My "Scanning Notes"

on the Summary-Response Rough Drafts

1.)  Yes, you do need your own title for this essay.  There's the "standard" one:

A Summary-Response to Stephen L. Carter's

"The Insufficiency of Honesty"

But you might also come up with a different title directly related to the subject of your paper:

Honesty and Integrity for the College Student

-- or --

Honesty and Integrity: They're Not the Same Thing

And your title might be phrased in the form of a question:

Honesty and Integrity: Can You Have One Without the Other?

If your title is long, you might need to use more than one line.  If so, double space between the lines.  Finally, DO NOT quote, underline, italicize, or use all capital letters for your title.

2.)  Speaking of titles, use "quotation marks" for the titles of short published pieces, such as the selections from our book -- e.g. "What Secrets Tell" or "In Praise of the Greats."  Use underlining or italics (but not both) for the titles of long published pieces, such as our course anthology, The Writer's Presence: A Pool of Readings.  See chapters 44 and 46 in the BNCH for more information about titles.

3.)  When referring to the writing selection you have chosen to summarize and respond to, the term "essay" is preferred (or selection, or piece, etc.).  DO NOT refer to the selection as a "story," because that term implies an extended narrative, and DO NOT refer to the selection as a "short story," because that term implies a fictional narrative.

4.)  DO NOT refer to the writer of your chosen selection using only his/her first name.  The first time you mention the writer, use his/her FULL name.  Thereafter, use either his/her full name or his/her last name only.  You also do not need to use Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. / Miss / etc.

5.)  After the conference week, we will discuss more about when to use quotations and quotation marks and when not to.

6.)  After the conference week, we will discuss more about when and where to use parenthetical citations -- e.g. (612) -- and when not to.  You do not need to put pg. / pp. / p. / page before the page number.

7.)  In your summary paragraph(s), I am expecting straightforward, objective summary.  DO NOT include any subjective, personal comments within the summary paragraph(s).  See chapter 10 in the BNCH for more information on summary (along with the appropriate pages on our website).

8.)  DO NOT use slang or other informal language in your paper.  (In the rough draft, it is O.K. to use slang and informalities to get the words out and to keep the writing momentum going, but be sure to edit all of it out later.)  Remember that this is an academic writing course, so be more formal in your papers as you move through the revision and editing phases.

9.)  If you have questions about grammar, punctuation, or mechanical matters, write them down and save them for the week after conferences.  But remember, you can also go see a tutor and/or try to find the answer yourself in the BNCH.  For example, is it -- Norris's essay -- or is it -- Norris' essay?  For the answer, look up apostrophes in the BNCH Index or on the detailed table of contents chart inside the back cover.  (Apostrophes are covered in chapter 43.)

10.)  Remember, we use SIGNAL PHRASES to indicate the inclusion of something (words and/or ideas) that does not belong to us.  We place signal phrases before short summaries, paraphrases, and quotations within a paragraph.  We want to make sure our readers know what's ours and what's someone else's.  We will talk more about signal phrases the week after conferences.

11.)  That said, YOU MUST INTRODUCE ANY and ALL QUOTATIONS that you place in your paper.  DO NOT "drop" a quotation in without a signal phrase.  But remember, not all signal phrases must include the author's name or the title of the work; there are other ways to "integrate" a quotation into your paper.  See chapters 10, 12 (a, b), and 44 in the BNCH.

12.)  Finally, remember to KEEP all four (4) of your peer review forms; you will be asked to hand them in the week after conference week.