APII Assignment Home Page

Points that will be removed from the papers	Rules for Writing a Good Science Paper
-5 points (-1 for each additional “I”)	DO NOT USE THE WORDS “I, me, myself,” etc. Do not refer to yourself. These papers are not about your opinions or experiences.
-5 points (-1 for each additional “you”)	DO NOT USE THE WORD “you.” The reader is not involved or affected by the subject. Rewrite the sentence and the word “you” will no longer be needed. You can usually be replaced by the word the (“the leg” instead of “your leg”) or they, them, the individual, the patient, etc. This is the biggest mistake made by students.
-10 to -15 points	Papers that are not properly attributed (APA Format) By now you can properly attribute a paper (Last name and year) and write a proper reference paper. SEE APA FORMAT PAGE.
-1 point for each time	Do not keep saying “the article says” or “the author says.” Or “according to so-and-so” This sounds like only the author believes this. Just write about the material and use APA citation format at the end of the passage. Do not use the authors name in the paper. Just quote the material.
-3 points	Never use an abbreviation that is not defined. Example: (cardiovascular (CV))
-1 point	Diseases and medical terms are not capitalized unless they are named after someone.
-5 to 10 points depending on length	Do not use case studies. The situation that you describe affects more than one person, so do not focus on one person. Your article uses a case study to get your attention. You have my attention tell me about the disease without telling me about the person who has it.
-5 points	Do not say “I choose this paper or subject because….” It is obvious that you chose this subject and a statement like this just sounds silly.
-3 points	Do not say “in conclusion” it sounds silly. You do not say “in introduction” You are obviously at the end of your paper.
-1 to 5 points	Use paragraphs. If a paragraph runs more than a page it needs to be broken up. Indent 5 spaces only when each paragraphs so it is obvious that a new paragraph is starting. DO NOT DOUBLE SPACE AFTER a paragraph. Reset Word by using the Line Spacing option.
-1 to 2 points for each mistake	Watch for “their and there” or “are and our”. Use the right word. Always run spell and grammar check but do not trust it. They both skip things. REREAD your paper. Make sure that each sentence makes sense. Then have someone else reread the paper. It is obvious if you do not reread your papers.
-10 points	Do not over dramatize. Genetic engineering, cloning, or anthrax are not the end of the world. Do not write as though they are. This also tends to sound silly more than dramatic.
-5 points	Do not write that there are upsides and downsides, pros and cons, etc to this issue. You can easily say that there are advantages, there are positives, etc. Try to include these types of comments through out the body of the paper. Do not list them all in one paragraph
-1 for each mistake	The word “scientists” is plural. There is not one scientist researching anything. Scientists come from a variety of backgrounds and as a result they do not agree on anything. In addition they are not evil people who are leading us down a path of moral decay. Do not treat scientific research as though it is evil.
Up to –50%	If you cannot figure out how your subject relates to the subject just look in the index in the back of the book to find more information. If you do not understand your subject please come talk to me during office hours and I will help you out. Follow all assignment instructions.