Loyola University Chicago

• Advanced Writing Courses
• Format Guidelines for Composition Papers
• Grading Standards 
• Message from the Director of Writing Programs
• An Overview of the Writing Programs
• University and Department Policies
• The Use and Misuse of Source Materials
• The Writing Center
• Writing Courses 

   MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF WRITING PROGRAMS

Welcome to our writing programs at Loyola University Chicago. Although you may not believe it now, your writing courses will prove to be among the most valuable experiences of your college career. Our goal is to help you to develop the ability to write clearly and persuasively, an ability that will not only contribute to your success as a student at Loyola, and in your profession, but is also one of the hallmarks of a well-educated person. Two principles are fundamental to our program: (1) Everyone can improve his or her writing; and (2), because it requires extensive practice, writing also requires time and patience.

No one can teach you how to write; what we can do, and what it is our responsibility to do, is to help you learn how to write. We work hard to design courses that guide you through every stage of the writing process (invention, organizing, drafting and revising), grammar, punctuation and language acquisition. Your instructors will attempt to create challenging assignments and offer constructive feedback. Your development as a writer, however, is ultimately up to you.

In order to make the most of your writing seminar and the many other courses that require writing, you should do the following things:

• Attend class regularly and promptly
• Prepare for class by doing all of your reading and writing assignments carefully and on time
• Participate responsibly in class activities and discussions
• Stay in communication with your instructors, and ask them questions if their instructions or comments are unclear to you
• Make use of support services such as the Writing Center and the Learning Assistance Center

Another important resource you have is your handbook, which you should think of as a reference work, like your dictionary, to keep throughout your years at Loyola, and beyond. Your instructor may use the book frequently or rarely in class, but you should refer to it regularly on issues of grammar, style and documentation. Take some time now to get to know what it offers; later, when you find yourself frustrated or confused about how to begin an assignment, or how to organize your thoughts—as happens to all writers—take it out again to see how its suggestions might help.

Finally, here are two pieces of advice. The first, which applies to all of your college courses, is that although it is reasonable to strive for good grades, learning should always be your primary objective. You are here for an education, not a transcript. Second, remember this fundamental principle, and take it to heart: Improving your writing is always possible, but takes time. This fact may prove frustrating: we all want to see rapid results of our efforts to improve. The theologian and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J., writes that human beings are "naturally impatient" to skip the "intermediate stages" of spiritual growth, yet asks us to "trust in the slow work of God." Borrowing from this idea, I ask you to trust in the slow and vital work of your growth as a writer, which began long before you arrived at Loyola and will continue long after you leave.

                                    Victoria Anderson
                                    Director of Writing Programs

   AN OVERVIEW OF THE WRITING PROGRAMS

The Writing Programs reflect Loyola's continued commitment to helping students write clearly and eloquently. In keeping with that goal, the writing courses are designed to meet the needs of students with various levels of skill and experience in writing. The university employs several methods of placement—e.g. standardized test scores, essay examinations, a language proficiency test and previous coursework—to determine each student's needs. During registration, you will receive advice on which courses will best build upon your writing foundations. Most incoming students enroll in one of four courses: English 100, 102 or 103, or UCWR 110.

Most students will take UCWR 110, the Core Writing Seminar, during the Fall or Spring of their first year. This course is intended to help students become skilled analytical readers; writers of clear, focused, graceful, mechanically correct, and appropriately complex prose; and competent researchers. The skills learned in UCWR 110 are essential to your success in all college classes, and Loyola's Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program. A final course grade of "C-" or better is required to complete UCWR 110; students who do not earn this grade must repeat the course in the immediately following semester. Some students may be required to take either English 100 (Developmental Writing) or English 102 (Basic Writing I - English as a Second Language) or English 103 (Basic Writing II - English as a Second Language) before taking UCWR 110.

   WRITING COURSES

English 100 (Developmental Writing) is a basic writing course that provides instruction in fundamental composition skills to prepare the student for UCWR 110. The course emphasizes mastery of grammar, usage, and punctuation. The course also offers extensive practice in all stages of the writing process—invention, drafting, peer-editing, and revision.

