Dos & Don’ts

Please read this page very carefully, before you start drafting your assignments!

Dos

  • Do cite properly. When you take someone else’s work and ideas, you must cite properly.
    • Please watch this video, Introduction to Citation Styles: APA 7th ed. 

  • Do remember that I use a software program that detects plagiarism and directly see if you copied and pasted someone else’s work. If you do not properly cite them, it can be considered plagiarism. 
  • Do read my feedback on your document in My Grade. You will have to click your paper to see that. Please navigate this page

Don’ts

  • Do not cite Wikipedia or random blog posts. Wikipedia is NOT a reliable source for citations. 
  • Do not make bullet points. You’re in my sociology class and your paper is not a report. It should be in an essay format.
  • Do not use too many direct quotes. Avoid direct quotations within their writing as much as you can. I find some papers are filled with copied and pasted sentences. I am interested in your active voice, not heavily relying on sentences written by someone else. I will stop reading it if you have more than 50 words in direct quotations.
  • Do not just summarize any resources. I am much more interested in your findings and analysis, rather than reading summaries. Learn how to “synthesize” reading materials.