BSc in Nutritional Science

Student Handbook

Page 27

When no definite assignment has been given, the paper should still accomplish what it set

out to do and not wander from its own stated purpose.

A significant and clearly stated central idea should control the entire paper. No other virtues

can compensate for a muddled or missing central idea.

The central idea should not be merely a repetition of one expressed by the

instructor (or some authority), though it may be an extension of such an idea.

The central idea should be stated clearly and concisely so that it can benefit both

the student as he/she writes the paper and teacher as he/she reads the paper.

The student should be urged to state his/her controlling idea early in the

paper so that the supporting evidence can be better evaluated for its

effectiveness and relevance

ii.

The student should not be "given the benefit of the doubt" in the statement

of the controlling idea. If the instructor cannot find the central idea, he/she

should assume that one does not exist.

(NOTE: Some papers, such as book reports, summaries, descriptions, processes, reviews of

literature, etc. may not present "ideas" as such; nevertheless, even these papers should be

controlled by a clear statement of purpose.)

The paper should contain convincing and sufficient support for the central idea.

The support should satisfy both readers who agree with the conclusions of the

paper and readers who do not. (A weakly supported series of generalizations, an

unassimilated collection of quotations, or a narrow partisan argument which

ignores important contradictory evidence cannot be considered acceptable.)

Whenever possible, the support should be factual and verifiable.

If the support is mainly logical, rather than factual, the logic should withstand

critical scrutiny.

This organization of the paper (both of the whole and the parts, including each individual

paragraph) should be clear to the reader, and all parts should "stick together" to form one

smoothly unfolding idea.

The organization should be consistent with the central idea and should help to

clarify the relationship of the central idea and the supporting evidence.

The relationship between ideas and supporting evidence should always be

clear. The reader should never have to ask: "What does this have to do

with your point?"

ii.

The proportion of the paper allotted to any section should reflect the

relative importance of that section. A minor idea should never be discussed

at length nor a major one be given only cursory treatment.

The paper should read clearly and smoothly.

The student should provide signals (transitions, headings, etc.) to show

how sections relate to each other and to the central idea.

ii.

Jarring gaps in thought (where the student has leaped too abruptly from

one sentence to the next or from one paragraph or section to the next)

always confuse the reader. They may occur simply because the student has