Textbooks: All students should own a suitable desk dictionary. The choice of readers, handbooks, and supplementary materials, such as workbooks, will be determined by the individual instructor of each course.

Structure and Objectives: To prepare students for UCWR 110, English 100 stresses that the writing process is a way of learning, and that different topics, purposes, and audiences require different methods of presentation. Students will learn to read critically both professional and student-generated texts that stimulate their ideas and present models of effective writing. Students will also write their own essays based on ideas they have read about and discussed. Finally, students will do extensive revision at both sentence and paragraph level to produce clear and correct English prose. Instructors will emphasize the following principles and techniques:

• Writing with a clear audience and purpose in mind
• Developing a clearly stated thesis which acts as the governing idea of an essay
• Writing coherent paragraphs and well-organized longer essays using various invention strategies
• Using transitions to link ideas
• Exhibiting a working knowledge of grammar, usage and punctuation, particularly: (a) basic components of sentences, (b) sentence boundaries and structures, (c) subject-verb agreement and correct forms of past and other verb tenses, (d) pronoun agreement and consistency, (e) punctuation.

Procedures and Assignments: Class meetings will be spent on instruction in grammar, discussion and practice of good writing, and reading and analysis of professional and student writing. Department policy requires that students write at least three thousand words during the semester, apportioned over a minimum of five graded assignments, at least one of which will be composed in class.The midterm examination will cover grammar and usage. A final examination will also be given.

English 102 (Basic Writing I) is the first of a two-course sequence designed to improve the linguistic abilities of those for whom English is a second language. Placement in either 102 or 103 will be determined by an essay examination and the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency. Basic Writing I provides grammar and writing instruction for students who require more focused work in revising language usage and composing than English 103 can provide.

Textbooks: All students will be required to purchase a good, hardcover dictionary. The choice of readers, handbooks, and supplementary materials, such as workbooks, will be determined by the instructor.

Structure and Objectives: English 102 provides instruction in critical reading, the analysis and discussion of both professionally and student-written essays, the creation of coherent and well-organized short compositions, and elements of language usage and grammar. Instructors will focus on the following principles and techniques:

• Writing essays that develop a clearly-stated governing idea and that provide relevant support for that idea
• Practicing all stages of the writing process: prewriting, drafting and revising, with emphasis on improving language usage
• Learning to edit one's own compositions and to work with other students in peer-editing groups
• Improving skills in English-language grammar, usage and punctuation, particularly: (a) sentence structure, (b) verb tense usage, (c) modal auxiliaries (such as "would," "could," and "may"), and other appropriate grammar topics, including count and non-count nouns, articles and prepositions, plurals and idiomatic expressions.

Procedures and Assignments: The work in this course will include (but not be limited to):

• Seven one- to three-page compositions with grammar revisions, at least one of which must be written in class
• A midterm grammar examination
• Editing exercises and tests
• A final examination in writing and editing skills and principles
• Two individual conferences with the instructor

English 103 (Basic Writing II) is the second of two courses intended to improve the linguistic abilities of those for whom English is a second language. Basic Writing II stresses the acquisition of necessary language skills in the areas of grammar and usage, comprehension and critical reading, and writing at a level appropriate to university study in an English-speaking country.

Textbooks: All students should own a suitable desk dictionary. The choice of readers, handbooks, and supplementary materials, such as workbooks, will be determined by the individual instructor of each course.

