Plagiarism: All students should be aware of what plagiarism is, and avoid it in their work. This university treats plagiarism very strictly. Penalties can very easily include a permanent mark on your academic record; this is not a good way to impress future employers. The university has a number of resources for students. Note well that I expect you to provide proper citations for all materials that you use in essays, web projects, and other written assignments. While I do not tell you which specific style of citation you should use, I require you to use a widely recognized academic style that contains the following information - name of author(s), date of publication, full title of publication, full title of journal or edited volume if necessary, journal volume number and issue number if necessary, and page numbers. Chicago is one commonly accepted style that has these properties (see below).
 | A guide on how to avoid plagiarism. |
| Information on how to attribute your sources. |
| A brief introduction to the Chicago style of citation. |
| An interactive tutorial, to test how well you know the difference between plagiarism and appropriate usage. |
Essay Writing: I like students to write essays. But I recognize that essay-writing is hard. There are several traps that students very often fall into; I recommend that everyone read Charles King's short article on Battling the Six Evil Geniuses of Essay-Writing. It's short, it's sharp, and it's helpful.
Reading: It's sometimes as difficult to read academic articles and textbooks as it is to write essays. Professors often expect you to read huge amounts every week, and to absorb non-obvious facts and arguments from what you read. Figuring out what we really want from you takes practice. Timothy Burke's essay on how to read in college is a great way to orient yourself.
Having Other Issues? I'm happy to talk to you either in office hours, or by appointment if my office hours are inconvenient to you. Talking to students about academic issues is part of my job. I also recommend that people investigate the many kinds of help that Teaching and Learning Services can give you; they can be extremely helpful in helping you with many aspects of academic life.