A Show and Tell...of Sorts

Sometimes it is just easier to show someone the very thing you are trying to teach them.

I am this someone.

I admit it. I really need to see lessons put into practice - and then... CLICK! BOOM! I get it!

So, I was very excited to see that the Purdue Owl has an enormous array of online tutorials that provide people like me with mini training sessions, which allow for that "CLICK! BOOM! I get it!" moment.

For example:

Let's pretend that you are having a hard time formatting MLA citations. You feel like you need to see it done in order to really understand how to do it. Well, then you are in luck! The Purdue OWL has just the Vidcast for you found here.

Excited! I know I was.

The OWL offers a good amount of YouTube vidcasts. Listed below is just a small list of the clips that are available for anyone to access in order to gain assistance with their writing.

APA Formatting and Style
MLA Formatting and Style
Job Search and Application Writing
Professional and Technical Writing
Writing in Engineering
Grammar and Mechanics
General Writing
Cover Letter Writing
Memo Writing
The Semicolon
Visual Rhetoric

The information found in these clips can also be found on the OWL's website (located in the appropriate sections). Information such as this usually explains why a citation is formatted the way it is and then gives an example of a citation. The beauty of the YouTube clips is that they are visual tutorials. They show you how to properly format a page (by clicking on the correct options in Word), and in several of the tutorials it is possible to watch someone in the process formatting a Works Cited page, using semicolons, and writing a memo.

Perhaps you are the type of learner that does not need to see a new concept in action before you apply it (and boy do I envy you), but you still like the idea of a visual (because who doesn't?). Then you can access these helpful YouTube vidcasts by clicking here.

WAC Spotlight: Writing an Abstract for the Natural Sciences

Last week a student came into the Writing Center seeking advice on an abstract.  My ears instantly perked up because I have now written many abstracts and thought I might be able to unload some expertise on a willing student.

Plus, due to the quiet nature of the beginning of a semester, it has been rather slow in the Writing Center.  I'm pretty sure I might have injured some of my fellow Writing Consultants in my mad dash to snag the session (sorry about that, Greg).

However, when the student showed me the abstract she had written, I quickly found myself in a state of dismay. Although the format was similar to what I was used to, the context was quite different.

Generally in the Humanities abstracts are written for these reasons: to submit a paper for a conference or to preface an article in a journal.  Abstracts are generally 250-500 words in length and contain a lot of phrases like:

• This paper will explore the notion of identity construction in Lois Lowry's The Giver...
• According to Johnny Come Lately, "Dystopia is becoming a popular genre..."
• Although eating peaches may be desirous to some, it seems as if others are greatly dismayed by the slimy texture.

Abstracts in the Humanities often fall on the side of presumptions rather than definite outcomes, and can also include secondary source information in order to help support an argument the writer is making.  An abstract written for the humanities is usually very descriptive and also engaging, because it is what will get a paper selected for a conference or a journal.

A sciences - specifically Natural Sciences - abstract is very different, and all of a sudden I found my once cocky self full of woe and trepidation, worried that I would fail in assisting my student.

In the sciences an abstract is thought of as an extremely concise summary of a paper or project.  This abstract does not presume to know about a subject but indeed does know - it never says anything like, "This paper will explore the idea of...", it instead says, "The theory of relativity is proven in this paper."  

Actually, the abstract is the MOST important part of a scientific paper, and is usually written AFTER the paper/research has been compiled (in the English department an abstract is often written first, before the paper is written).

Here are some tips you should think of while writing an abstract for the Natural Sciences:

• Never say "will be discussed...".
• Refrain from using secondary sources and do not quote.
• Your exact findings need to be included in this abstract (I know it feels as if you are giving away the good stuff early, but this is how it has to be).
• Do not waffle.  Be concise and direct.
• Word length is often dictated by the nature of a study, but 100-250 words is a common word length for scientific abstracts.
• Start your Abstract out by telling your audience EXACTLY what you did and how you did it.
• A great example sentence for an abstract goes something like this: "This study determined the impacts on migratory bird patterns by tagging and then mapping a selected group of Canadian Geese,and then Stella simulation software was used to model migratory dynamics."

Although an abstract written for the sciences is written after the paper has been penned, a helpful thing to do while writing the paper is to keep a running list of notes from each section you are writing.  Then when it's time to write the abstract, you have the key points from each section and can form a concise abstract more easily.

Similar to the introduction of a paper, an abstract is what hooks your reader. So, be exciting! Make that audience want to read your work!  Like if they don't read your paper, they might suffer loss of limb or something.