Structure and Objectives: English 103 stresses the skills necessary for UCWR 110; it teaches that the writing process is a way of learning; and that different topics, purposes, and audiences require different methods of presentation. Students learn to read critically both professional and student-generated texts that stimulate their ideas and present models of effective writing. Students will also write their own essays based on ideas they have read and discussed. Finally, students will do extensive revision at both sentence and paragraph level to produce clear and correct English prose. Instructors will emphasize the following principles and techniques:

• Writing with a clear audience and purpose in mind
• Developing a clearly stated thesis which acts as the governing idea of an essay
• Writing coherent paragraphs and well-organized longer essays using various invention strategies
• Using transitions to link ideas
• Exhibiting a working knowledge of grammar, usage, and punctuation, particularly: (a) basic components of sentences, (b) expanding sentences with clauses and phrases, (c) verb tenses, including simple present, simple past, present progressive, past progressive, future, perfect tenses and modals, (d) count and non count nouns/determiners, (e) prepositions, (f) plurals, (g) idiomatic expressions, (h) punctuation.

Procedures and Assignments: Class meetings will be spent on instruction in grammar, discussion and practice of good writing, and reading and analysis of professional and student writing. Department policy requires that students write at least three thousand words during the semester, apportioned over a minimum of five graded assignments, at least one of which will be written in class. The midterm exam will cover grammar and usage. A final examination will also be given.

UCWR 110 (The Core Writing Seminar) aims to teach students to write clearly and effectively, through the steps of brainstorming, peer review, revision and final editing. Students will learn to articulate, organize and support written positions. They will also learn how to read texts carefully and critically, and to recognize how various perspectives inform interpretations of texts. Students will see the importance of reading, writing, listening and speaking well. In addition, by collaborating with others as well as seeing the value of revision and the recursive nature of the writing process, students will be better prepared for classes across the Loyola curriculum. The course will promote grammatical, compositional, methodological and rhetorical skills in the service of effective communication. As a result, the course will have at least four writing assignments that add up to at least 30 pages of writing over the semester. These assignments will receive timely feedback from instructors with the goal of effective revision by students. An instructor may use peer-input for the process of revision, but such input will not replace input from the instructor.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Write clearly and effectively using standard written English
• Effectively use the writing process from brainstorming through peer review to revision and final editing
• Articulate, organize and support positions clearly and persuasively in written form
• Use writing effectively as a method of inquiry (i.e., "write to learn")
• Read texts carefully and critically (e.g., ability to paraphrase, summarize, compare and synthesize)
• Recognize how various perspectives inform interpretations
• Tailor discourse to specific audiences and to specific rhetorical purposes
• Recognize the various tasks involved in research, including developing a thesis, locating sources and assessing their credibility, and incorporating sources as evidence to support or qualify claims
• Use and document source materials of all kinds appropriately and ethically
• Recognize the rhetorical dimensions of and requirements for writing in multiple media
• Reflect on their own development as writers and as readers
  

   ADVANCED WRITING COURSES

Many students find writing skills so useful that they choose to devote some of their elective credits to taking courses in advanced writing after they have completed the required sequence. The English department currently offers three such courses and is in the process of developing others.

English 210 (Business Writing) offers students who are considering careers in business training and practice in various forms of business writing, such as memos, instructions, letters, resumes, proposals, and reports.

English 211, formerly English 311, (Writing for Pre-Law Students) offers students who plan to attend law school an opportunity to practice various types of legal writing, including case briefs, office memoranda, and trial and appellate opinions.

English 310 (Advanced Writing) appears in the Course Schedule with a subtitle that defines the topic or writing genre to be studied. The course helps students improve their prose through instruction in close analysis and in-depth revision in a small workshop setting.

   UNIVERSITY AND DEPARTMENT POLICIES

Attendance: Because participating in classroom instruction, responding to the work of your peers, and writing in class are essential to success in writing courses, students are expected to attend all classes. Individual instructors are free to set their own requirements for attendance and class participation, and to include these factors as components of your final grade; consult your instructor's syllabus for specific guidelines. Please also consult the statement on Class Attendance in the Undergraduate Studies Catalog. Students who miss class are still responsible for doing the homework and turning papers in on time. If you anticipate that you may have to be absent for an extended period, you must notify in advance the New Student Advising office as well as your instructor to make appropriate arrangements.

Conferences: Since writing styles and problems vary, private conferences with the instructor are essential in writing courses. Each student is expected to confer with his or her instructor at least once during the course.

