What is formatting in Academic Writing?

What is it?

Formatting refers to the way that your writing appears, as well as the way in which you indicate and give credit to the research in your writing (called citation/referencing). Because your instructors are typically busy individuals, they prefer to have all essays sent to them with the same appearance and reference/citation system. This allows them to read your essays quickly and efficiently.

How is it used?

There are a number of different styles of formatting used at the university. Three common styles used at the university are MLA (used in English Literature at TWU), Chicago (used in Political Science), and APA (used in the social sciences such as psychology and sociology). The instructor of your course typically tells you which formatting style they want you to use when you write your essays. In the leadership program, you will use APA style for all of your papers.

Why does it matter?

At the university, you often don’t get much opportunity to get to know your instructor, who is going to give you your grade. When you turn in your writing for grades, this is one of the best ways the instructor gets to know you, because they will take the time to read your ideas. If your formatting is not correct, the instructor might form a negative impression about you (that you are lazy or don’t pay attention to details) before they have even read your ideas—this could negatively affect your grade. Think about when you have to give a presentation in front of others. Do you pay more attention to your appearance that day? The same idea applies to writing. Formatting is the “appearance” of your writing, and you want to make sure you get it correct so that you can maximize your grade and leave your instructor with a positive impression about you.

Why else does it matter?

The style you use for writing essays at the university is also a system for documenting the research and evidence you are using in the writing. It allows you to show your instructor when you are borrowing ideas, and how you are using research to support your own opinions and ideas. It shows your reader where they can access the research you used should they want to study the subject more deeply on their own, and also allows them to form their own opinion about the quality of the evidence you are using to support your ideas. This becomes increasingly significant at higher levels of education.

The Importance of Careful Documentation

Importance of documentation – integrity is a significant aspect of academic culture in North American universities. Integrity is maintained in academic writing most clearly through accurate citation/referencing.

1. What is plagiarism/academic dishonesty?

Plagiarism is knowingly copying the ideas/writing of others without using proper quotation or citation/referencing. Plagiarism is considered cheating at the university and has significant penalties. Plagiarism includes the following:

· Copying ideas from other sources (such as books or the internet) without using proper citation/reference.

· Copying the exact language from another source without using “quotation marks” and/or citation/reference.

· Having someone else write an essay, a portion of essay, or even a sentence in an essay without the permission of the professor (a tutor may suggest alternative words for you and correct grammar, but should not write sentences for you).

· Copying the ideas or writing from a previous student’s essay for the same assignment.

· Lending essays to your friends for courses they are taking that you have finished.

· Using the same essay for two different courses without the professor’s permission (Yes, you can even plagiarize yourself!)

2. How is using sources different in different cultures?

· In some cultures, it is not considered a serious problem to use or copy the ideas and language of others.

· Different cultures have different ideas about what is considered “intellectual property” (i.e. ownership of ideas)

3. How are sources important in North American academics?

· In North America, ownership of ideas is extremely significant, especially at the university.

· If someone has published an idea (i.e. it has been written and printed for the public to view), they are the “owner” of that idea, and you must always give them credit for that idea through citation/reference as soon as you learn they published it.

4. What should you do to avoid plagiarism/academic dishonesty?

· Always use a citation/reference if the idea is something that you researched and did not think of on your own.

· Any language that you copy exactly from another source should be in “quotation marks” (And quotation cannot exceed three lines per quote, and two quotations per paragraph), and also include a citation/reference

· Try to paraphrase research, which means to write the ideas you are borrowing in your own way with your own words. Remember to include the citation/reference.

· You may NEVER copy essays or parts of essays (paragraphs/sentences) from your friends.