignments but first, I want to mention a free online tool that you can use to help eliminate mistakes in your writing. It is called Grammarly. Grammarly will show any corrections that need to be made in your paper. I have provided the link to Grammarly below and highly suggest that you use it before submitting your paper:
Grammarly
Writing Style Guide:
The most current APA Writing Style Guide is what you will use to format and write your papers. The APUS Library has an electronic copy of this guide. The Purdue OWL website is also a good source of APA information.
Essay and research papers will consist of the following:
Running head
Title page
Abstract paragraph
Introduction
Body of the paper with proper headings
Conclusion
Reference page
Detailed information on each of the above items is found below. I have highlighted each section in Green so that they are easy to find.
Running head:
You must have a correct Running Head in your paper. The running head is a shortened title of the paper consisting of 50 characters or less, including spaces. The reader must still have an understanding regarding the topic of the paper with the shortened version of the title in the running head. The sample APA paper I provided in the assignment instructions shows how it should look on each page of the paper. I have provided an example below:
It should look like the following on the Title Page and be in the Times New Roman 12 point font and located in the header:
Running head: SHORTENED TITLE OF YOUR PAPER 1
On the rest of the paper as follows and in the Times New Roman 12 point font and located in the header:
SHORTENED TITLE OF YOUR PAPER 2
Title Page:
You must have a correct Title Page. Only put the items required by APA on the Title Page
Title of Paper
Student Name
University Name
Date
Abstract:
You must provide an Abstract page which is on page 2 of the paper by itself.
The abstract is a 150 to 250 word paragraph that provides readers with a quick overview of the paper. The abstract paragraph should identify the main idea along with a summary of the key points of the paper.
The Abstract paragraph is never indented. Each line of the Abstract paragraph is placed against the left margin.
The word Abstract must be centered on the page above the paragraph and should not be in bold font.
(Introduction, Body of the Paper with Proper Headings, Conclusion)
Page 3 will begin the paper. The first line of the paper is always the title of the paper centered on the page.
Introduction:
The first paragraph of the paper is the Introduction. The Introduction is not labeled as it is known by default to be the first paragraph of the paper.
When writing an introduction, it should include the following:
1. Introduce the topic by providing an engaging and relevant first sentence.
2. Create some interest in the topic by conveying its importance.
3. Provide a little background information on the topic.
4. Provide a thesis statement that clearly shows the essay’s focus.
5. Identify your approach to the paper by including three or more main ideas that will be presented in the paper
Body of the Paper with Proper Headings:
Headings
Each section of the paper will include Level I APA headings throughout to help the reader identify the main ideas you mentioned in the introduction. There are five levels of APA headings. If you find that you need Level II thru Level V headings as well, then be sure you know how to format them in the paper. Level I headings are probably all that you will need though. The following link will help you to understand each level of headings:
Headings: Level I thru Level V
Paragraphs
After the introduction, the first body paragraph will be one of the main ideas you mentioned in the introduction. Each of the following paragraphs in the body of the paper will be the remaining main ideas you mentioned in the introduction.
I have provided five steps below on how to write a structured paragraph in a paper:
Step 1: Topic Sentence – This is the first sentence in a body paragraph that tells the reader what the main idea of the paragraph will be and how it relates to the thesis.
Step 2: Explain – Provide a brief explanation as to why the topic is relevant.
Step 3: Evidence – Provide evidence to support your claim. This is done by referring to the research. All evidence must be properly cited.
Step 4: Summarize – Provide a brief summary of the main idea in the paragraph and relate it back to your topic sentence.
Step 5: Transition – Conclude with a sentence that helps to transition to the topic of the next paragraph. This is a one sentence statement that connects the current paragraph with your next paragraph.
