Northern Cohort Ed.D. Handbook
for students entering summer 2004
General Expectations
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. 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.
For information on various writing and academic support
opportunities available through the University, please see the
Student Services and Resources section of this handbook.
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).
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
www.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Conduct.html
Academic Student Conduct
www.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/StudentConduct.html
Teaching Ethics for Research, Scholarship and Practice
www.research.umn.edu/ethics/
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Updated June 2004
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