Overall presentation:

Please do not encase written materials in plastic page protectors. I need to be able to comment on your work, and pulling paper out of plastic sheathing simply wastes my time and makes me cranky. You may protect images if you wish, but essays and bibliographies should be unencumbered.

Use a standard, readable font, such as Times, Times Roman, Arial, Univers, Garamond, etc. Use the same font for both essay and bibliography (if one is required).

Unless otherwise specified, compose your work using a 12 point font. Do NOT bold the font.

Use standard margins of one inch, top, bottom, and sides.

Double-space all written work. Do not skip lines between paragraphs; instead, use a standard .5 inch tab for the first line of each new paragraph.

Include a cover sheet on which the following information must be present:

Student's first and last name as it appears on the roll sheet

Class name, course number, and section letter (e.g. GDB2023 K; GE0114 P; etc.)

Date submitted (not date due)

Name of assignment: title of essay

Essays must include page numbers, but no names. If you're worried about my losing pages, pencil your name on the back of each sheet. For blind assessment purposes, no names should appear on pages so that they can be copied anonymously. The cover sheet should not be included in the numbering of your essay and bibliography; it's a separate, independently created document.

Do not create this information in a header for your document, but do set page-numbers for the upper right-hand corner of all pages after page 1. ("Suppress" the number on the first page.)

Create a title for your essay. "Museum Critique" or "Research Essay" or "Process Essay" tell me nothing about your actual topic. Make sure your title describes what you're writing about.

Bibliographies (see my page on Tips for Developing Appropriate Annotated Bibliographies)

All bibliographies developed in support of written work for my classes must be annotated; that is, you must tell me how you use these sources and/or describe their value to your research. Annotations should be short (two to three sentences) and written in complete sentences. For examples (albeit rather silly ones) see my Flintstones bibliography.

The appropriate heading for a bibliography is, simply, Bibliography. Do not bold it, underline it, type it in a larger font, italicize it, or encase it in quotation marks. I generally do not require Works Cited pages (which document quoted, paraphrased, or summarized information taken from a source), except in specific circumstances. Any essay submitted as a proposal for a planned project, or a process essay or concept statement for a completed assignment will not need a Works Cited page. It will, however, require a carefully annotated bibliography. The page on which a bibliography appears follows the text of the proposal or essay, on a separate sheet, numbered consecutively with the last page of the essay. For example, a three-page proposal will include its bibliography on page 4.

Further requirements:

Do not ever, under any circumstances, no matter how much of a hurry you're in, submit the first thing that lands on your monitor's screen:

Always use a spell-checker. Never use a grammar checker.

Always proofread your work after you have used the spell-checker. Be on the lookout for homonyms, misused pronouns (it's instead of its, you're instead of your, etc.), and other common mistakes. Spell all proper nouns correctly (names of people, cities, etc.).

If possible, have someone else read over your work--to catch what you miss when you do your own proofreading. At the very least, read your work aloud to yourself. Ears can often catch errors that eyes miss. One of the best-kept secrets of the Art Institute is the Academic Improvement Center (room 209), which is staffed by people who can help you proofread and/or edit your work.

If your word-processing skills are not yet up to par, they certainly should be by the time you leave this class. I will not count off for the first mistakes you make in niceties like spacing with punctuation and the technicalities of keyboard use, but I'll be merciless after you've been corrected once.

For advice on style, grammar, essay format, basic research techniques, etc., consult my writing links. For guidance on evaluating sources and further information on research, go to the critical thinking links page. For information on Modern Language Association documentation style, see my MLA Style links.

Again, remember that tutorial help is available in the Academic Improvement Center. If your writing skills are sub-par, PLEASE avail yourself of this service, or consult me ahead of time for help. Our students are required to develop an appropriate level of writing skills before they graduate, but this cannot occur without your participation and effort.

history of art & design one l history of art & design two l art & design since 1945 l humanities
07.03.07