SJCS Writing Handbook

General Writing Expectations

In order to standardize expectations for major, summative writing assignments, both teachers and students should abide by the following guidelines

● All major writing assignments are to be submitted on Turnitin.com.

● Students are expected to be able access their originality report when submitting. Students may resubmit in order to improve their originality report until the paper is due or has been graded.

● All major assignments should be accompanied with a clear and detailed grading rubric.

● All papers are to be formatted using either MLA, Chicag0, or APA styles as determined by the academic department.

Formatting and Standardization

e Bedford Manual is the primary reference for writing and writing instruction at St. Joseph’s Catholic School. All students and teachers of writing should possess a copy and consult it as needed

Writing and Academic Integrity

Writing is an expression of an individual’s thoughts and research eorts. To that extent it is considered essential that the work students present is entirely their own and anything that is not their own is cited appropriately. Plagiarism is considered a serious academic oense and should be treated as such by students, parents, and teachers The following are considered violations of academic integrity with regards to the process. Please note that this list is not exhaustive.

● Directly copying the work of or collaborating with a peer when permission to do so has not been explicitly given by the teacher.

● Submitting a paper that has already been submitted for another assignment in a dierent class unless permission to do so has been explicitly obtained from the current teacher in advance of submission.

SJCS Writing Handbook

● Submitting a paper written by another as one’s own.

● Failing to cite material taken from other sources regardless of whether or not a student uses a direct quote

● Having parents or adult mentors review a paper can certainly be helpful in the writing process However, parents are encouraged to simply indicate to students where improvements could be made. It is considered a violation of academic integrity for a parent, family member, or adult to substantially compose or revise a student’s paper for them.

● If a student is at all in doubt about whether or not they are in danger of an academic integrity violation, it is their responsibility to immediately reach out to their teacher.

● Students should not be given credit for any assignment submitted where an academic integrity violation has taken place.

Collaboration and Writing

Writing is frequently a collaborative process and students are often given opportunities by their teachers to develop their capacity in this realm That said, students should be careful not to assume that all assignments are collaborative endeavors. For clarity, assignments can be categorized into one of three categories: Solo

The work is solely the student's. Any assignment in which no assistance or collaboration is allowed Assisted

The student is free to consult secondary sources and to seek limited aid from other students, tutors, and adults. The work is substantially the student's own and must be completed after the assistance is complete and without any sources open Some assignments, such as research papers, will require assistance

Collaborative Students are required to work with at least one other student Students are expected to contribute more or less equally when collaborating