POLITICAL SCIENCE STYLE GUIDE FOR WRITING PAPERS

(based on the Chicago Manual of Style [CMS] as interpreted by Kate Turabian,

A Manual for Writers, 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996).

Review essays, research papers, and term papers are all formal papers. As such, they must conform to certain conventions of style and format. The following is a list of some of the basic rules that students must follow when writing papers in the Department of Political Science.

If you have not had much recent experience writing term papers, see Turabian Chapters 1, 13 & 14.

1. The paper must have a title page, which includes the title of the paper, professor's name, course, date, and student's name.

2. Do not use plastic covers for the paper (save both your money and the environment). A staple in the corner is sufficient. Do not submit all or part of the same paper for credit in two courses in this department or any other department, without instructor permission.

3. The pages of the paper must be numbered, excluding the title page. Begin pagination on the second page of the body of the paper, i.e., the page number is not to be printed on page "1". Use one-inch margins all around. Always double-space between lines, except long quotes as described in item #9 below.

4. The type must be of sufficient quality and size that it can be easily read. (10 point Courier or 12 point Times Roman/Dutch is preferred). Use the same type size and style throughout (except for bold or italics meant to emphasize a word or phrase) and a fresh, dark ribbon if you use typewriter or dot matrix printer. Laser printer preferred.

5. Grammar and spelling must be correct. Use a dictionary or "spellcheck." Remember, a spellcheck program catches only typographical errors. It will not catch homonyms such as "their," "they're," and "there," nor will it catch misused words, such as "disinterested" when you mean "uninterested."

6. Paragraphs must be used appropriately. Some people tend to go on for two or three pages with no paragraphing. A paragraph is meant to express a complete thought or idea. All sentences within the paragraph must be related to the single unifying idea. Three or four paragraphs per page is normal. Start a new paragraph when you start a new idea or shift to a new subject.

7. Avoid the use of sexist language, i.e., that which speaks in only one gender. Avoid sexist pronouns by using plural pronouns. Where it doesn't result in too much clutter, you may use "he or she" and "his or her," etc.. Avoid using "man" or mankind" when referring to all humans.

8. Avoid plagiarism. Academic dishonesty is taken seriously by the Political Science Department. Plagiarism refers to presenting the words and actions of others - whether established authors or your peers - as if they were your own. It means you have quoted or summarized something without attributing it to the appropriate source. You must acknowledge the source, either through an appropriately structured quotation or by paraphrasing and citing the material:

Almost every work that is neither fiction nor an account based on personal experience relies in part on secondary sources (other publications on the same or related subjects) or on primary sources (manuscript collections, archives, contemporary accounts, diaries, books, personal interviews and so on). Ethics, as well as the laws of copyright, requires authors to identify their sources, particularly when quoting directly from them (CMS 1993, 493).

We encourage students to work co-operatively, yet we expect independent work in presentation of papers. Evidence of copying published material without attribution or excessive parallels in content, organization or wording will result in a failing grade ("F") for all persons involved.

9. When quoting from a source, you must indent and single space quotes that are longer than three typed lines. Since the quotation has been separated from your text in this way, it is unnecessary to use quotation marks. If the quote is less than four typed lines, incorporate it into the body of the paper and use quotation marks. All quotations must be properly cited to indicate these are not your words.

Always attempt to paraphrase first; use quotes sparingly. As a general rule:

one should never quote more than a few contiguous paragraphs... at a time or let the quotations, even scattered, begin to overshadow the quoter’s own material. Quotations or graphic reproductions should not be so long that they substitute for, or diminish the value of the copyright owner's own publication (CMS 1993, 146).

Acknowledge the source in the body of your paper by indicating the author, date and page in parentheses. If you name the author explicitly, follow the name with the date and page only in parentheses. Example: "Brady (1980, 47) says…." The last number is the page. If no individual is named as author, an organization may be given, as with government documents or reports by consultants. Example: (U.S. Cong. Senate. Comm. on Transp. and Publ. Works 1963, 47). In this case, the author may be the same as the publisher. It is rare, however, for a U.S. government document to be published by anyone except the U.S. Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C., so this information is omitted in most such references below. Please note the period appears after a parenthetical reference, not before.

10. At the end of your paper, you must include a complete listing of all sources used in the essay. It should include only works referred to in the text and should be titled: Works Cited, Literature Cited, or References. References should be listed in alphabetical order, according to the author's last name (where appropriate). Multiple references by the same author should be listed oldest first; if in the same year, alphabetize by title for that year and show year as 1995a, 1995b, 1995c and so on. For multiple authors of same publication, first author is last name first; subsequent authors are first name first (see Frankel below). Include the following information: author's or editor's name(s); title; editor or translator, where applicable; edition (if not the first); volume number, where applicable; series title, where applicable; facts of publication (city, publisher, date); page numbers (CMS 1993, 529). For each type of publication shown below, include all of the information shown, but nothing extra. Use postal service abbreviations for state when given with unfamiliar cities in facts of publication: Maine = ME, Colorado = CO, etc.

