Writing requirements and Chicago Style

All written assignments, except for forum posts, should be submitted on Canvas under Assignments as a Word document or PDF. All work must be submitted by midnight eastern time on the day it is due. Assignments turned in late will be docked half a letter grade per day; i.e., assignments turned in one day late will receive a maximum grade of an A- rather than an A.

All written assignments should be double-spaced with one-inch margins and in 12-point Times New Roman font. Use 0.5-inch tabs at the start of paragraphs and no spaces between paragraphs. Number your pages starting with the second page. Assignments will be evaluated based on the paper grading criteria provided in this syllabus. Assignments will be evaluated based on the paper grading criteria below.

All work completed for this class, including discussion posts and extra credit, must be written in formal, academic prose, with correct grammar and punctuation and attention to style. Work submitted without due attention to these details will be promptly returned, without commentary, for revision and will be lowered by one letter grade. For a guide to writing style, consult the Chicago Manual of Style Links to an external site.. (Requires access to the Virginia Tech network.)

Use Chicago style footnotes or endnotes and bibliographic citations for this class. Footnotes must be created through an automatic footnote feature Links to an external site.. No parenthetical citations, please. For a guide to Chicago citations, consult Chicago Manual of Style’s Citation Quick Guide Links to an external site..

As Virginia Tech’s Undergraduate Honor System states, “Plagiarism includes the copying of the language, structure, programming, computer code, ideas, and/or thoughts of another and passing off the same as one’s own original work, or attempts thereof.” Per university regulations, penalties range from a zero on an assignment to academic probation, notation on transcript, or dismissal from the university. See Virginia Tech’s library’s Learning Services/Plagiarism. To be sure when to cite your sources in written assignments, read “Is It Plagiarism Yet?” Links to an external site. by Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab.

Paper rewrite option. For papers one through three, students who receive a B or lower have the option to rewrite their papers. You must get in touch with me within one week of receiving your graded paper in order to discuss rewriting. Once I approve the rewrite, you will have one week to turn in a revised paper. Rewritten papers will not be accepted or graded unless you have spoken to me before rewriting. Rewrites will be graded with an expectation of improvement. If you do not address the concerns outlined in my comments on your first submission, your rewrite grade may be lower than your original grade. The final grade for the paper will be the average between the grades for your first attempt and the rewrite.