SCWK 3739 04: Methods with Communities

Written Assignment Guidelines

As social workers we need to possess good oral and written communication skills.  Papers and other written material therefore are expected to be well written: with good grammar, sentence construction, spelling, clarity, and organization of ideas and paragraphs. Therefore, spelling and grammar check features within MS Word or Google Docs should ALWAYS be utilized and corrections made prior to submitting your work. 

Points will be deducted for spelling, grammar, and APA errors.  Students who struggle with professional writing are encouraged to schedule an appointment with the writing center for assistance.

APA Formatting

All written assignments must be structured according to the 7^th edition (2020) of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) guidelines.  For this course, this includes:

• The title of the paper in bold font at the top of page 2 above your first paragraph
• In-text references as needed
• A “References” page written per 7^th ed. APA guidelines at the end of the paper (as needed)
• Use 1” margins
• Use 12-point Times New Roman font
• Be double-spaced
• Include a cover page including:
• Page numbers in the top right corner, starting on the cover page
• The title of your paper centered and in bold font, 3-4 lines below the top of the page
• One space
• Your name (first name, middle initial, last name)
• Name of the course
• Instructors’ name and title
• Assignment due date

Sources must be credited when a student uses any opinion, idea, data, and/or words, including paraphrasing and direct quotation that is from someone else.  The source should be referenced with an APA in-text citation within the paper as well as on the final, separate “Reference” page.  Sources should be from the last five years or at least from the mid-2010s, except for seminal works (e.g., Freud, Erikson, Darwin).  Wikipedia Will Not Be Accepted as a Reliable Source.

For additional information and guidance with using APA formatting throughout your paper and your references, go to: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/index.html

Purchasing the APA Guidelines: Quickstudy Laminated Reference Guide 7^th ed. to assist you with APA formatting is also highly recommended and can be purchased through online stores such as Amazon.com.

Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty

Students in this class are expected to abide by the University’s academic honesty/plagiarism policy (see the University Bulletin or the Student Code). “Plagiarism is using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to the other person. When you use someone else’s words, you must put quotation marks around them and give the writer or speaker credit by revealing the source in a citation. Even if you revise or paraphrase the words of someone else, or just use their ideas, you still must give the author credit in a note.” You must cite sources from the Internet, or any other form of electronic media used in your work. This instructor reserves the right to upload (or ask you to upload) your papers to Blackboard, Turnitin, or another program that analyzes student work for plagiarism. Any paper suspected of plagiarism will result in a failing grade in the class, and a referral to the University for further disciplinary action.

Instructions for Submitting Assignments

• All assignments should be submitted via Microsoft Teams within our “Communities and Organization Fall 2026” Teams page under the corresponding assignment
• All assignments should be created and submitted in either Microsoft Word or Google Docs (for papers) or by using Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides (for presentations).  NOTE: .PDF files will not be accepted
• When saving your assignments to submit them, save your document with your name and the name of the assignment included (eg. NameCourseContent Paper1.doc)
• All graded assignments will be graded and returned via MS Teams with feedback in the comments, on the paper, and/or on an attached grading rubric