Helpful+Hints+(Formal+Writing)

 **What to Avoid....** **1. Do not use 1st or 2nd person pronouns (I, You, Me, My, We, Us, Our)** **2. Do not use contractions (Don't, Didn't)** **3. Do not use Slang - (neat, cool, dude)** **4. Do not use simplistic words (a lot, things, stuff)** **5. Do not use cliches. ( You can't teach an old dog new tricks, Climb the ladder of success, Be the best you can be)**

**Using Numbers... ** **1. If a number or a year begins a sentence, you must write it out.** **For example: Two years ago __not__ 2 years ago** **Nineteen eight-eight was the year __not__ 1988 was the year** **Never write out years when they appear within a quote you are using**
 * 2. Spell out cardinal and ordinal numbers that can be written in one or two words. (two, ten, one hundred, sixty-eight) **
 * 3. Numerals should be used to express number that would be written in more than two words. (752, 160, 186,000) **

**1. All facts, statistics, specific information not considered general knowledge MUST be documented.** **2. All direct quotations MUST be documented.** **3. Paraphrased and summarized information not considered general knowledge MUST be documented.**
 * Documenting Sources Within Your Paper **

**Format in the Paper** ** 1 . At the end of the sentence, place the author's last name and page number in the parentheses. The closing mark of punctuation for the sentence goes outside the parentheses. ** ** Ex: ...98% effective on the first attempt (Smith 204). ** ** 2. If the next item to be documented is from the same source, only the page number is needed. ** ** Ex: ...ruining the carpet cleaner's reputation(273). ** ** 3. If you have a direct quotation, close the quotation marks, place the parenthetical documentation and then the period. ** ** Ex: "...he hath his goodness" (Miller 114). ** ** 4. If the quotation is four or more typed lines, it must be introduced with a colon and then indented ten spaces. No quotation marks are used. The period comes at the end of the final sentence with the author's last name and page number following in parentheses. ** ** Ex: ...when John Proctor said: ** ** Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! ** ** Because I lie and sign myself to lies! ** ** Because I am not worth the dust of the feet of them that hang! ** ** How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (118) ** ** 5. If the source for the information being documented does not have an author, use the first word/words of the entry as it appears on the Works Cited page. **