These references follow the "RL" (Reference List) form of sample references shown in Turabian, Chapters 11 & 12. Cites in the body of the paper should follow the "PR" (Parenthetical Reference) form in the same two chapters as shown in the example at item #9 above. If you find one that doesn't seem to fit, please consult Turabian or show it to the instructor for guidance. Asking is better than guessing!

EXAMPLES

To cite a book:

Rokeach, Milton. 1973. Beliefs, attitudes, and values. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

NOTE: Book titles are always underlined or in italics, not placed in quotation marks. This convention must also be followed when a book is mentioned in the body of a paper.

To cite a journal article:

Frankel, David R., and Josephine King. 1980. Nuclear waste management: A bottomless pit? Ecology Law Quarterly 15 (May): 727-747.

NOTE: You must include the volume number of the journal in your citation. In the above example "15" is the volume number. You must also include the year of the publication and the page numbers. The name of the journal is underlined or italicized, and capitalized. Only proper names of people, places and things--and the first word after a period or colon--are capitalized in book and article titles.

To cite an article in an edited text:

Brady, David W. 1980. Congressional elections and clusters of policy changes in the U.S. House,

1886-1960. In Barbara A. Campbell and Randy R. Trilling, eds. Realignments in American

1886-1961. politics: Toward a theory. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.

To cite a book review:

Frankfurter, Dwight. 1985. Review of The disabled state by Deborah A. Stone. In Social Service

Review 59 (September): 523-25.

To cite a newspaper article when no author is named:

The acid rain bane. 1985. Wall Street Journal, 14 August, 30.

To cite a newspaper article when an author is named:

Hall, George. 1985. The acid rain bane. Wall Street Journal, 14 August, 30.

To cite a magazine:

Davis, Janet A. 1983. Acid rain still a sore point. Congressional Quarterly

Weekly, 28 May, 1063-64.

To cite personal communications such as letters or interviews:

King, Angus, Governor, State of Maine. 1996. Interview by author, 1 June, Augusta, ME.

To cite a state or federal court decision:

Bridges v. California, 314 U.S. 252 (1941).

NOTE: This citation includes, in order, the case name; volume of reporter; name of reporter; opening page of decision; and date.

To cite a constitution (federal or state):

U.S. Constitution, Art. 1, sec. 4.

NOTE: This citation includes, in order, the state or country; the title of the document; the article or major section; and subsection.

To cite a proposed bill:

U.S. Cong. House. 1959. A bill to require passenger-carrying motor vehicles purchased for use by the

federal government to meet certain safety standards. 86th Cong., 1st sess. H.R. 1341.

To cite a Congressional committee or subcommittee hearing:

U.S. Cong. House. Committee on Ways and Means. 1951. Narcotics, marijuana, and barbiturates.

Hearings before a subcomm. of the House Comm. on Ways and Means on H.R. 3490. 82d

Cong., 1st sess.

To cite a House committee or subcommittee report on specific legislation:

U.S. Cong. House. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. 1965. Federal Cigarette

Labeling and Advertising Act. 89th Cong., 1st sess. House Report 449 to accompany H.R.

3014.

To cite a Senate committee or subcommittee report:

U.S. Cong. Senate. Committee on Transportation and Public Works. 1963. Planning in metropolitan

areas. 88th Cong., 2d sess. Senate Report 821 to accompany S. 855.

To cite a Conference committee report:

U.S. Cong. 1976. Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. 94th Cong., 2d sess. House Report 1534 to

accompany S. 2356. Conference Report.

To cite a committee staff report:

U.S. Cong. House. Committee on Environment and Public Works. 1976. Nuclear waste. Report

prepared by Alfred E. Neuman. 94th Cong., 2d sess. House Report 94-123. Committee Print

23.

To cite an enacted statute in Statutes at Large:

Noise Control Act. Statutes at large. 1972. Vol. 86, sec. 10.

To cite an enacted statute codified in U.S. Code:

Declaratory Judgment Act. U.S. Code. 1952. Vol. 28, secs. 2201-2.

To cite a Congressional debate:

U.S. Congress. House. 1986. Representative Williams of Alaska speaking for the Drug Enforcement

Act. H.R. 3490. 82d Cong., 1st sess. Congressional Record 128, pt. 3 (11 July).

To cite the President signing into law:

U.S. President. 1972. Public papers of the presidents of the United States. Washington, D.C.: Office

of the Federal Register. National Archives and Records Service, 1968-. Richard M. Nixon.

