SOCIOLOGY 2450:

CRIMINOLOGY

ESSAY WRITING

WORKSHOP

Formatting Requirements

Include a title page

Page numbers (located at either the bottom or top of the page)

Double-spaced

1-inch (2.54cm) margins

12-Point Font, Times New Roman or Arial

12 page maximum (excluding your Title Page, but including your Bibliography)

Staple your essay with pages in the right order and the Essay Evaluation Criteria attached to the back of the paper.

Title

Should reflect the topic you have chosen

Creative, but professional/appropriate

First and Last Name

Student ID #

Course Code and Section

Date of Submission

Professor’s Name

Teaching Assistant’s Name

The Title Page

Academic Tone

• Maintain a professional attitude in your writing

• Think about who is reading your essay and what impression you want to make on the reader

• Avoid making big claims and generalizations

• Be specific with your arguments

• Avoid slang/colloquialisms

***Exposure to and engagement with academic literature will help with your own writing***

Academic Tone

• You CAN write in first person in your assignment

• E.g., “In this paper, I will explore…and argue that…”

• Use headings/subheadings when it is appropriate

• Develop your arguments in paragraphs, then organize these paragraphs in headings/subheadings

• Make sure that you’ve finished an argument before cutting it off with a new subheading as this protects the flow of your paper

• Ensuring that your paper is well organized makes it easier for us to understand and mark

Structure & Organization

Your paper must have a clearly defined structure and should typically be made up of four sections:

1) The introduction

2) The body (development/narrative)

3) The conclusion

4) The bibliography

Remember - be clear and concise in your essay. Use headings/subheadings to help guide your reader through the paper.

Structure & Organization Introduction

Approximately 1-page in length

Provides a ‘snapshot’ or a ‘map’ of your essay

Clearly define your topic and explain why your topic is important

THESIS STATEMENT

1-2 sentences at the end of your introductory paragraph

Essentially, your thesis statement is the answer to the question you are tryingto answer with your paper

***Check out YouTube for some great video tutorials on how to write a good thesis statement***

Structure & Organization

Body Paragraphs

Present clear and coherent points and sub-points that will help to prove your thesis statement.

***If the information does not feed back into your thesis statement, it doesn’t belong in the paper***

Identify counterarguments or alternate perspectives

Make sure to adequately and thoroughly explain the points you want to address. This helps to avoid any leaps in logic.

In other words, don’t leave us hanging!

Structure & Organization

Conclusion Approximately 1-page in length

Ties together all major points, perspectives, positions, and arguments from the paper.

Do not just copy and paste, or repeat word-for-word, ideas already found within your essay.

The conclusion is the final platform for you to showcase your ideas.

***Do not present any new information in your conclusion***

Proper Use and Relevance of Research

•Demonstrates an attempt to find and engage with ACADEMIC literature

•Academic books

•Journal articles

•NOT JUST NEWS AND BLOGS

•Engages ideas, concepts, themes from a body of research

•Identifies and engages with debates, ideas, consensus and/or dissension in the literature

The Writing Tutorial Service (WTS), free services offered by the Student Academic Success Centre (SASC)

4th Floor MacOdrum Library

Analysis

• A good analysis demonstrates…

• a strong grasp of topical and theoretical literature

• your ability to argue a particular position

• that you support all claims with appropriate evidence or documents

• a strong connection between your thesis statement and sub-points

• your capacity to think and write critically

Student Displays a Strong Grasp of Topic

You need to prove that you have a strong grasp of both the topical and theoretical literature that is relevant to your chosen subject area.

Your paper should clearly demonstrate that you have spent time researching and learning about the subject matter.

To show a strong grasp of the topic, make a logical argument that you can (and do!) support with peer-reviewed academic sources.

Arguments are Relevant to Thesis Statement

Arguments, sub-points, theoretical discussions, and examples need to be connected to your thesis statement

Thesis statement needs to be interwoven throughout the paper

A reminder to your reader what your main point/argument is

Argument Presents Adequate Depth

All arguments in your paper need to be explained in depth

If you think it’s worth including, then you need to demonstrate why

Diverse sources and innovative thinking will help give your paper depth

Careful Analysis (Theoretical and Topical)

Aim to learn and apply theory, concepts, ideas to demonstrate how it is applicable to your chosen topic

Avoid merely describing/summarizing the literature or phenomenon under examination, instead analyze it!

Engage your critical thinking and writing practices for this paper

Referencing & Bibliography Appropriate literature

Academic material: journals and books

Non-academic literature: magazines, newspapers, government reports, etc.

***Wikipedia is not an academic source******Avoid personal websites***

Contemporary and insightful research

From 2006 to present (<10 years)

Research that makes a meaningful contribution to your analysis of a given topic

Draws out major arguments

Read the publication’s abstract, introduction and conclusion to get a sense of whether or not it will be useful for your paper

Referencing & Bibliography Supporting your arguments: How many sources?

As many as required to support your argument

How often to reference?

As often as you use or borrow an author’s ideas/concepts/ theories

***Do not rely on someone else’s quotations***

***Use your own words***

Referencing & Bibliography

Bibliography

Comes at the end of your paper

Starts on a new page

APA or ASA referencing style required

Great resources through the MacOdrum Library website

FIND AND USE THE APPROPRIATE STYLE GUIDE.

***Remember if you do not cite your sources and provide a bibliography your paper will be submitted and reviewed for plagiarism***

Referencing & Bibliography

Locating sources:

MacOdrum Library Website

Google Scholar

Media Websites (both mainstream and alternative)

Government Websites

***Avoid Wikipedia & personal websites (such as blogs)***

***Lecture notes are NOT a source***

Marking Rubric

• Keep referring to the marking rubric as you write your paper

• This is what the TAs use to mark your assignment

• Also, remember to refer to the essay guidelines and the course syllabus

• All of this information is found on the course website for SOCI 2450 A (Fall 2016)

Q & A