Writing Assignment One
Paper one is summarizing an article from
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
magazine.
Some articles will be posted online and you can choose one of them.
Any
article you choose from the
magazine must be a feature article. If you have
difficulty finding which of the articles are feature articles please consult with
me before summarizing the article.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
A summary is putting the main ideas and supporting details into y
our own
words. Do not quote. Do not plagiarize (copy from the article word for word).
Plagiarism will result in a zero grade.
Submit a copy of the article by attaching
it to the back of your paper.
The paper should be four pages in length
, double
–
spac
ed;
with
one
–
inch
margins, and typed. It is to have a separate title page using APA style and a
separate Reference page using the APA format. The title and reference pages
are in addition to the
four
pages. The title and reference page will not be
consi
dered as part of the
four
pages of manuscript.
In summarizing your
article,
I would suggest you read the article f
irst,
and
then
re
–
read the article
highlighting the main ideas and supporting details.
You can then outline the main ideas and details,
before
writing your paper.
Paper 1 is due
October 15
.
A rough draft
may be submitted
two weeks
prior to the due date
,
October 1.
The paper will be 20% of your grade.
Your paper will be graded on the following factors
(grading rubric)
:
1. Content: Yo
ur understanding of the major points of the article in your
summary.
2. Formatting:
a.
Papers must be typed
b.
Title page,
APA format
of the title page of the paper.
c.
Four
to five pages.
d.
Twelve (
12
)
–
point
font, double space,
1
–
inch
margins,
NO LARGE
FONTS.
e.
Papers must be 4
–
5 pages of manuscript,
plus
a separate reference
page.
f.
The reference page should follow
APA format
, for example:
Doe, John. (2005). Divorce and the Single Parent.
Psychology Today,
20
(5), 46
–
54.
3. Organization:
a.
How well the information, major points of the article are organized.
b.
Do you use paragraphs appropriately and are there transitions
between
paragraphs.
c.
Are the beginning of paragraphs indented, and for each paragraph is
there a clearly stated
topic sentence,
a sentence which summarizes the
main idea of that paragraph.
d.
Are the ideas in each paragraph related to the main idea of the
paragraph?
e.
If you wish to state an
opinion, be
sure that it appears after
four
pages of summary, and be sure that the reader knows that is your
opinion.
4.
Grammar includes punctuation
, word order (syntax), grammar, and spelling.
Proofread for typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors. Spelling and
grammatical errors will result in a lower grade. If you have difficulty with
writing, there is assistance available at the College.