Don't use exclamation points though...that's just me being excited.  The sciences generally tends to shun the exuberant exclamation point (sigh).

And finally, one extremely interesting difference is that the last lines (or the conclusion) of your abstract should be able to flow into the opening of your paper - almost like a preface, but make sure you use different words than what you have written in your "real" introduction.

Want to know more about writing abstracts in the sciences?  Check out these links:

George Mason University - Biology Dept.

Science Buddies

And of course, the Purdue Owl has an entire presentation on writing Scientific Abstracts that is incredibly helpful and can be found here.

Now I find myself waiting on pins and needles to assist a student writing a science abstract, and since I generally cringe at the mention of science, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this.

Consider Audience When Using Sources

This morning as I perused online news, I stumbled on a story from Fox News reporting that the creator and voice of Sesame Street’s character Elmo is under investigation for child sex abuse. In this online report Fox News provides a link to TMZ.com as the source for the story. 

At this point I became skeptical. I began to question the creditability of the news report not only because I was unfamiliar with TMZ.com, but also because the name sounds unreliable. 

I followed the link offered by Fox News to see what I could learn about TMZ.com. The website appears to be a gossip site, featuring a “Got a Tip” text box in the top left corner of the home page.  Clearly, TMZ.com is asking its readers for gossip tips. I no longer believed the report.

As it turns out, CNN and MSNBC are also reporting on the story. So the scandal (as journalist say) may have ‘legs’ after all.

But that isn’t the point.

The point is that because Fox News cited TMZ.com as its source, I, the reader, doubted the information presented to me. Only after careful consideration of other sources did I confirm that the story may be credible (although low-brow).

When students write papers,they cannot presuppose that their audience will take the time that I did with the Elmo story (especially since embedded links aren’t possible in print form). Students must use credible sources when writing. Not only do the sources need to be credible, but they must sound creditable to the intended audience.

For example:

If a student were to write a serious paper exploring the rate of anorexia and poor body image mentality on college campuses, using a source like cheezeburger.com is a poor and insensitive idea even if the information gathered was pertinent.

Or

If a student decided to write on the credibility of today’s political leaders and cited bamboozled.org as a source of information, an unintended response from a reader maybe laughter. 

When gathering information, a student’s priority should not be the easiest place to get it. Instead, one should consider these tips from Purdue OWL.

"What type of sources does your audience value? If you are writing for a professional or academic audience, they may value peer-reviewed journals as the most credible sources of information. If you are writing for a group of residents in your hometown, they might be more comfortable with mainstream sources, such as Time or Newsweek. A younger audience may be more accepting of information found on the Internet than an older audience might be.”

Using these tips will undoubtedly improve the context and creditability of a paper. Fox News and other news outlets may benefit from Purdue’s advice as well.  

Citations - Parking, APA, MLA, & the Purdue OWL

Citations, citations, citations.

Most of us hate them. Whether they come in the form of parking tickets (of which I received two…in two different cities in a matter of two days) or in the form of a reference list, they are ever the cherry on top of a bad day sundae. (Sense the sarcasm.)

Citing sources is not hard. However, when we're juggling a million different thoughts and tasks and our attention is otherwise occupied, it makes getting them done correctly hard.

MLA or APA? Italics or quotation marks? Underline or parentheses? Citing is a never ending balancing act of the memory. There are no easy ways to remember which rules apply to which style. There are no pneumonic devices, at least that I know of, to jog the memory.

So … how do we get it right? Instead of taking an “educated” guess (we learned them both at some point, right? So we have a 50/50 shot of getting it correct.), why not seek the exact formula we need?

Easier said than done, right?

Wrong.

There is a handy-dandy website called Purdue Online Writing Lab or Purdue OWL for short that makes the entire process of citing – for lack of a better term – idiot proof. I use it weekly.

There are examples for every different kind of source. They show exactly where the author’s name, the title of the source, page numbers, publisher’s name, etc. all go. Essentially, there is no way to go wrong when using this website. We just transfer the information from our source into the “blanks” of the example and voilá! We are done citing.

The moral of this story: when in doubt, put some change in that meter or go to Purdue OWL’s website to double-check how to do in-text citations and bibliographies.

For specific links to guides for APA or MLA, here are you go-to sites:

• APA Formatting and Style Guide
• MLA Formatting and Style Guide

In addition, you can find both of these links -- and more -- on the "Resources for Writers" page of the EIU Writing Center's webpage. 

