These tips should help you in preparing your Topics Reports, Reading Reports, and Final Projects, as well as weekly posts to the newsgroup discussions.
 

• Writing Quality Counts!

The assignments will be graded on the same criteria I would use for any 400 level class:  the quality of your research and analysis, as well as the clarity of your writing and organization.  Such things as readability, spelling, punctuation, etc. do count.  Therefore, please proofread your essays carefully.  If you have any trouble with writing, you may wish to visit CSUN's excellent Writing Center. Not only do they have walk-in hours ; they even have a Virtual Writing Center where you can ask writing questions online! 
 
 
• Use full citations

Web pages generally have authors, titles, dates, etc. All the proper information may not be there but please cite the information that is available rather than just the URL.   Consult UC Berkeley's Resource Page for Citing Electronic Sources - an index of links to academic style manuals including  MLA  and APA.   Also check Ben Attias's Internet Style Guide for some tips on formatting citations, as well as formatting papers for posting. 
 
 
• Support Main Points with Evidence

Avoid relying on unsupported assertions.  Your claims should be clear and supported with specific examples and other forms of evidence from your research.
 
 
• Title your presentation

Try for something interesting and thought-provoking. Titles like "Censorship and the Internet" provoke a barely stifled yawn whereas titles like "iMac: Technological Eye Candy on the Cusp of the Cuddletech Revolution" make me want to read more.
 
 
• Write Scholarly Essays, not Advertisements

It is fine to talk about the wonders of iMacs or NetNannies, but please remember that your overall goal is to assess the significance of the issue you're addressing in a scholarly context (focusing especially on the impact on communication.)  You are not getting paid by Intuit or Microsoft to proclaim the wonders of their products; you're a researcher and analyst, an academic working for and with the class.
 
 
• Post to the proper section (topic heading) of the newsgroup

Please be sure you post your assignments to the correct section of the course newsgroup in order to receive credit for your work.   Each assignment should be posted to a separate section (topic heading) of the newsgroup.   Also, please include your full name on your post.
 
 
• Research your topic

The Topic Report is a review of literature for your Final Research Project.  Both of these assignments are meant to be more than your personal reactions to the issue (although these are important too).   Please show that you have surveyed relevant research on the topic as indicated by the assignment.  Add a bibliography or a list of links to relevant sources to your work.  These links can be incorporated into the text as it is organized or included in a list at the end.  Use full web addresses using the http:// format and WebCT will automatically turn these addresses into links - if you've typed them correctly.
 
 
• Pay attention to formatting.

For newsgroup postings, organize your thoughts logically and format your essay using a text editor.  Use double carriage returns between paragraphs or items in a list.  Readability is important, and does count in your grade. Consult Professor Attias's Internet Style Guide for working with a text editor, and other formatting tips.  Make sure your links are typed correctly (test them before posting).  Use the "for practice only" section of the newsgroup to test your formatting.
 
 
• Read Assignment Instructions

Please be sure that your work satisfies the requirements of the assignment before posting it to the internet.
 
 
• Remember, newsgroup postings are written assignments!

While in chat we will communicate informally - however, your posts to the newsgroup should be treated as seriously as any other written assignment. Double check grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Be sure that the topic of your work is significant and that you are thorough and rigorous. Be sure that the substance of your argument is logical and persuasive.