ENG 333 Communication for Science and Research

• Course prerequisites - You must be recognized by Tracs as a junior or senior.
• Required Texts are the online class notes available using Course Materials on the class website, additional readings provided via electronic reserves, and additional readings provided throughout the semester. You are responsible for reading all of the matierals provided since they provide the information needed to complete the online class activities, and major assignments. Optional Texts include MLA or APA style guides, and Paul Anderson's 2007 6th edition of Technical Communication: A Reader Centered Approach, companion site.
• All major assignments must be completed to pass the course. Any late papers will receive at most half credit unless I am notified in advance and in writing.
• Submit your major assignments using Wolfware. Only submit Word documents and use the following file naming convention:
  1. First letter of your first name
  2. First four letters of your last name
  3. The letter a, which stands for assignment
  4. The number of the assignment (e.g., 1 for Assignment 1)

  An example using my name for submitting the first assignment would contain the following file name: jlarsa1.doc. I will deduct points from an assignment if I have to rename it before I download it.

• If you send an email to me, you will receive a reply within 24 hours. If you do not, then you can assume that I did not receive your email. Be sure to proofread your emails, and class postings. This is a professional writing course, and your emails will create first impressions of you. Also, use descriptive, informative subject lines.
• Online class participation is required and recorded. Completion of online activities is the same as if you attended a class in a classroom setting. You may complete online activities ahead of time, but please stay within the time frame of the current assignment (i.e., do not complete online classes that pertain to the next assignment before your current one is due). If you miss more than 3 online activities, your overall grade will be affected (-3 points per unexcused online activity over 3). These include discussion forum postings, replies, e-mails, assignment submissions, and peer review activities.
• An IN - incomplete grade will only be given because of a serious interruption in a student's work not caused by the student's own negligence. An IN will not be used as a substitute for an F. An IN is only appropriate when the student's record in the course is such that the successful completion of assignments missed as a result of a documented serious event would enable that student to pass the course.
• You can access the University's policy on academic integrity in the Code of Student Conduct. Be sure to read carefully sections 8.2 and 8.3, which define academic dishonesty, section 9.11 concerning cheating, and section 11.4 concerning plagiarism.
• Disability Services for students are available. If you have any disabilities, please schedule an appointment with me early in the semester to discuss any academic accommodations that you require.

Academic Integrity Applied to Professional Writing

Students and professors at a university are intellectual workers so what they produce (including their writing) is considered intellectual property. Using that property without permission, or representing it as your own work is a form of theft. To maintain the integrity of the institution as a whole and its individual learning environments (e.g., classes, labs, etc.), instructors have been encouraged to have students read and sign an honor pledge.

The following statement is considered your honor pledge for the entire semester in this course:

Honor Pledge: I will neither give nor receive unauthorized aid on any assignment in this course.

Guidelines for Academic Integrity

The following guidelines, while not inclusive of all that academic integrity means, will give you some idea of how intellectual property is regarded in this writing class. If you submit work that is not your own, sanctions will be applied in accordance with university policy.

Authorized Aid

• Using a spell checker on the word processor
• Using a grammar checker on the word processor
• Getting feedback from peers in class workshops on content, arrangement of materials, and clarity
• Getting feedback on content from an intended audience, including the instructor

Unauthorized Aid

• Submitting an assignment which someone else has written
• Using portions of someone else's work without adequate citation and documentation
• Copying and submitting an assignment created for a past, or current, course of yours.

  NOTE: Documents submitted for this course must have been substantively researched and written by you and by no one else.

• Having someone else edit your work (i.e., read it and make changes). Proofing a paper for word choice, spelling, and punctuation errors is your responsibility.

Avoiding Plagiarism and Crediting Your Sources

Materials not requiring credit

Common knowledge; facts available in a wide variety of sources; and your own findings from field research.

Materials requiring credit

Direct quotations; assertions that are arguable or facts that are not widely known; judgments, opinions, and claims of others; statistics, charts, tables, and graphs from any source; and information or help provided by friends, instructors, or others