Writing is an important
skill in life, but is especially so for librarians and other information specialists.
People judge you based on the quality of your written and spoken language. One of the objectives of my class is to
help you become better communicators. With this in mind, I created this very brief
handbook. I welcome your suggestions.
I usually spend a lot of time
editing papers. I use standard editing marks, like those described the Chicago Manual
of Style or online the Style Guide
by the University
of Colorado.
I often give extra-credit
for papers that are revised according to my comments. In those cases you are to
submit the new and old draft together. To be for extra credit, these
resubmitted papers are to made available to students in future semesters.
For many, it is tempting to
copy and paste a few words from the Internet or another source and pass it off as
your own writing. That is not acceptable, however, in your work. It is
plagiarism. If I catch use of someone else's work without proper citation you
will receive an F on the paper at the least. Depending on the seriousness of the offense,
you may be reported to the LIS Program or the university for disciplinary
action. I strongly encourage you to learn more about Plagiarism at a fine page by Leeward Community College, and another at Fairfield University's Plagiarism Court.
You can avoid accusations of plagiarism by documenting anytime you use someone's words or ideas. Quotes should be clearly identified by quotation marks or indenting longer quotations. (Such block quotes should be single-spaced and indented on both sides, and have a footnote). Whether citing a quote, paraphrased information or ideas, you should cite the source completely.
You are encouraged to use the Chicago
Manual of Style, the APA (American
Psychological Association) Handbook, or
the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing.
Although I
encourage you to consult a published guide, there are a few basic online
guides, such as the one at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center.
Most of my assignments are either
journals or formal writing exercises. Journaling is informal writing style. It
is more free, more personal, which makes it easier to express your own opinion.
Most of the assignments,
however, are formal writing exercises. These papers should be well thought-out
in advance using a logical structure. It is often helpful to make an outline
before writing, including introduction, and summary. Having a good title for
your paper often helps writers to focus on developing a clear theme. Such
formal papers should be written as if they could be published in an LIS
journal.
Although it is tempting to
gather information from full-text online databases, I strongly encourage you to
use Library Literature and Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), or ERIC for school library media center
librarianship. In many assignments I will be asking you to locate articles in
peer-reviewed research journals.
The main path to becoming a good
writer, in my opinion, is reading actively. See how other scholars write and
learn by their example. You might have a thesaurus or good dictionary on hand,
and possibly a writing guide.
Good writing does not happen
overnight. My worst papers are the ones that are done at the last minute. Most
writers need to go through a few drafts. Take time to organize your thoughts,
write a little, revise, edit a printout, and then revise again. This is time
consuming, but how one writes professionally. I often ask a colleague or friend
to proofread my papers, and encourage you to do the same.
The Manoa Writing Program has information
online, and also offers writing assistance for students. Struggling writers and
Non-native English speakers should especially explore the program's services,
although it is not a substitute for the Intensive English Program or ESL
training.
Posted 24 January 2005.