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How to Get a Better Grade on Your Paper
- Throughout your paper
- Submit a paper you can take pride in.
This does not require putting it in a binder. Some binders are so difficult to keep open that they are of negative value. A single staple is best.
Please don't try to write anything you don't understand.
Include first name or initials the first time you refer to a person; subsequent references may be by last name only.
Don't write "astronomers and scientists." Astronomers are scientists.
Don't use the first person or give your opinions. Scientific writing is based on facts, not feelings.
Please number your pages.
Eliminate spelling and grammatical errors.
- Proofread carefully.
Do it again.
Some words frequently confused (if you don't know the difference, look it up):
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its = belonging to it, it's = it is; site, cite, sight; their, there, they're; lose, loose; |
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therefor, therefore; whose, who's; lead, led; revolve, rotate |
Use apostrophes in possessive nouns; do not put apostrophes in plurals.
(Exception: Apostrophes are permissible for numbers and short acronyms.)
Singular subjects call for singular pronouns and verbs.
Plural subjects call for plural pronouns and verbs.
Don't write "they" without making it clear who "they" are.
Don't capitalize names of elements. Would you capitalize "gold" or "iron" in everyday use? A chemical symbol, such as He for helium or Fe for iron, has its first letter (and only its first letter) capitalized. Don't capitalize "astronomy" or "physics," either, except at the beginning of a sentence.
Latin words, such as "nova" and "nebula," are usually given Latin plurals, such as "novae" and "nebulae," but some publications use Anglicized plurals, such as "novas" and "nebulas." Please choose one form and stick with it, and don't confuse the singular with the plural.
- Using word processing software,
- Be sure to use the spellchecker, but don't rely on it to catch all errors.
Learn how to make subscripts and superscripts (Look under a Format menu for a Font submenu and then for Effects, or under a Style menu or Font menu, depending on your word processor). Carbon dioxide is CO2, not CO2; two million is 2 x 106, not 2 x 106.
Learn how to use italics (also likely to be under a Format/Font or Style menu). Underlining was a substitute for italics back in the days of typewriters, and it is still permissible if you use a typewriter.
- Using illustrations
- It is not necessary to illustrate your paper, but if you wish to do so, use photocopies and your own hand or computer-generated art only. I WILL NOT ACCEPT PAPERS CONTAINING ILLUSTRATIONS CUT OUT OF BOOKS OR MAGAZINES. Be sure to cite the source if you take your illustration from the web, a CD-ROM, or a printed source.
- In your bibliography
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Many formats are acceptable, but start each citation with the last name of the first author of the work cited. Continue with first names or initials and names of co-authors, if any. Follow with the title of the article (if in a periodical) or chapter (if in a book with multiple authors) or book. Place titles of articles and chapters in quotation marks, and titles of periodicals and books in italics. References to books should include author or editor, title in italics, publisher, city, and year of publication. References to articles in periodicals should include title of periodical in italics, volume, number, starting page, and year. If you lack the ability to print italics, you may use underlining as a substitute. See Finding and Citing Sources for more, including links to different styles.
- In footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical references
- These can be very short. It is sufficient to include a reference to a particular item in the bibliography and, if appropriate, a page number. This can be done by giving the author's name plus enough information to distinguish between two or more references by the same author, or simply by number, if the sources in your bibliography are numbered. It is quite common to include the year of publication as well. Be sure to put material taken from another source in quotation marks.
- Examples:
- Guth, 1997, p. 53
Ref. 3, p. 46
- If you would like some help
- The SSU Writing Center in Schulz 1103; phone 664-4401, has a useful website, online tutoring, and trained and experienced tutors to help you with your writing. There are also many books and websites devoted to writing.
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