Perrakis Writing for Publication
EDLD 567 University of San Diego
EDLD 567: Writing for Publication School of Leadership and Education Sciences Professor: E-mail: Day/Time: Class location: Office: Phone: Office hours:
Athena Perrakis, Ph.D. athena@sandiego.edu Thursdays, 5:30-8:20 p.m. MRH 135 MRH 275J (619) 518-6733 cell W/Th 3-5 p.m. by appt.
Overview, format, & purpose Course description This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the research, writing, and publication process. Most graduate students have one or more research interests and many indicate a desire to present research either at national conferences or in scholarly/professional journals. However, few graduate students are ever formally mentored in the publication process. This seminar will be an intensive writing and research experience, through which students will read about research and publication, critique and evaluate work done by their peers in the course, and receive rich feedback on their writing and research topics from the professor. Students should bring a draft of an article, thesis, manuscript, or essay to rework as their final course project; alternatively, students can choose to work on portions of their doctoral dissertations to fulfill this requirement, or begin a new manuscript at my discretion. Course format & prerequisite Every other week, roughly, we will cover a core competency of the course; on alternating weeks the entire class period will be spent writing and practicing or applying learned skills. The focus of the course will be on revision; examples of strong and weak academic writing will be reviewed for dissection and discussion in class. Students are asked to bring laptop computers and textbooks to every class meeting. Instructional objectives Students in this seminar will: • Read about and discuss techniques for reading, writing, and researching effectively; • Actively revise and rework a piece of their own writing for publication or professional presentation; or • Compile effective reading notes to facilitate the completion of a manuscript or portions of the doctoral dissertation; • Learn the basics of proposal writing and publication, including the names of significant conferences and journals in their fields of study; -1-
Perrakis Writing for Publication
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EDLD 567 University of San Diego
Identify strengths and weaknesses in their writing and develop ways to overcome writer’s block; Improve writing style, structure, idea development, synthesis of literature, citation format, and confidence about their skills as writers; Become intimately familiar with APA style conventions; Work closely with peers and the professor to critique their own writing as well as that of other members of the group; Develop a publication and presentation pipeline, to plan future publications and identify holes in the literature they can fill with their research.
Required texts American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Guide of the American Psychological Association. 5th edition. Galvan, J.L. (2006). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences. 3rd edition. Glendale: Pyrczak Publishing. Recommended texts from my colleagues (the few I actually endorse are marked with an asterisk below): Becker, H.S. (1986). Writing for social scientists: How to start and finish your thesis, book, or article. Chicago: U of Chicago Press. Becker, H.S. (1998). Tricks of the trade: How to think about your research while you’re doing it. Chicago: U of Chicago Press. Bolker, J. (1998). Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day: A guide to starting, revising, and finishing your doctoral thesis. Owl Books. *Hacker, D. (2003). A writer’s reference. Fifth ed. Bedford Books. *Locke, L., Spirduso, W. & Silverman, S. (2000). Proposals that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Locke, L., Spirduso, W. & Silverman, S. (1998). Reading and understanding research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Strunk, W., White, E.B. & Angell, R. (2000). The elements of style. Pearson Higher Education. *The Chronicle of Higher Education. www.chronicle.com -2-
Perrakis Writing for Publication
EDLD 567 University of San Diego
Truss, L. (2004). Eats, shoots & leaves: The zero tolerance approach to punctuation. Gotham Books. Assignments & evaluation methods A total of 100 points is possible in this course. Final grades are assigned according to the point distributions listed below: 92-100 points = A 90-91 points = A88-89 points = B+ 82-87 points = B 80-81 points = B78-79 points = C+ 72-77 points = C 70-71 points = C68-69 points = D+ 62-67 points = D 60-61 points = D58-59 points = F+ 57 points and below = F Statement of research interests and abstract of intent – not graded Students will submit, via e-mail to the professor by the third class meeting, an abstract of the paper they are revising or a statement of their intended goal for the course product along with a brief summary of their research interests (limit 2 typed pages). Final product – 40 points Students will determine in conversation with the professor what their final product for class will be. Final products will be graded on the demonstration of applicable skills from class. Presentation of final paper and research agenda – 30 points Students will present their final product and comment on their writing and revision process. The final presentation must be PowerPoint and students should create a one-page handout for the group. Presentations will be graded on the demonstration of applicable skills from class. Attendance and participation in peer review – 30 points Because of the nature of the course – including the small size and intimate knowledge of each other’s work you must develop – attendance at all sessions is mandatory, barring an emergency circumstance. Attendance and participation will be graded on the extent to which genuine, consistent, and helpful interaction with both peers and professor was evidenced in class. Please do not come late to class if at all possible.