Grading: The final grade will be based on the quality of the student's writing, as demonstrated in papers and other assignments; on examinations and quizzes; and, at the instructor's discretion, on improvement and class participation. No student can receive a higher grade for the course than is commensurate with the quality of his or her writing.

Acknowledgment of Sources: Dishonesty in any form, whether in tests or in submitting assignments that are not wholly the student's own work, will not be tolerated. A student may receive the grade of "F" for any such dishonesty.    

The Writing Programs provide tutoring at two Writing Centers, one located on the Lake Shore Campus and the other at the Water Tower Campus. The Writing Centers help students develop their facility in drafting, organizing, revising and editing their writing. Staffed by trained, qualified graduate students, the Writing Centers offer individualized instruction in all stages of the writing process across a wide range of disciplines and academic levels. Tutors are able to guide a student through choosing a topic, planning a paper's structure, or developing logical arguments and specific examples to support the central idea. They may also show students how to correct errors and omissions in grammar, punctuation and sentence structure. Tutors in the Writing Center, however, are not permitted to edit or proofread papers for students.

The Writing Centers are designed to assist students at all levels, as well as faculty and staff. Although English majors and composition students represent the largest proportion of people who come to the centers, tutors are prepared to help all students, staff and faculty with any kind of writing-related question or issue. The Writing Centers operate on an appointment, drop-in or referral basis. Appointments are recommended. Students can use the phone numbers above to check hours of operation and to make appointments. Students are expected to notify the centers if they cannot keep an appointment.

   GRADING STANDARDS

The following criteria reflect standards of good writing shared by teachers at all levels in universities across the country, and, in fact, define good writing both in and out of the academy. We also have plus and minus grades, but these are the standards for the letter grade ranges.

The grade of A recognizes excellent, compelling writing. An A essay shows originality, insight, and the ability to state and develop a central idea. Its ideas are clear, logical, and thought-provoking; it contains all the positive qualities of good writing listed below:

• Concentration on a main purpose, with outstanding development and firm support
• Unified organization, with an orderly pattern of ideas and transitions
• Careful construction and organization of sentences and paragraphs and full control of mechanics such as punctuation and spelling
• Impressive style, including careful choice of effective words and phrases

The grade of B indicates an above-average essay. The B paper has a clearly stated central purpose, logically and adequately developed. Its ideas are clear because it contains some of the positive qualities of good writing listed above. It is comparatively free of errors in the use of English. Although highly competent, the B paper lacks the insight, style and polish which characterize the A essay.

The average college-level paper will receive a grade of C. It has a central idea organized clearly enough to convey its purpose to the reader. It avoids serious errors in the use of English. It may, in fact, have few correction marks on it, but it lacks the depth of thought and expression which would entitle it to an above-average rating: its thesis may be predictable, its supporting evidence only adequate, its paragraph development weak and its style vague and inarticulate.

The grade of D indicates below-average achievement in expressing ideas correctly and effectively. The D paper is deficient in one or more of the following areas: organization, development, usage, content and awareness of audience. It contains numerous errors, whether of logic, grammar or use of evidence. Most D papers contain serious errors in the use of English and fail to present a central thesis or to develop it adequately.

The grade of F indicates that a paper is not acceptable as college-level writing. An F usually indicates failure to state and develop a main idea. The paper may also contain serious errors in logic, grammar, spelling, punctuation, documentation and sentence structure.

We are grateful to the Rhetoric Program of the University of Illinois at Urbana for permission to use a revised version of their grading standards.