OWL-ternative Online Sources: The Smackdown

In the spirit of March Madness, we here at EIU Writes will be examining the other online writing labs that we've discovered so far and pit them against one another until only one brave gladiator remains.  Sure, there are a bunch of alternatives ... so what?  How do they stack against one another?  Do any of them give the Purdue OWL a serious run for its money?  Well, brave home viewers, lets put on our game pants and find out.  (We're also apparently at a loss of synonyms for "smackdown" ... or we really like that one.)

So, without further ado, let's take a look at our contestants (spectators, fighters, racers ... take your pick) for the evening.  I'm joined tonight by Fake Doug, since the real Doug can't be here to help me spectate.  Too bad for him.  Anyway, let's hear it for our OWL-ternatives:

HyperGrammar: Hailing from the University of Ottawa, HyperGrammar boasts the British spelling of Centre, a virtual classroom, and a plethora of links embedded within the texts, explanations, and examples.  It's sleek user interface and professional appearance certainly give it a level of aesthetic appeal.

Steve: Do you think our Canadian underdog stands a chance tonight, Fake Doug?
Fake Doug: H.G. is certainly a strong contender, even if it has nothing to do with anyone named "Adrian."  Parts of it are still under construction, but enough of it is finished to make the overall site rather smashing.
Steve: The real Doug would never say "smashing."
Fake Doug: He would to spite you for saying that.
Steve: Fair enough.  Anyway, on to the next combatant ...

Guide to Grammar and Writing: Also known as the "The Super Duper Zany Grammar Funhouse of Doom" (at least in my book), this lab is based out of the Capital Community College Foundation of Hartford, Connecticut.  Though its visual appeal is childish and clumsy, its vast index of grammatical terms and explanations make it a useful tool for any writer, budding or veteran.

Fake Doug: You should stick with its original name.  Yours is terrible.
Steve: But what's not terrible is G.G.W.'s index.  If anything gives it weight in this competition, that's going to be it.
Fake Doug: S.D.Z.G.F.D -- that's what your acronym would be.  Terrible.
Steve: Shush, you.  Next!

The Writer's Handbook: From the University of Wisconsin at Madison, The Writer's Handbook isn't quite as beefy as the Purdue OWL, but it does have a clear breakdown of several topics that many writers can find immediately relevant.  It gives specific tips on research paper, dissertations, proposals, and other forms of academic writing that often throw students for a loop.  The interface is simple, straightforward, and pretty easy to use.

Steve: The tiny text on the right-hand bar can give you a headache if your vision sucks like mine.
Fake Doug: To be fair, Purdue's OWL isn't retina-friendly, either.  The big cheese's influence is pretty apparent in the layout.  Not necessarily a bad thing, though.
Steve: Retina-friendly?  Really?
Fake Doug: Don't get snarky with me.  I'm not the one writing those lines.  Just introduce the last one, will ya?

Writing@CSU: Last, but certainly not least, Colorado State University's website packs some serious punch with resources ranging from small articles, to textbooks, to online word processors to help organize ideas.  It has resources for teachers and students alike, and the layout isn't painful to look at.

Fake Doug: If this website were a person, I'd marry her.
Steve: It is definitely aesthetically pleasing, but it's not just a pretty face, you know?  Lots of good stuff here.  You seem pretty into this competitor, Fake Doug.  Any reason why?
Fake Doug: Partially because you're exaggerating my enthusiasm.
Steve: That's a shame.
Fake Doug: Even so, it's still an awesome site.  It probably has the most variety out of all the OWL's we've looked at so far.  Even -- dare I say it -- Purdue's.  The resources are good, and the different kinds of resources are staggering.
Steve: Definitely.  We'll see if that gives it the edge it needs.

And with each of our competitors out and ready to roll, it's time to rumble!  Let's see how these OWLs compare.

Round 1:

HyperGrammar ~vs~ The Writer's Handbook

Even though HyperGrammar still has parts undergoing construction, it manages to beat out The Writer's Handbook according to us here on EIU Writes.  HyperGrammar isn't trying to be the OWL, and that gives it a lot of clout.  Sure, there are many OWL-esque features that it shares with The Writers Handbook and Purdue, but it's easier to navigate than its opponent (especially considering those nifty embedded hyperlinks) and plenty informative.  Though both are solid sources, we give the victory to HyperGrammar!

Round 2:

Guide to Grammar and Writing ~vs~ Writing@CSU

Guide to Grammar and Writing, while informative, gets the snot kicked out of it by Colorado State's spiffy interface.  Though one could argue GGW's buckets of raw information outweigh the information found on WCSU, the manner in which the information is presented does matter.  WCSU makes it absolutely clear where you need to go to find specific, relevant information rather than giving you a whole bunch of drop-down menus to choose from.  GGW definitely has a lot of heart, but WCSU certainly isn't lacking for substance either.  Colorado State takes the victory in this one.

