Correctional Continuum Assignment Guidelines

1. Answer the questions--negatively, this means you should not go off on a "rant" or get off the point. However, you should answer the questions completely. Using an example to illustrate your point is often a good idea. For most assignments, you should be able to LIMIT your answers to two double-spaced pages (write concisely). I will stop reading after three pages.

2. Assignments must be typed, and should be spell-checked.

3. Write in complete sentences. Do not use sentence fragments. A complete sentence has a noun and a verb.

• Do not start a sentence with "Meaning..." as you will end up with a fragment
• Do not give voice to an abstract idea (A theory cannot "think" or "argue").
  

4. You must CITE anything that you take from other's work. Failure to do so is plagiarism, which is a form of cheating. The penalty for plagiarism will range from the deduction of points on the assignment to failing that assignment, depending upon the severity of the incident. For the reader (Latessa and Holsinger), please cite the author of the particular chapter rather than Latessa and Holsinger.

• When you paraphrase someone's work, you need to cite with the author(s) and date. If there is more than one author, you MUST LIST each author
  For example: Alarid and Reichel (2008) suggest that there is little evidence that correctional boot camps work.
• You may use "et al." (notice the period is after al, and not et) only for three or more authors. The notation means "and others."
  For example: Bynum et al. (2001) found that sex offenders who were physically castrated were less likely to offend.
  
  When you use a direct quote, the text must be in quotes, and the cite must include the author(s), date, and page number. Please note that changing one or two words in a sentence does not eliminate the need to use quotes. Also, make sure that the quote grammatically "fits" into the sentence.
  For example: Nugent and Bear (2005: 54) argue that "professor Maahs is the ultimate combination of scholar and bow hunter."
  
  While I encourage you to paraphrase or take quotes from the text and readings, you should follow quotes with an explanation, summary, or example using your own words.

5. Authors of formal (academic or professional) papers avoid using personal pronouns (I, we). Although it is difficult to write in this manner, I encourage you to make an effort to avoid using "I" or "we" in your assignments.