Writing

“Et al.” doesn’t mean that Al has et

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

When you are writing a scholarly essay, article, or book, sometimes you will need to cite a document that has more than one author. It can get pretty tiresome to say repeatedly that an article was written by “Smith, Jones, Thomas, George, and Johns.” It doesn’t exactly make your report sing, if you know what I mean.

To alleviate this problem, scholars came up with this wonderful idea to shorten things up substantially by using the Latin words that mean “and others” in their documents. Hence, the term “et al.” was used instead of that boatload of names.

However, as a courtesy, please use all of the names in your first mention of those writers, and only use “Smith et al.” after you have given me all five names the first time you used the reference. That said, if you have six names to mention, then you can correctly say “Smith et al.” in all of your references. We wouldn’t want to have things become too cumbersome here!

Please do not refer to “et al.’s writing,” since this is really weird. That would be like writing “Smith and other’s’ writing.” As you can see, this includes an extra possessive apostrophe and is simply wrong. It would be better expressed as “The writing of Smith et al. is a tribute to the ability to write collaboratively.”

And, no, “et al.” does not mean that a fellow named Al is from the South, where he has already eaten a meal!

If you have any questions about college, please feel free to post a reply to any of my postings and include the topic that you would like to see covered in a future blog.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Please don’t quote Mr. Ibid

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine who to quote in your writing, since the author’s name may be buried somewhere in the article you are reading, but here’s a hint: his or her name is not Mr. or Ms. Ibid. Ever.

When you see the word “ibid” as a reference, what that means in layman’s terms is “I am quoting the same person I just quoted a minute ago, so look at the reference before this one to get that person’s name.”  [This is a very loose translation here; the paraphrase is mine.]

You might have to do a bit of looking back, especially if the article or book you are reading has a whole section where it refers to that same original author. Be persistent here and do not throw in the towel by citing “ibid.” Instead, go backwards with the citations until you run into an actual name. That is the person to cite.

What citation questions have you run into with your own writing? BTW, I am happy to answer questions on topics other than what I have blogged about. Just post your question as a reply and I may turn it into a blog for next time, if it is a subject that others might enjoy hearing about.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

 

Introducing Quotations in your Essay

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

This posting is a bit early because I had a graduate student who asked me a question today and I thought you might benefit from reading my answer.

Personally, I like students to introduce a quotation in their writing, rather than just dumping it into a paper. In this case, the student was writing an APA formatted essay and she wanted to know what I was looking for in an introduction that did not interrupt the flow of her paper. Here is how I replied:

As far as your in-text citations go, let’s pretend that you want to quote Tom Smith who wrote an online  article in 2015. There are no page numbers, but your quote (making sure it is introduced in your essay) would look like this in APA format:

Smith (2015) posits that “here is the quotation” (para. 5).

You will not interrupt the flow of the paper with this type of citation. You can say that Smith does the following, to break up the introductions a bit:

Smith (2015) argues

Smith (2015 contends

Smith (2015) maintains

Smith (2015) states

Now, you are just using different verbs here. Do not use all of them in one paragraph. Rather, since we know Smith is a male, you could just say something like the following, if you are still in the same paragraph but want to use more than one quote from him:

Additionally, he also argues that “here is the quotation” (para. 6).  (Note that we did not use the date here because we already have the 2015 date earlier in the paragraph.)

If you do not use his name in the sentence, your quote might look like the following:

It has been stated that “here is the quotation” (Smith, 2015, para. 7).

I hope this helps you write an in-text citation with an introduction for a quote that does not contain a page number. Yes, you really do need to count the paragraphs!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Planning Backwards

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

I had some students ask me recently how to plan their group project. I would suggest that they begin at the end result and then plan backwards.

For example, let’s say you have a group project due in one month. Today is the 1st, in this example. When do you want to have the document finished? (I suggest at deadline of two or three days before it’s due, to give you time to let the dust settle). Now, instead of having a due date of the 30th, you have given yourselves a deadline of the 27th.

When do all of the team members need to have their part of the document ready for the person who is putting it together?  Let’s day that you want to give the compiler three days to do that, so now your due date for your own part of the final draft is the 23rd.

When do individuals need to have their research completed? So that you all have plenty of time to discuss what you have found (and because everyone is busy with work, family, and school projects), let’s say that you want a one week lead time for that. Your due date for that part of the project is now the 16th.

