BPK 375 Fall 2015
Assignment guidelines and basis for marks
Laura Dewar – Project Coordinator & Marker
Before you begin writing your assignment and researching the fascinating world of human growth and development, it is
important to learn how to find information outside of your course materials and how to cite those sources of
information when you write your assignment for this course. In terms of doing research, it is a great skill to be able to
identify legitimate and credible online sources of information.
The following SFU Library website will help you learn how to find information and identify which sources are considered
credible:
Kinesiology 375 – Distance Ed – Human Growth and Development | SFU Library
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/subject-guides/kinesiology/kin-375de
Pay particular attention to the last paragraph titled “Evaluating what you find on the web” as it supplies several
important aspects of what makes a website a credible research resource.
The following website is an excellent SFU library tutorial on what are scientific journals and how to access them to use in
your course research:
What is a Scholarly Journal?
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/publication-types/scholarly-journals#evaluate
Pay particular attention to the second last paragraph in this tutorial titled “How to critically evaluate sources” as
this is another helpful discussion on whether or not to include a certain source for your assignment.
Here is another informative website from Colby College that defines primary literature, and how to find sources of
primary literature (such as journal articles) that are required for completion of your assignments.
What is Primary Literature?
http://libguides.colby.edu/confused
Now that you’ve had a chance to review what sources of information to use for your research, it is absolutely critical to
ensure that you appropriately cite your sources of information. Choosing not to cite your sources is considered to be
plagiarism, and is considered a serious violation of university policy.
The following is an excellent interactive tutorial on learning to cite your sources to avoid plagiarism. There are 4
sections to the tutorial and it is highly recommended that you complete all 4 sections before you being to write your
assignment.
SFU Library Plagiarism Tutorial
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial
For this course, you are required to cite ALL of your sources of information. To ensure consistency throughout your
assignment, I highly recommend that you cite your sources and construct your reference list (bibliography) using APA
format. Here is a tutorial on how to use APA format for your references:
SFU Library Citation Guide: APA
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/apa
You are welcome to use whichever citation format you wish, but you need to use the same citation format throughout
your document.
Other pointers for completing your assignment:
1.
Spelling and grammar do count – please use a spell-checker before finalizing your document. I also highly
recommend that you find someone to proofread your work as a computerized spell-checker is limited to spelling
and basic grammar only. Please keep in mind, if I’m not able to read and understand it, I can’t mark it!
2. Are you an international student? I highly recommend visiting the Student Learning Commons for workshops
on to brush up on your English speaking and writing skills:
http://learningcommons.sfu.ca/
The general marks breakdown for your project will be:
PART I: Abstract – 10 marks
This abstract will be submitted independently of the full paper and is due one week earlier. The abstract should be
maximum 1 page in length (not including references), double-spaced and saved as a pdf document. Organize your
abstract into very brief sections (without headings or subheadings)
a. Introduction – 1 mark
b. Body – 6 marks
c. Conclusions – 1 mark
The remaining 2 marks are for spelling and proper citations.
Each of these should be very brief – just a few sentences, other than the body. You are mainly being marked on your
ability to research your topic and for me to provide feedback on your project.
PART II: The full paper (due one week after submission of your abstract) – 100 marks
a. Title page – 5 marks
Title, course, student name, student number. The title should be short and inform your reader of the major ideas that
will be discussed.
b. Introductory section on your topic – 10 marks
Your introduction should be short and concise and is not given a separate heading from the body of the paper. The
purpose of the introduction is to introduce your reader to the ideas that you will be addressing in the body of your
paper. In your introduction you should be trying to bring readers from different backgrounds up to speed with the
"thesis" or objective of your paper and explain to them why it is that this issue is important. It is not a review of the
field... that is what the body of the paper is for. You need to effectively and concisely communicate to your reader what
to expect in the body of your work.
c. Body of the topic – 60 marks
(Do not title it “Body”. You should have one or more relevant subheadings): In this portion of your paper you will
outline the background for your idea and begin to synthesize ideas from the papers you've read in order to build a
coherent "thesis". Present your ideas in such a way that they build your discussion logically towards your goal. Feel free
to use headings (e.g. History of the idea, Specific conflicts etc.) to help you to systematically address each important
point that you wish to make, as well as helping your reader to follow your arguments. Each paragraph should have
clear, well thought out points, and should contain only the information needed to make or support that point. Fill in
each paragraph with more details until you have a coherent argument building towards your final, concluding
statement.
d. Conclusion – 10 marks
In this section you should restate the objective(s) of your paper and point out how you have satisfied these goals. It
should also reiterate what the major conclusions (ideas) of your study are. You can title this section as “Conclusion” or
“Summary” if you wish.
e. References – 10 marks
Your sources need to be properly cited within the document, with a bibliography of your sources used at the end of the
document (please see the above discussion for how to properly cite your sources). There is no limit to the number of
sources; I recommend that have you use a minimum of three to five sources of information for your assignment.
f.
Spelling/grammar, double spacing – 5 marks
I believe this is self-explanatory – you’ll earn 5 marks for taking the time to spell-check and proofread your work. Make
sure you use double-spacing format as well!
PART III: Web Page Production and Publishing – 20 marks
Transform your finished paper into a webpage and publish it.
Term Project Marks & Submission Deadlines Summary
PART I: Abstract – 10 marks
Introduction – 1 mark
Body – 6 marks
Conclusions – 1 mark
PART II: The full paper (due one week after submission of your abstract) – 100 marks
Title page – 5 marks
Introductory section on your topic – 10 marks
Body of the topic – 60 marks
Conclusion – 10 marks
References – 10 marks
Spelling/grammar, double spacing – 5 marks
PART III: Web Page Production and Publishing – 20 marks
Sending Project URL to Laura Dewar by deadline – 2 marks
Publishing fully functional webpage with required components – 18 marks
Submission Deadlines
1. Term Project Abstract pdf e-mailed by Thursday Nov 12 th Noon to project co-ordinator Laura Dewar
([email protected])
2. Printed Term Project Research Paper submitted at beginning of Thursday Nov 19 th lecture
3. Project URL e-mailed to Laura Dewar by Thursday Nov 19 th Noon
4. Web Site published by Thursday Noon Dec 3rd