Writing Standards Communicating professionally and ethically is one of the most important skillsets we can teach you at Strayer. This guide gives you a starting point for ensuring; Your writing looks and sounds professional You give credit to others in your work Writing Assignments Title Page Start your paper with a title page and include assignment title, your name, the course title, your professor’s name, and date. For all other writing assignments, see assignment guidelines. Body Include page numbers. For your paper, use double spacing. For all other writing assignments, see assignment spacing guidelines. Use Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, or Calibri font style. Use 10-12 point font size for the body of your text. For tables/charts/graphs/image, see assignment guidelines. Clear and Ethical Writing Writing should be in active voice when possible, use appropriate language, and be concise. Use the point of view (first, second, or third person) required by the assignment guidelines. Use spelling and grammar check tools to help ensure your work is error free. Include in text citations and a reference page when the assignment requires research. If a source is cited within the paper, then it needs to be listed on the reference page. If a source is listed on the reference page, then it needs to be cited within the paper. Reference Page Include a reference page only when the assignment requires research. Type Reference Page centered on the first line of the page. Organize references in a numbered list and in order of use throughout the paper. If a source is cited more than once, use the original number. In Text Citations When quoting or paraphrasing another source in your writing, you need to give credit by using an in text citation. An in text citation includes the author’s last name and the number of the reference from the reference page list. Remember, only writing assignments that include research require in text citations. Incorporate in text citations into sentences by using signal phrases (a group of words or phrase that tells the reader someone else's thoughts or ideas follow) and/or parentheticals (source information contained in parenthesis). A well-written paragraph focuses on one idea and normally includes 1-2 in text citations. Try to use a mix of signal phrases and parentheticals to avoid sounding dull and to make sure your paper is well balanced. Option #1: Quoting - citing another person's work word for word Do not quote more than one sentence (approximately 25 words) at a time. Place quotation marks at the beginning and the end of the quoted information. Do not start a sentence with a quotation. SIGNAL PHRASE EXAMPLES: As Smith wrote in his book, “Writing at a college level requires informed research” (1). Smith (1) explained in his book, “Writing at a college level requires informed research.” PARENTHETICAL EXAMPLE: Many authors agree that “Writing at a college level requires informed research” (Smith, 1). Option #2: Paraphrasing - rewording ideas to better fit your paper Paraphrasing helps incorporate outside sources while keeping your voice. Remember you cannot just replace words with their synonyms (words that mean the same thing). An appropriate paraphrase changes the order of the words in the original sentence. Step away from the original source to allow time to paraphrase without repeating the same words and phrases. EXAMPLES: Original version: “Writing at a college level requires informed research” As Smith wrote, when writing a paper for higher education, it is important to do research and cite sources (1). When writing a paper for higher education, it is important to do research and cite sources (Smith, 1). Reference Page The reference page is a new page that you will add at the end of your paper. It will list the sources that you used in your research. The word References should appear centered at the top of the page. Remember, only writing assignments that include research require reference pages. The reference page should include a numbered list of the sources you used in your paper. The numbers indicate the order in which you used them in your paper. A well-researched paper has at least as many sources as pages. Other reference page guidelines: If you list a source as number one in the reference list, it is the first source used in the paper. If you use one source multiple times, use the same reference number each time. If you use a source with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), list the reference number, the author, and ISBN (ex. 1. Jane Smith, Title of Book, ISBN: 1234567890). If a source has a permalink or webpage address, list the reference number, the author (if any), and perma link or webpage address (2. Joe Smith, Title of Article or Page, Permalink or URL).

Writing Standards Communicating professionally and ethically is one of the most important skillsets we can teach you at Strayer. This guide gives you a starting point for ensuring; Your writing looks and sounds professional You give credit to others in your work Writing Assignments Title Page Start your paper with a title page and include assignment title, your name, the course title, your professor’s name, and date. For all other writing assignments, see assignment guidelines. Body Include page numbers. For your paper, use double spacing. For all other writing assignments, see assignment spacing guidelines. Use Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, or Calibri font style. Use 10-12 point font size for the body of your text. For tables/charts/graphs/image, see assignment guidelines. Clear and Ethical Writing Writing should be in active voice when possible, use appropriate language, and be concise. Use the point of view (first, second, or third person) required by the assignment guidelines. Use spelling and grammar check tools to help ensure your work is error free. Include in text citations and a reference page when the assignment requires research. If a source is cited within the paper, then it needs to be listed on the reference page. If a source is listed on the reference page, then it needs to be cited within the paper. Reference Page Include a reference page only when the assignment requires research. Type Reference Page centered on the first line of the page. Organize references in a numbered list and in order of use throughout the paper. If a source is cited more than once, use the original number. In Text Citations When quoting or paraphrasing another source in your writing, you need to give credit by using an in text citation. An in text citation includes the author’s last name and the number of the reference from the reference page list. Remember, only writing assignments that include research require in text citations. Incorporate in text citations into sentences by using signal phrases (a group of words or phrase that tells the reader someone else's thoughts or ideas follow) and/or parentheticals (source information contained in parenthesis). A well-written paragraph focuses on one idea and normally includes 1-2 in text citations. Try to use a mix of signal phrases and parentheticals to avoid sounding dull and to make sure your paper is well balanced. Option #1: Quoting - citing another person's work word for word Do not quote more than one sentence (approximately 25 words) at a time. Place quotation marks at the beginning and the end of the quoted information. Do not start a sentence with a quotation. SIGNAL PHRASE EXAMPLES: As Smith wrote in his book, “Writing at a college level requires informed research” (1). Smith (1) explained in his book, “Writing at a college level requires informed research.” PARENTHETICAL EXAMPLE: Many authors agree that “Writing at a college level requires informed research” (Smith, 1). Option #2: Paraphrasing - rewording ideas to better fit your paper Paraphrasing helps incorporate outside sources while keeping your voice. Remember you cannot just replace words with their synonyms (words that mean the same thing). An appropriate paraphrase changes the order of the words in the original sentence. Step away from the original source to allow time to paraphrase without repeating the same words and phrases. EXAMPLES: Original version: “Writing at a college level requires informed research” As Smith wrote, when writing a paper for higher education, it is important to do research and cite sources (1). When writing a paper for higher education, it is important to do research and cite sources (Smith, 1). Reference Page The reference page is a new page that you will add at the end of your paper. It will list the sources that you used in your research. The word References should appear centered at the top of the page. Remember, only writing assignments that include research require reference pages. The reference page should include a numbered list of the sources you used in your paper. The numbers indicate the order in which you used them in your paper. A well-researched paper has at least as many sources as pages. Other reference page guidelines: If you list a source as number one in the reference list, it is the first source used in the paper. If you use one source multiple times, use the same reference number each time. If you use a source with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), list the reference number, the author, and ISBN (ex. 1. Jane Smith, Title of Book, ISBN: 1234567890). If a source has a permalink or webpage address, list the reference number, the author (if any), and perma link or webpage address (2. Joe Smith, Title of Article or Page, Permalink or URL).