An example paragraph is found below. It is just an example to show the structure:
Existing Residential Homes
One of the main obstacles for the requirement of residential fire sprinkler systems in existing homes is the lack of legislative support. In an article by Jones (2020), it was shown that no state has implemented laws relating to the requirement of residential sprinkler systems in existing homes. According to Smith (2020), retroactive laws were put into place for the requirement of sprinkler systems in high-rise hotels. Since the inception of the law, studies have shown a significant decrease in loss of life and property damage (Smith, 2020). Miller (2020) states that new legislation regarding the requirement of residential sprinkler systems in existing homes has been met with negative reactions from the political arena as well as from home builders even though studies have shown that a residential sprinkler system can reduce loss of life and property damage as it has done in high-rise hotels. Williams (2020) adds that the resistance seen from politicians and home builders is due to the costs associated with retrofitting existing homes. Fire codes and laws are an important aspect of fire safety and many new codes and laws have been put in place to protect citizens, but residential sprinkler systems have been met with resistance from those that can enact new laws requiring its installation in existing homes. Since the cost of retrofitting existing homes has been shown to be an issue among politicians and home builders, the next paragraph will look to see if there is support for new construction.
New Home Construction
Your following paragraphs should be structured like the one above until you get to the conclusion.
Conclusion:
The last paragraph of the paper is the conclusion.
The conclusion should accomplish the following:
1. Restate the main idea of the paper.
2. Summarize the main points of the paper.
3. Leave the reader with an interesting final impression.
The word Conclusion must be centered on the page above the paragraph and should be in bold font.
Reference Page:
The Reference page is always on the last page of the paper by itself. It will contain all the sources you used in the paper. Sources must be in alphabetical order, and every line must be double spaced. Remember, only the first line of a source is placed against the left margin, each additional line of that source is indented ½ inch. I have provided an example below:
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location:
Publisher.
The word References must be centered on the page above the paragraph and should not be in bold font.
Citing and Referencing:
Always, cite and reference every source you use in your paper.
Not citing or referencing your sources or citing or referencing incorrectly will not be tolerated. APUS takes plagiarism very seriously. Please be sure to review the APUS plagiarism policy I provided in the Week 1 Introduction.
Be sure to paraphrase any evidence you obtain from your sources as much as possible since direct quotes are limited to 10% or less of the content in the paper. Direct quotes consist of short quotes (less than 40 words) and long quotes (40 words or more). Long quotes should be placed in a block style paragraph. The following link will show how to properly cite short and long quotes:
Short and Long Quotes
Citing:
Examples: (Author Last Name, Year of Publication) or if there is no author, then use the following example (Publishing Organization, Year of Publication). You can also cite like the following example which can be done when paraphrasing and should be done when providing a short quote: Smith (2020) discusses the need for additional building codes to keep ensure the safety of all occupants.
Citing
Referencing:
Never place just a website address on the Reference page as a source. APA has specific instructions for electronic sources.
A basic, but not thorough representation for referencing an electronic source is as follows:
Author (last name first and the remaining initials. If there is no author then use the publishing organization. (Year of Publication). Title of the article (Be aware that only the first word, a word after a colon, and proper nouns are to be capitalized in the article title). Publishing organization if the article contained an author. Retrieved from and then the web address if it is a source your retrieved online.
You will need to look up, on the Internet, some of the minor differences from what I have shown above when referencing books, journal articles, newspapers, etc. The following link should help in that area:
Referencing
Other Grading Items:
You should not have any punctuation, grammar or spelling mistakes.
Do not use first person pronouns: I, we, me, us, my, mine, our, and ours, myself, and ourselves.
Your paper must answer the questions presented for the assignment in a well written and organized manner.
Never use contractions in a formal paper unless it is taken from a direct quote.
Never copy and paste from a source directly into your paper.
Never use Wikipedia as a source in any paper. It is not an academically recognized source.
With all of the APA guides that are available in the class and on the Internet, there are no excuses for turning in an improperly formatted paper.
If you meet the expectations I have provided, you will receive a good grade.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