   FORMAT GUIDELINES FOR COMPOSITION PAPERS

Use the following guidelines for all written work you submit, unless your instructor requests a different format:

• All papers must be word-processed or typed and double-spaced; they should have one-inch margins all around and standard typefaces or computer fonts (not italic fonts or unusually large characters). Photocopies are not acceptable.
• Include your name, your instructor's name, the course and section number, the date and paper title on a separate title page or on the first page.
• Your title should be neither underlined nor placed within quotation marks. Capitalize the first and last words in your title, and every other word, except: articles ("a" and "the"), conjunctions and prepositions of fewer than five letters.
• Each page after the first should include your last name and a page number.
• Fasten your paper with a paper clip or a staple before turning it in (some instructors require staples).
• Proofread all work slowly and carefully at least several hours after completing it. Papers that have not been proofread or edited signal the author's lack of respect for his or her own work. Reading papers aloud helps a great deal to alleviate errors, as does reading them backwards, last word to first, or last sentence to first. You may use software programs to check spelling and grammar, unless your instructor advises you not to. Please remember that such programs are no substitute for your own careful proofreading. 
• Before turning in a paper, make a photocopy or print out a second copy as back-up; do not consider a copy stored on a computer to be an adequate substitute for copying your finished paper or printing out two copies of it.
• Do not turn in papers via e-mail unless your instructor has given you explicit permission to do so.
• It is your responsibility to keep the marked original copies of all graded papers.

   THE USE AND MISUSE OF SOURCE MATERIALS

The people who live and work at a university are often known for their unusual diversity of conviction and lifestyle. This variety is a consequence of what draws most of us to the academic life, namely an extraordinary degree of freedom. But for all this diversity of belief and behavior, what holds this enterprise together is a demanding ideal, a commitment to search for and to say the truth as we honestly perceive it. In the absence of this shared standard the university could not survive: as long as this standard is respected, a genuine learning community can exist. For this reason, both honesty and accuracy are essential in all academic endeavors. As students of Loyola University Chicago, you share in this freedom, but you are also called upon to know, to respect, and to practice this standard of personal honesty.

What follows is an extended discussion of the practical application of this ideal in the activities of research and composition. Despite what may appear at times a negative tone, we want you to understand that the University is before all else a community of trust, and on that foundation we all succeed or fail.

I. Footnotes, Endnotes, and Parenthetical Documentation

The English department recognizes that instructors in the University recommend several different styles of documentation to their students. The most commonly used system is that established by the Modern Language Association (MLA), and it is the style described first in your handbook. Several other styles are described in the handbook as well, and you will probably use the handbook as a reference work on documentation many times over the course of your college career, which is one reason that you should hold onto the handbook as a reference work. If you are in doubt as to what method your instructor prefers, be sure to ask. Any system of documentation is essentially a set of conventions designed to ensure that you provide all important information about your sources in a systematic and thorough way. Whatever style you use, be sure to use it consistently and carefully.

You should know, also, that even the MLA style has changed over time. The most traditional method of documenting sources is to use footnotes, which provide publication information at the bottom of each page on which you refer to a source. A later development is endnotes: a list of notes at the end of the paper. In 1984, however, the Modern Language Association recommended a new system, so-called "parenthetical" references in the text, followed by a list of works cited at the end of the paper. In this system, quotations and any other references to source material are followed by parentheses containing the author's name, a space, and the page number from which the information was taken; if the author's name is mentioned in the text, it is omitted from the parenthetical citation. Some instructors still prefer footnotes or endnotes, however; please be sure to check with your instructor, in every course involving research, to find out what style of documentation he or she prefers.

In recent years, the need to document electronic sources, especially sites on the World Wide Web, has posed a new challenge, but the responsibility to acknowledge online sources is the same as the responsibility to acknowledge printed sources, or sources in any other media. Your handbook includes materials on finding and documenting electronic sources, and the Loyola University Libraries also provide various forms of guidance for research.

II. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional appropriation of ideas, language, or work of another without sufficient acknowledgement that the material is not one's own. Although it is generally recognized that everything an individual has thought has probably been influenced to some degree by the previously expressed thoughts and actions of others and that therefore no thought can be considered purely original, such influences are general ones, affecting an entire way of seeing things and expressing thoughts. Plagiarism, however, involves the taking of specific words or ideas of others without proper acknowledgement.