To cite a yearbook or annual:

Congressional Quarterly, Inc. 1972. Ocean dumping: House and Senate pass controls. In

Congressional Quarterly Almanac-1972, 487-490. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc.

To cite an executive or administrative agency report:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1993. Air pollution: Impact of the Clean Air Act on

manufacturing of automobiles. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

To cite regulations, proposed or final in Federal Register:

U.S. Department of Labor. 1984. Federal minimum wage. Federal Register 49 (4 January): 341-342.

Microfiche.

To cite regulations codified in Code of Federal Regulations:

U.S. Department of Labor. 1985. Federal minimum wage. Code of Federal Regulations. Vol. 23, part

300.

To cite a paper in published proceedings:

Brown, Murphy. 1997. Exceptions to Murphy's law in electrical engineering. In Bridges for fifty-

million buffalo: Proceedings of the forty-third national conference of the American Society of

Electrical Engineers in Baltimore, 11-14 November 1996, edited by Red Green, 23-34. South

Berwick, ME: American Society of Electrical Engineers.

To cite an Internet or World Wide Web address:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1995. Acid rain program. Internet address:

http://www.epa.gov/acidrain.html

To cite a treaty that the U.S. signed:

U.S. Department of State. 1963. Nuclear Weapons Test Ban, 5 August 1963. TIAS no. 5433.

United States treaties and other international agreements, vol. 14, pt 2.

To cite a treaty that the U.S. signed and the Senate ratified:

U.S. 1963. Nuclear Weapons Test Ban, 5 August 1963. Statutes at large (1963), vol. 84, pt 2.

To cite a multilateral treaty, signed or unsigned by the U.S.:

United Nations. Treaty Series. 1956. Denmark and Italy: Convention concerning military service, 15

July 1954. Treaties and international agreements registered or filed or reported with the

Secretariat of the United Nations, 250, no. 3516.

NOTE:

Always back up your work by making a duplicate copy on disk,

and check for viruses frequently.

YOU SHOULD EITHER MAKE A COPY OF YOUR PAPER

OR MAKE SURE YOU HAVE IT ON DISK.

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USM SOCIAL SCIENCE GUIDE TO PLAGIARISM

AND REFERENCING*

Because so many students seem to be confused about footnoting and referencing in academic papers, a number of departments have collaborated in developing this brief guide: "What Every Student Should Know (at least) About Plagiarism and Referencing." We say "at least" because this Guide is not the final word--it contains general information and basic accepted standards.

GENERAL PERSPECTIVE

Footnotes, references, and citations are extremely important components of academic work. Quotations must always be footnoted or end noted. A paraphrase of something, or even a heavy reliance on someone else, should be noted. Students should not be afraid that there is some negative connotation attached to a noted paragraph--the critical fact is how you utilize the information, argument, etc. In other words, your own argument and exposition are most critical. You should avoid any attempt to pretend that you do not draw heavily on the thinking, wisdom, and knowledge of others.

Another and related function of references and footnotes is to refer the reader to more elaborated discussions, primary sources of data, and other information which would be useful to the reader in pursuing the subject further and in evaluating your thesis. In this sense, your notes are important extensions of your thesis. They also provide the absolutely necessary means for others to evaluate the adequacy of your description, and of your analysis and conclusions.

Normally, quotations should be used sparingly. You should avoid the trap of making your paper into a string of quotations, properly cited or not. The problem with this technique is that, as with all data, such quotations seldom speak for themselves. You should remember to explain, in your own words what is being said and why its important and relevant.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is an extremely serious offense. It is lying, cheating, and/or stealing. The maximum penalty is expulsion from the University (USM Student Conduct Code, III.A.1).

To plagiarize is "to steal and use (the ideas or writings of another) as ones own." (American Heritage Dictionary 1973, 1001) Legally, plagiarism has been defined as "the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his/her writings, or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of ones own mind." (O'Rourke v. RKO Radio Pictures, 483) The student should note that neither of these definitions includes intention or motivation--it is the act itself which constitutes plagiarism. Ignorance, naiveté or sloppiness is no excuse.

Put another way, the act of plagiarism is a form of theft (taking of ideas) and a form of fraud (misrepresentation). You should remember that ideas and creativity are as valuable as tangible property. Simply put, the rule is to give credit where credit is due.

There are three basic forms of plagiarism; 1) quoting, 2) paraphrasing, and 3) stealing ideas. A few simple rules and illustrations should help you avoid any of these mistakes. All of the following illustrations will refer to the same source, a quotation from Gabriel Kolko, a noted historian:

"Only if we mechanistically assume that government intervention in the economy and a departure from orthodox laissez-faire, automatically benefits the general welfare can we say that government economic regulation by its very nature is also progressive in the common meaning of that term. Each measure must be investigated for its intentions and consequences in altering the existing power arrangements...." (1963, 2).