When should you begin to look for research? It may take you two weeks to look down rabbit trails and ask the professor for clarification, so now your personal due date is the 2nd. That is in two days, so you better get to work with your partners and figure out what it is you are going to talk about. You only have two days to decide, so start work on this today!

Would this system work for you? What suggestions could you add to it?

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Using in-text citations

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

How often do you think that an article starts on page one of a journal? It doesn’t. [There are all sorts of things that appear first, like the title page and Table of Contents, to name two.]

The surprising thing to me is how often students will cite page one as their go-to page for an in-text citation. Just this past week, I asked two different students to put page numbers with their direct quotes in two different papers and both students cited page one for all of their in-text citations for the entire document.

Did they think I didn’t notice??????? Come on, people. Your laziness or lack of intellectual integrity is showing! This told me that neither student read any further than the abstract, so it was impossible for them to have any depth of understanding of the article that followed.

Maybe you are rushed for time….I understand that, but I will mark you down for this type of thing, and I will make a note in my personal grade book that I will have to keep an eye on you for the rest of the term. That means everything you write for me will receive additional scrutiny.  Be forewarned.

What is the stupidest thing a friend of yours has done academically? I would love to hear that story, to share with my readers.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

But professor, I intend to write a good paper

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

I got a very interesting comment from a student lately. The assignment was to write an outline for the paper that would be the major assignment for the whole semester. I gave an example of the proper format for a sentence outline, using Roman numerals and 1,2,3 and a,b,c. I did not give a specific example of the words to put in the outline, just a sample for formatting purposes.

One student, who is in graduate school, turned in a 3/4 page document with things like the following:

I. Introduction: I will write an introduction that introduces my three main points.

II. This is my first main point, where I will quote from the articles I read.

1. This is sub-point one.

2. This is sup-point two.

3. This is sub-point three. I will have three sub-points for each main point.

III. This is my second main point, where I will cite some additional articles.

IV. This is my third main point, where I will quote some more articles.

V. This is my conclusion, where I will summarize what I said in the paper.

Folks, I am not kidding. After this wonderful excursion into Outline Hades, the student attached a Reference page with 15 articles that were not mentioned once in the outline. When I flunked the assignment, the student emailed me to say that she/he (I know which sex the student was but chose not to share this information) had intentions of writing an excellent paper and that I should have seen that when I read the Reference page. Really? What grade do you think the student deserved on this document?

What examples of student-understanding challenges have you heard about or experienced?

Best,

Dr. Sheri

The devil is in the details: Proofread before you submit

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Have you ever submitted a document for grading, only to have the instructor ask you what in the world you are saying? That probably means that you did not proofread the assignment before you turned it in.

For example, today I read a discussion board posting by one of my graduate students where the individual spelled Friedrich Nietzsche’s name as “Frederick Niche.” Nope, a “niche” is a special segment of the marketplace. For example, I write another blog on being unexpectedly unmarried. My “niche” group is people who have lost their spouse. If you have never been married, you are not in the niche group that I am targeting for my series on being Suddenly Single.

Another student of mine has now written the same discussion board posting incorrectly for the second time. When an instructor gives you feedback, pay attention. We are not doing it for our own health, but for your growth as a student. Like the title for today’s blog, the devil is in the details. You can improve your grades if you just pay attention to the instructions and follow them.  This is not rocket science, unless you are in a class for future rocket scientists. In that case, it is!

If you have questions for your instructor, ask! A question that is not asked will never be answered, I guarantee it. BTW, when you ask, please tell us which class you are taking and the section you are in (if that is relevant), so that we can look at the right syllabus as we answer your query. Like many instructors, I teach a variety of classes each term and it really speeds things up if I don’t have to look up which class you are taking.

I hope this helps. Do post a comment if you have any questions or concerns about the details of an assignment. I would love to hear from you!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Writing notes or condolence or support

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

While you might have been the recipient of notes of condolence or comfort, let’s take a few minutes and talk about how to write them. You have the experience of being on the receiving end; now let’s see you start to send some yourself.

First, I suggest that you not use those pre-written cards that cost an arm and a leg at the grocery store.  Why? Because they are impersonal and might not reflect either your thoughts or the other person’s need. Additionally, you may be on a tight budget now that your spouse is gone, so why pay $5 or $6 for something that doesn’t fit the exact situation when you are so much better at expressing yourself than you think?

Instead, go to the store and buy a box of blank cards. They can be purchased at many grocery stores and are usually about $7-$8 for 20 blank cards that have a pretty picture on them. They can be used for a variety of reasons, from congratulations, to notes to the ill, to cards of condolence. It is the thoughts that you are expressing that are the important thing; your card will offer strength and comfort.