Some students seem to believe that there are different degrees of plagiarism, some of which are not as bad as others. The English Department wishes to make it clear here that no distinctions should be made between the following acts and that all should be regarded as serious and wrong:

• Copying from a published or online source, or a source in any medium, without proper documentation
• Purchasing a pre-written paper
• Letting someone else write a paper for you or paying someone to do so
• Submitting as your own someone else's unpublished work, either with or without permission

Regardless of how you found the information, if you use another person's work to further your own understanding of a topic, you must give that person credit by documenting your source.

III. Forms of Plagiarism

The following five passages are taken from professional critics' discussions of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, and all deal with the subject of the two narrators in the novel. (In the novel, Lockwood, the primary narrator, recounts to the reader the story of Heathcliff and Catherine as he has learned it. One of his sources of information is Nelly Dean, who gives Lockwood her version of the events which have passed.) The examples and comments which follow these four passages illustrate acceptable and unacceptable ways to use these secondary source materials.

Source #5 The chronology of Wuthering Heights is carefully planned, but the narrative time does not flow in an unbroken line from the past to the present. Rather it shifts between the present and the past and then back again several times. There are also shifts in point of view. The novel begins with Lockwood's recounting of his year at the Grange, then shifts to Nelly Dean's remembrances, and at times a third voice reports on an event at which Nelly was not present.

Jeanne M. McGlinn and James E. McGlinn,
          "A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic
          Edition of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights"
          3 June 2005
          <http://www.penguinputnam.com/
          static/pdf/teachersguides/wuthering.pdf> 8.

A. Word-for-Word Copying

Material taken directly from a source must be enclosed in quotation marks and the source identified in a footnote, endnote or parenthetical citation. Your instructors will specify which form of documentation to use for each course.

Source: "For Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte went so far as to use two narrators. The first is Lockwood, a genteel newcomer whose dilettante romanticism throws into shocking contrast the stormy, alien nature of the protagonist Heathcliff. (Without Lockwood's presence as a corrective foil, the reader might suppose Heathcliff himself to be a conventional romantic hero.) Nelly Dean, the second narrator, expresses a warm and humane norm whereby the reader, sharing many of her values, can gauge the wretchedness of the isolated families on the moors."

Richard M. Eastman, A Guide to the Novel 
          (San Francisco: Chandler, 1965) 35.

Plagiarized: The first of Emily Bronte's two narrators is Lockwood, a genteel newcomer whose dilettante romanticism contrasts with the stormy and alien nature of the protagonist Heathcliff. Nelly Dean, the second narrator, expresses a warm and humane norm.

Comment: This passage is almost completely copied from source #1. The substitution of a word or two of the writer's own for Eastman's (e.g., "contrasts" for "throws into shocking contrast,") and the omission of the conclusion of Eastman's sentence about Nelly Dean do not turn this passage into a paraphrase nor excuse the absence of quotation marks around the copied material.

Acceptable: In writing about the function of Lockwood as narrator, Richard Eastman comments on the contrast between Lockwood's "dilettante romanticism" and the "stormy, alien nature of the protagonist Heathcliff" (35). [The list of "Works Cited" appears below, following section "E."]

B. Mosaic

Mosaic, the embedding in the student's own prose of unacknowledged words and phrases from a source (or sources), is equally unacceptable.

Source: "The roles of the two narrators, Lockwood and Nelly Dean, are not casual. Their function (they are the two most "normal' people in the book) is partly to keep the story close to the earth, to make it believable, partly to comment on it from a common sense point of view and thereby to reveal in part the inadequacy of such common sense. They act as a kind of sieve to the story, sometimes a double sieve, which has the purpose not simply of separating off the chaff, but of making us aware of the difficulty of passing easy judgements. One is left always with the sense that the last word has not been said."

Arnold Kettle, 
          An Introduction to the English Novel, 2 vols.
          (New York: Harper & Bros., 1960) 1: 141.