QUOTATIONS

When you repeat a passage or statement, word for word, you are quoting another person. When you reproduce without acknowledging that you have done so and from whom, you have plagiarized another persons work. Quotations must be designated as such, generally by placing quotation marks around the repeated statement. All quotations must be repeated exactly, and cited exactly, giving all the appropriate information concerning who said it, where, and where you found it. To avoid plagiarism, you must include both the quotation marks and the citation.[1]

PLAGIARISM: We cannot say that government economic regulation by its very nature is also progressive in the common meaning of that term. (No quotation marks and no footnotes.)

PLAGIARISM: Each instance of "government intervention in the economy...must be investigated for its intentions and consequences in altering the existing power arrangements..." (No citation.)

PLAGIARISM: We cannot assume that government intervention in the economy, and a departure from orthodox laissez-faire, automatically benefits the general welfare. (Kolko 1963, 2) (no quotation marks or indication that material has been omitted.)

PARAPHRASING

When you restate a passage, keeping the essence or central ideas of the original passage intact but altering its form or substituting other words, you are paraphrasing. When you translate the original in order to clarify or obscure a meaning, concept, or idea, you are paraphrasing. When the idea or statement is presented as your own, or if you do not properly cite the original source, then such paraphrasing is plagiarism. Generally, when you paraphrase, you should include information in the text, such as "according to Kolko" or "as Kolko suggests" to indicate the directness of your source. You must also give a complete and accurate citation.

PLAGIARISM: We cannot assume that government intervention is progressive unless we also assume that that intervention benefits the general welfare. (No citation.)

PLAGIARISM: We must investigate each instance of government intervention to determine whether or not it contributes to the general welfare and can therefore be called "progressive." (No citation.)

ACCEPTABLE: We cannot assume that all government intervention, either in its intention or consequence, contributes to the general welfare of the society.(Kolko 1963, 2)

PREFERRED: As Kolko points out, we cannot assume that government intervention, either in its intention or consequence, necessarily contributes to the general welfare of the society (1963, 2). (this form is preferred because the directness of the debt is acknowledged on the text).

IDEAS

When you use ideas which you have fully or partially gleaned from an identifiable source, or set of sources, you must properly acknowledge the origin of these ideas. You must also give credit to another author whose work has helped you in the organization or development of your thinking. Failure to give credit for an idea is plagiarism. The sources or set of sources should be cited sufficiently to give the reader an indication of the extent of your indebtedness. In addition, key phrases and concepts which are not in general use, or are being used in a special sense, should be placed in quotation marks and cited when they are first employed.

PLAGIARISM: When looking at legal developments, particularly in the area of regulation, we must be careful not to presume that any increased governmental activity is necessarily "liberal" or "progressive." (No citation)

PLAGIARISM: Changes are not always what they seem. Increased intervention or regulation may, or may not, actually contribute to the general welfare--as opposed to the welfare of special interests, including the regulated industry. (no citation)

ACCEPTABLE: In order to assess whether or not the regulation of the media is "progressive," we will need to examine both the intentions and the consequences of creating and perpetuating this regulation (Kolko 1963).

ADDITIONAL CAUTIONS

Obviously, buying and/or submitting papers or exams written by another person is plagiarism (and generally, cheating). Using any paper, exam, etc. written wholly or partly by another person is also both plagiarism, and usually cheating. You should also realize that the rules about plagiarism pertain to all work, including preparation for debates, class reports, study assignments, etc., even though the rules and forms for a citation may not be quite as stringent. IF IN DOUBT, ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR.

FORMS OF NOTING AND CITING

There are many forms for references, footnotes, and citations, and this guide can only provide general guidelines along with suggestions about where to find more information. There are, however, some basic rules, forms, and problems you should understand.

The basic rule is simple: whatever citation form you adopt, it should be consistent, and it should provide clear, accurate, complete, and usable information to the reader. Some faculty may insist on a particular style; others may not. But all faculty will insist that you clearly and consistently convey the necessary information.

The most complete and authoritative guide to this formal style (and also to a myriad of other formal details involved in writing a proper paper) is Turabian, A Manual For Writers Of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Copies of Turabian are generally available at bookstores and on reserve. Extensive discussion, and illustrations, of this formal style can also be found in Political Science Style Guide for Writing Papers.

END NOTES

*This guide has been prepared by the Criminal Justice Program with the assistance and cooperation of the Department of Communications, Geography-Anthropology, Political Science, Sociology, and History, and draws heavily upon materials previously created by several of those departments.

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[1]. Extended quotations, generally those occupying more than three lines of print, should be single spaced and indented from the left margin. In this case, quotation marks should be omitted but a citation must, of course, immediately follow the quotation.