Your message need not be long- 3 to 5 sentences can express your concern and care for the other person. The good thing about the fact that you are writing, rather than calling or emailing, is that the receiver can reread your card as many times as he or she wants, the person did not need to log in on a computer to read it, and you did not interrupt that person with a phone call.

What do you say? Well, let’s fit it to the situation. [Please note that I am going to write that I am praying for the person because I am a member of the Christian faith. If you are not, then you could write that you are thinking of the person or hoping the individual gets well.]

Here goes: Let’s start with someone who is ill. Perhaps you would like to say something like:

Dear John:

It was quite a shock to hear about your recent surgery for pancreatic cancer. My heart goes out to you, since you are such an active person. I pray that the operation went smoothly and for your strong recovery. You and Mary are in my thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Sue

[Note: You are not trying to show that you had a surgery that was so much worse or that you had an illness that was ten times what he experienced. Nope, this is totally about John and his situation. Keep that in mind as you write.]

——————————————————————–

What if the person just lost his or her spouse due to divorce? Let’s try something like this:

Dear Susie:

It saddened me to hear that you and Mark have gotten divorced. Marriage can be difficult and its end can be devastating. I pray for you and the kids daily. If you would like to talk, I am here for you.

Hugs,

Jane

[Note: This is not the time to tell Susie that her hubby was a creep and that you never liked him. She was in love with him at one time; this is not the right time to tell her she has bad taste in men. Trust me, she knows it!]

What if the person’s spouse just died? Let’s go with:

Dear Al:

Sunday mornings were always special to me because I knew that Alice and I would meet up in the ladies’s room at church. Her radiant smile of greeting always warmed my heart. It was so wonderful to see the two of you together because you were so much in love, even after almost 70 years of marriage. It is those moments that I will miss the most as I think of your lovely bride. You and the kids are in my thoughts and prayers as you go through this next stage of life.

Love,

Matilda

[Note: This is the time to mention what you loved the most about the missing spouse. Share some special memory in a positive light. BTW, Alice had only two teeth in her mouth (and they were crooked) but she still radiated love. ]

I hope this blog gives you some ideas for cards you can write. Handwritten notes express your thoughts so beautifully- you can do this! I would love to hear from you. Perhaps there is a special note you received that really touched your heart. When you write back, please use my name, so that it will be obvious that you aren’t spam. I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

An instructor’s pet peeves

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Today, I want to share with you some of my own personal pet peeves when it comes to students’ writing.

First, they use huge margins and as much blank space as possible, so that your paper appears to be 20 pages when it is really only 5 pages. I mean, the instructor will never notice, right? He or she never really reads the whole thing anyway, right? Next, make the first few pages look full and then add margins that are five or six inches for the rest of the document and you will get a great grade, right?  Finally, compliment the instructor as you turn in the paper and he or she will be so flattered that you will get an A. Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Huge spaces really tick your instructor off because is makes the professor think that:

A. You think the teacher is stupid

B. You are really lazy

C. You are just trying to get by

D. All of the above

The answer to previous comment is, you guessed it, D. What will this do to your grade? Well, if I have asked for a 20-page paper and you give me five pages, then you get a 25 out of 100, if the paper is otherwise perfect (it rarely is). If you do the math here, you just failed the assignment, major league.

What are you thoughts on this? Because of the huge amounts of spam I get, I only respond to comments that use my name or specifically point out things I have said in a given post. I would love to hear from you!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

How important is formatting? Very!

Posted on by Sheri Dean Parmelee

Hello everyone:

Today’s blog is about the importance of formatting, i.e. following the directions. If an instructor gives you guidance on how he or she wants an assignment to be done, I have only two words: follow it!

Recently, my students at two of the three colleges where I teach had an assignment due. I gave them samples of the formatting I wanted and offered tips on my announcement section of the class page that told them how to complete the assignment successfully.

Amazingly enough, the students who followed my examples and made sure that their documents met all of the requirements (there is a rubric attached to every assignment) did exceptionally well. Those who told me that they “chose” to do the assignment another way did not fare so well.

Why would they choose to not follow the instructions? Folks, that is totally beyond my comprehension. I would welcome your thoughts on this topic! While a little creative thinking is a good thing, not following the directions at your future job could get you fired. Food for thought.

Best,

Dr. Sheri