Plagiarized: In the novel Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte uses two different narrators, Mr. Lockwood, a stranger to Yorkshire , and Nelly Dean, a former servant of the Linton family. They are the two most normal people in the book. They belong to the world of practical reality, and their commonplace vision acts as a sieve to the story, enabling readers to weigh and evaluate what they see. The novel starts with Lockwood's recounting of his year at the Grange, and later shifts to Nelly Dean's remembrances.

Comment: The writer of this passage has copied several key words and phrases from sources #2, #3, and #5. These must be acknowledged even when the writer's own prose makes up the majority of the passage.

Acceptable: Bronte's Wuthering Heights incorporates more than one point of view: it "begins with Lockwood's recounting of his year at the Grange, then shifts to Nelly Dean's remembrances" (McGlinn and McGlinn 8). Arnold Kettle compares the role of these two narrators, Lockwood and Nelly Dean, to that of a sieve: "They act as a kind of sieve to the story, sometimes a double sieve, which has the purpose not simply of separating off the chaff, but of making us aware of the difficulty of passing easy judgments" (1: 141). Van Ghent sees them as belonging "firmly to the world of practical reality" (189).

C. Paraphrase

All ideas which originate in a student's source must be acknowledged in a footnote, even if those ideas are expressed entirely in the student's own words.

Source: "But this nakedness from the web of familiar morality and manners is not quite complete. There is the framework formed by the convention of narration (the "point of view"): we see the drama through the eyes of Lockwood and Nelly Dean, who belong firmly to the world of practical reality. Sifted though the idiom of their commonplace vision, the drama taking place among the major characters finds contact with the temporal and the secular. Because Lockwood and Nelly Dean have witnessed the incredible violence of the life at the Heights, or rather, because Nelly Dean has witnessed the full span and capacity of that violence and because Lockwood credits her witness, the drama is oriented in the context of the psychologically familiar."

Dorothy Van Ghent, 
          The English Novel: Form and Function 
          (1953; New York : Harper & Row, 1967) 189.

Plagiarized: We are forced to identify with Lockwood, and the result of our looking at the action from his point of view as well as that of Nelly Dean is that we see the story as if it were a dramatic production; meanwhile the great inquisitiveness of the urbane visitor from the south and the surprise of the uncomplicated female servant develop into a compliment to the power of the play whose progress they recount.

Comment: Here, the writer has simply substituted his or her own words for Allen's words in #4, with no apparent purpose other than to avoid the appearance of too much quotation. The writer has not properly credited the source, and in addition the result is awkward.

Acceptable: Walter Allen comments that we watch the action of the novel unfold from the point of view of the two narrators, Lockwood and Nelly Dean, as if we were watching a play; the urbane Lockwood's curiosity and the awe of the less complicated Nelly Dean highlight the dramatic quality of the story. Like us, Allen notes, they are the action's audience (198). [If you quote from, summarize, or paraphrase the same page of a source within a single paragraph—and no other citations of sources come between these repeated uses—you may cite the source once, after the final use. Otherwise, you must repeat the citation at the end of each sentence.]

D. Summary of a single source

A condensation of ideas taken from a single source must be given proper acknowledgement.

Source: "We are compelled to identify ourselves with Lockwood, and the effects of our seeing everything partly through his eyes and partly through Nelly Dean's is, as it were, to see the action framed, almost as though on a stage; while the enormous curiosity of the sophisticated southerner and the awe of the simple peasant woman become themselves a tribute to the intensity of the drama whose unfolding is being reported, they serve not merely to heighten the drama but to underline its significance and its scope, for Lockwood and Nelly are essentially spectators."

Walter Allen, The English Novel 
          (London: Penguin, 1954) 198.

Plagiarized: The role of the narrators, Lockwood and Nelly Dean, is two-fold: they contribute an element of realism to the story (they appear so normal that we tend to believe what they say), but also their very normality gives us pause—perhaps the "normal" view of life is not the only one.

Comment: Although the entire passage is in the writer's own words, the idea is a summary of Kettle's point #2. (Summary differs from paraphrase only in that in summary the thought has been condensed as well as rephrased.)

