Writing Quality

Manuscript Writing Style

Plagiarism

Writing Quality

The Department has high expectations for student scholarly written work, especially in doctoral programs. All materials produced by students in class work, examinations and the project should represent a scholarly level of conceptualization and written work. Student writing should reflect an appropriate level of basic composition skills, accepted professional writing style, and appropriate attribution.

It is important to note that the standards for scholarly writing are determined by the discipline as well as the cultural context. At the University of Minnesota, you will be expected to follow the standards and conventions of scholarly writing that prevail in the U.S.

While the program offers courses to assist students to reach an appropriate level of research understanding and skills, students are responsible for attaining an appropriate level of writing skills. Effective writing is frequently the greatest challenge experienced by doctoral students, in part because scholarly writing and the volume expected is different from writing expectations in the standard work setting. Expect to work steadily on writing and to engage in numerous drafts and revisions. Faculty in doctoral programs should not be expected to edit or organize doctoral papers. Faculty advising is focused at the conceptual and analytic levels. Poorly written papers will be returned to students for revision before conceptual and analytical feedback is offered.

To assist in this development, students can take advantage of various courses, services, and manuals. To assist in formulating and implementing the research/project, several courses, textbooks and a publication manual is required (see Appendix B for listing of required and recommended texts). If appropriate, students should use a college level writing handbook for reference when completing written assignments. No specific grammar and composition handbook is recommended; several satisfactory versions are available in the University bookstores.

The Learning and Academic Skills Center in 109 Eddy Hall offers students individual assistance and general workshops in several areas including the improvement of writing. If writing is a skill needing improvement, students are encouraged to take advantage of the resources available. The Center offers a wide variety of support services; check the web for more details at <http://www.ucs.umn.edu/lasc/ResourceLab.htmlx> or call 624-3323.

To Top | Back to Table of Contents | Back to Benchmark Graphic

Manuscript Writing Style

Students will be expected to use the manuscript style of the American Psychological Association (APA) in their writing. Learning and using the APA style early assists students in reading the professional literature and preparing their final dissertation. Students should note the guidelines in the APA Manual for general guidance about writing as well as for citation of sources including electronic references (2001, pp. 268-281).

To Top | Back to Table of Contents | Back to Benchmark Graphic

Plagiarism

Students need to be aware of the potential and consequences of plagiarism. Any work taken from another source must be documented, and in no case should another person’s work be presented as one’s own. The use of exact words of others, and previous research clearly requires citation; citing another’s ideas through paraphrasing or restating someone’s else’s analysis or conclusions may be less obvious but is considered plagiarism if presented without attribution. Inadequate citations constitute plagiarism and can result in failing a course and possible dismissal from the University. If in doubt, students should check the APA Manual or consult with their professor or adviser. Web sites of relevant university policies and procedures are below:

Code of Conduct
www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Conduct.html

Academic Misconduct
www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/humanresources/AcademicMisconduct.html

Teaching Ethics for Research, Scholarship and Practice
http://www.research.umn.edu/ethics/

To Top | Back to Table of Contents | Back to Benchmark Graphic