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Perrakis Writing for Publication
EDLD 567 University of San Diego
Course schedule DATE
CONTENT
9/4 9/11 9/18
Syllabus review Competency: The writing process Competency: Organization/mechanics & grammar, style & usage, “flow”
9/25 10/2
Writing session Competency: The literature review Readings: Galvan, Chapters 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 13 & model papers A & E Bring the Galvan book to class Competency: The peer review process Writing session Competency: APA format Bring your APA manual to class NO CLASS MEETING – Instructor away Writing session Competency: The publication process Competency: Designing an effective presentation NO CLASS MEETING - Thanksgiving Writing session Final class meeting – All presentations will be given during this period
10/9 10/16 10/23 10/30 11/6 11/13 11/20 11/27 12/4 12/11
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DEADLINE
Statement and abstract due via email before class
Final course product due to professor via e-mail before class
Perrakis Writing for Publication
EDLD 567 University of San Diego
General Overview of Grades Assigned to Graduate Work A (A+, A, A-) To earn an A, you must submit exemplary work or perform in a manner that is outstanding. Papers should be free of errors and thoughtfully written; projects should be completed with care and effort, following APA format precisely; performance in class should be first-rate. Regular, constructive participation and attendance will contribute to an A grade, though participation in and of itself is not enough if the work is flawed in any way. The distinction between an A and an A- is subtle; the A student’s work is exemplary, while the A- student’s work is very good, but not outstanding. The grade of A+ is assigned occasionally to denote a job done perfectly. B (B+, B) To earn a B, you must submit acceptable work or perform in a manner that is good, but not strong or exemplary. Papers have errors, show occasional lapses in reasoning or editing, and do not follow APA format precisely. Projects are completed but show a rushed effort or lastminute completion. Periodic participation and missing more than one class will result in a final course grade of B+ or B, in many cases regardless of performance in other categories because of the large percentage of the grade attributed to those items in my seminars. B-/C+ (B-, C+) To earn a B- or C+, you submit work that needs revision; papers appear in draft form with frequent typos and careless errors that could easily have been fixed through careful review. Papers need to be revised for content or form, projects are done hastily with portions mission or overlooked, and participation is minimal. Poor attendance will land you here as well. C To earn a C, you submit projects beyond the deadline without an extension, papers are patched together or done without consideration or care showing no respect for academic conventions, and no participation in class is evident. Poor attendance can also lower a grade to C. D, F Students in this category are urged to drop the class.
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Perrakis Writing for Publication
EDLD 567 University of San Diego
WRITING WITH INTEGRITY1 GUIDELINES FOR USD STUDENTS Hugo Bedau wrote the following in Thinking and Writing About Philosophy: "Writers plagiarize when they use another's words or ideas without suitable acknowledgement. Plagiarism amounts to theft – theft of language and thought. Plagiarism also involves deception.... [Plagiarism] wrongs the person from whom the words or thoughts were taken and to whom no credit was given; and it wrongs the reader by fraudulently misrepresenting the words or thoughts as though they are the writer's own." Finally, although it sounds cliché, when you plagiarize you cheat yourself in three clear ways: First, by not developing the discipline and diligence to research, write, and edit well; second, because taking credit for other people's ideas will induce outrage and resentment against you; and third, because a habit of plagiarism can end your career and destroy your reputation. Expulsion from the university or failure to complete a course or degree are minor problems when you consider that plagiarism can jeopardize your chances to pursue any further education after the incident, which impairs your entire professional and economic future. To avoid plagiarism, you must cite your sources everywhere in your paper where you use the ideas of others, and not only when you quote them directly, but where you paraphrase their points in your own words. In general, you should only use direct quotes when you find the author's wording to be especially effective. Your paraphrasing or summaries of author's points should be thorough. It is not fair to an author to change only a couple of words in a paragraph and then imply (by not using direct quotes) that the paragraph is entirely your own prose. It might help to imagine the author reading over your shoulder. Would he or she approve of your use of his or her work? At USD, the code of academic integrity is not just rhetoric; forms of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, or facilitating academic dishonesty, and will not be tolerated in my classes. Submitting a paper you wrote for a previous class as an assignment for any of my classes is also a form of academic dishonesty. Engaging in academic dishonesty may result in suspension or expulsion from the USD. If you are unfamiliar with USD's policy, please ensure that you read it. Familiarizing yourself with USD’s policies and procedures is your responsibility as a student. To summarize, anything you hand in to me must be written in your own words, exemplifying your own thoughts and ideas, and you must source any references you used in completing your work using the format of the APA 5th Edition Style Manual (or MLA/Chicago if approved, depending on your course and the assignment). Although you are encouraged to work and learn collaboratively, both within and outside of class, the work you submit to me should reflect your own thoughts and ideas (or the thoughts and ideas of your group members), and it must be expressed in original prose unless you cite whose words you are using. If you are unsure of what this means, please check with me before completing an assignment By printing and signing my name below I acknowledge that I have read and understood the importance and severity of this statement on academic integrity. I also acknowledge that I am jeopardizing my entire academic and professional career by engaging in academic dishonesty as outlined above. _________________________________ Printed Name
___________________________________ Signed Name
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Some content in this document is borrowed from Professor George Reed and his statement on academic integrity.
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