Acceptable: [For the passage to be acceptable, Kettle should be mentioned by name in the writer's text, and the summary should be followed by a citation.] According to Arnold Kettle, the role of the narrators, Lockwood and Nelly Dean, is two-fold: they contribute an element of realism to the story (they appear so normal that we tend to believe what they say), but also their very normality gives us pause—perhaps the "normal" view of life is not the only one (1: 141).

E. Summary of several sources

It is acceptable to summarize the ideas from several different sources in a single paragraph or section of a paper, but only if you acknowledge all sources used. A collective footnote may be use to advantage here.

Plagiarized: The two narrators in Wuthering Heights have many functions. First, they serve as spectators of the action, spectators whose involvement in the story is a measure of its power. Second, their normality forms a link between the strangeness of the world of the novel and the real world of every day. Finally, they lead us to question the reliability of the common sense view of life, which here so often leaves us with a sense of unsolved mystery.

Comment: The writer here has summarized the main ideas of #4 (in his "first" point), of #s 1, 2, and 3 (in the second), and of #2 ("Finally. . .").

Acceptable: Critics have noticed several different functions served by the two narrators of Wuthering Heights First, Lockwood and Nelly Dean serve as spectators of the action, spectators whose involvement in the story is a measure of its power (Allen 198). Second, their normality forms a link between the strangeness of the world of the novel and the real world of every day (Eastman 35; Kettle 1: 141; Van Ghent 189). Finally, they lead us to question the reliability of the common sense view of life which here so often leaves us with a sense of unsolved mystery (Kettle 1:141).

IV. Help, Acceptable and Unacceptable

Thus far we have explained the use and misuse of online or published materials. However, in the course of completing a writing assignment, a writer has access to several kinds of informal assistance, much of it not only proper but even essential to the way we shape and develop our ideas. Such assistance may occur at various stages and range from cafeteria discussions of newly discovered ideas to proofreading the final draft of a manuscript. The more frequent kinds of help are discussed below. All such assistance, however, should be evaluated according to a few general principles: 1) Any changes in a paper resulting from assistance are the writer's responsibility; 2) Formal acknowledgment of help, from whatever source, tends to strengthen the authority and integrity of a paper rather than weaken it; 3) Your own growth in learning, rather than gaining a higher grade, should be the primary purpose for seeking help; and 4) Apart from the ethics of the act, the practical disadvantage for students who accept help without learning is that they are then even more vulnerable when they must face a writing assignment without the help.

A. Critical Response

Anyone may read your paper and give you general responses, e.g. to questions such as: Is it long enough? Too long? Too detailed? Too vague? Logically developed? Well organized? Clear in its intent and response to audience concerns? Responses to such general questions are helpful to a writer. Problems arise, however, when responses are accompanied by specific suggestions for revision. If you receive a detailed list of alternative words, sentences, or thoughts to replace your own work, then you have received too much help. In effect, the final paper which included such revisions has been written by two people.

B. Rewriting

You must do all of your own rewriting. If you record your own thoughts and then allow someone else to alter the expression of those thoughts, your final paper is a joint effort and not entirely your own work.

C. Word-processing or Typing

Someone else may type your paper for you, but in the process, the typist or keyboardist must not change anything in the text you provide, not even misspellings or paragraphing, without conferring with you about these changes. If someone else types your paper, you must proofread the final copy with constant reference to your original to make sure that all of the final work is yours. Errors and unacknowledged borrowings, made with or without your knowledge, in the text you submit for credit are your responsibility.

D. Proofreading

Anyone may read your work to check for typographical errors, spelling mistakes or grammatical errors and may even inform you of the errors, but you, the writer, must make all revisions yourself.

To repeat:

If you have questions about the acceptability of a particular kind of help, you should ask someone in authority before accepting that help.

NOTE: We are grateful to the many colleges and universities that shared their materials on plagiarism with us, especially to Dartmouth College and Mt. Holyoke College.