SOCIOLOGY 2450: CRIMINOLOGY ESSAY WRITING WORKSHOP Formatting - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SOCIOLOGY 2450: CRIMINOLOGY ESSAY WRITING WORKSHOP

Formatting Requirements  Include a title page  Page numbers (located at either the bottom or top of the page)  Double-spaced  1-inch (2.54cm) margins  12-Point Font, Times New Roman or Arial  12 page maximum (excluding your Title Page, but including your Bibliography)  Staple your essay with pages in the right order and the Essay Evaluation Criteria attached to the back of the paper.

The Title Page Title  Should reflect the topic you have chosen  Creative, but professional/appropriate  First and Last Name  Student ID #  Course Code and Section  Date of Submission  Professor’s Name  Teaching Assistant’s Name 

Academic Tone Maintain a professional attitude in your writing • Think about who is reading your essay and what impression you • want to make on the reader Avoid making big claims and generalizations • • Be specific with your arguments Avoid slang/colloquialisms • ***Exposure to and engagement with academic literature will help with your own writing***

Academic Tone You CAN write in first person in your assignment • • E.g., “In this paper, I will explore…and argue that…” Use headings/subheadings when it is appropriate • • Develop your arguments in paragraphs, then organize these paragraphs in headings/subheadings • Make sure that you’ve finished an argument before cutting it off with a new subheading as this protects the flow of your paper • Ensuring that your paper is well organized makes it easier for us to understand and mark

Structure & Organization  Your paper must have a clearly defined structure and should typically be made up of four sections: The introduction 1) The body (development/narrative) 2) The conclusion 3) The bibliography 4)  Remember - be clear and concise in your essay. Use headings/subheadings to help guide your reader through the paper.

Structure & Organization  Introduction  Approximately 1-page in length  Provides a ‘snapshot’ or a ‘map’ of your essay  Clearly define your topic and explain why your topic is important  THESIS STATEMENT  1-2 sentences at the end of your introductory paragraph  Essentially, your thesis statement is the answer to the question you are trying to answer with your paper  ***Check out YouTube for some great video tutorials on how to write a good thesis statement***

Structure & Organization Body Paragraphs  Present clear and coherent points and sub-points that will help to prove  your thesis statement. ***If the information does not feed back into your thesis statement, it doesn’t belong in the paper*** Identify counterarguments or alternate perspectives  Make sure to adequately and thoroughly explain the points you want to  address. This helps to avoid any leaps in logic. In other words, don’t leave us hanging! 

Structure & Organization  Conclusion  Approximately 1-page in length  Ties together all major points, perspectives, positions, and arguments from the paper.  Do not just copy and paste, or repeat word-for-word, ideas already found within your essay.  The conclusion is the final platform for you to showcase your ideas. ***Do not present any new information in your conclusion***

Proper Use and Relevance of Research • Demonstrates an attempt to find and engage with ACADEMIC literature • Academic books • Journal articles • NOT JUST NEWS AND BLOGS • Engages ideas, concepts, themes from a body of research • Identifies and engages with debates, ideas, consensus and/or dissension in the literature

The Writing Tutorial Service (WTS), free services offered by the Student Academic Success Centre (SASC) 4th Floor MacOdrum Library

Analysis A good analysis demonstrates … • a strong grasp of topical and theoretical literature • your ability to argue a particular position • that you support all claims with appropriate • evidence or documents a strong connection between your thesis • statement and sub-points your capacity to think and write critically •

Student Displays a Strong Grasp of Topic  You need to prove that you have a strong grasp of both the topical and theoretical literature that is relevant to your chosen subject area.  Your paper should clearly demonstrate that you have spent time researching and learning about the subject matter.  To show a strong grasp of the topic, make a logical argument that you can (and do!) support with peer-reviewed academic sources .

Arguments are Relevant to Thesis Statement  Arguments, sub-points, theoretical discussions, and examples need to be connected to your thesis statement  Thesis statement needs to be interwoven throughout the paper  A reminder to your reader what your main point/argument is

Argument Presents Adequate Depth  All arguments in your paper need to be explained in depth  If you think it’s worth including, then you need to demonstrate why  Diverse sources and innovative thinking will help give your paper depth

Careful Analysis (Theoretical and Topical)  Aim to learn and apply theory, concepts, ideas to demonstrate how it is applicable to your chosen topic  Avoid merely describing/summarizing the literature or phenomenon under examination, instead analyze it!  Engage your critical thinking and writing practices for this paper

Referencing & Bibliography Appropriate literature   Academic material: journals and books  Non-academic literature: magazines, newspapers, government reports, etc. ***Wikipedia is not an academic source*** ***Avoid personal websites***  Contemporary and insightful research  From 2006 to present (<10 years)  Research that makes a meaningful contribution to your analysis of a given topic  Draws out major arguments  Read the publication’s abstract, introduction and conclusion to get a sense of whether or not it will be useful for your paper

Referencing & Bibliography Supporting your arguments: How many sources?   As many as required to support your argument  How often to reference?  As often as you use or borrow an author’s ideas/concepts/ theories ***Do not rely on someone else’s quotations*** ***Use your own words***

Referencing & Bibliography Bibliography   Comes at the end of your paper  Starts on a new page  APA or ASA referencing style required  Great resources through the MacOdrum Library website  FIND AND USE THE APPROPRIATE STYLE GUIDE. *** Remember if you do not cite your sources and provide a bibliography your paper will be submitted and reviewed for plagiarism***

Referencing & Bibliography Locating sources:   MacOdrum Library Website  Google Scholar  Media Websites (both mainstream and alternative)  Government Websites ***Avoid Wikipedia & personal websites (such as blogs)*** ***Lecture notes are NOT a source***

Marking Rubric Keep referring to the marking rubric as you write your paper • This is what the TAs use to mark your assignment • Also, remember to refer to the essay guidelines and the course syllabus • All of this information is found on the course website for SOCI 2450 A (Fall 2016) •

Q & A