Semi-Finals:

HyperGrammar ~vs~ Writing@CSU

A close match, for sure.  Once again, WCSU's sleek, objective-driven interface gives it the edge it needs to pull away from its Canadian opponent.  Though we still recommend HyperGrammer for those looking for specific rules and definitions, WCSU weighs in as a better overall resource for writing.  The Semi-Finals go to Writing@CSU.  Insert obnoxious applause and cheering here.

Finals:

Writing@CSU ~vs~Purdue OWL

After a near-eternity of blood, sweat, and tears, both of our brave competitors come out scratched and bruised -- but not beaten.  Crazy though it may seem, this final match-up ends ... in a draw.  I know, I know!  Yes, ties are lame!  But honestly, both of these writing labs offer equally good resources depending on what you're looking for.  The victory is purely contextual.  If you're looking for information on a given citation style, Purdue is the big dog.  It blows WCSU out of the water.  It has examples galore -- we all know that.  However, WCSU's variety of peripheral writing tools, such as the built-in bibliography tracker, outlining tool, and in-site word processor (just to name a few) make it a completely unique OWL experience. 

So, for those looking for a more specific verdict:  The Purdue OWL is better for the sake of pure information.  The examples and clarity are second-to-none.  However, if you're looking for a more interactive, hands-on OWL experience that integrates information with various tools and external resources, then WCSU might actually be the better choice.

The moral of the story is you can bring a horse to water, but you can't judge it by its cover.

No, wait, that's not right.  Ah well ... I'm sure it will come to me eventually.  In the meantime, keep on writing, and don't be afraid to expand your horizons!  There are plenty of good resources out there, just waiting to be stumbled into.

OWL-ternative Online Sources, Part 4

And so we come to part four of our brief series on alternative Online Writing Labs. I hope you've had a hoot [strained laughter] reading our examinations of various OWLs. Today, I will examine Colorado State University's "Writing@CSU," a site I'm convinced is going above and beyond the call of OWL duty in what it offers to students.

Aesthetically speaking, the front page is a welcome sight. The menus have forest green backgrounds that compliment the Rocky Mountain vistas that comprise the banner at the top of the page. The font is a friendly sans-serif that lures in the writer without making him or her think this will be some dry instructional website.

Instructionally speaking, CSU's OWL offers up guidance on "Preparing to Write," "Starting to Write," and other aspects of the writing process. These articles are divided into further subcategories relating to "reading and writing as social acts" as well as attention to audience. For those who want to step it up from website guides to full-fledged textbooks, Writing@CSU offers "open-access textbooks" which are freely available to both students and teachers, regardless if you attend CSU or not.

What caught my eye most about Writing@CSU is their "Writing Tools" section in which they offer a built-in word processor as well as an Outliner tool "to organize your ideas for a draft" or Bibliography tool to "keep track of your sources." While most students have access to Microsoft Word at home or in a library, this might provide a nice alternative to traveling with a flash drive. Unfortunately, all of these requires an account to access. Despite this restriction, you're not required to be a student to use them.

Writing@CSU does a lot more than I've yet to see in an OWL, but it's not completely perfect. Navigating its articles can be more of a hassle as its Writing Guides are split into subtopics and further subtopics. That being said, I still think other OWLs could take a page from CSU's book and offer organizational tools that will help students put together solid papers.

OWL-ternative Online Sources, Part 3

I'm going to hop onto Stephen's bandwagon and ride shotgun if he doesn't mind (do you?) to offer up an OWL-ternative (darn fine pun) website myself. After perusing a few online writing labs from various universities, I stumbled across University of Wisconsin at Madison's "Writer's Handbook." It doesn't match the thoroughness of Purdue University's OWL, unsurprising considering Purdue launched theirs in 1994 when the Internet was but a wee tyke. Nevertheless, it's a solid alternative that is easy to navigate and less overwhelming than its Purdue counterpart.

The main index is simple yet elegant; on the left side of the page is a purple (or green for all I know since I'm colorblind) area with links for such topics as "Improving Your Writing Style," "Stages of the Writing Process," "Common Writing Assignments," and "Grammar and Punctuation." All of these proceed onto further pages of links offering advice in sentence concision and comma usage, most of which offer solid examples.

What I found unique about UW-M's OWL is that one of the pages offers a "self-test and answers" link that allow you to "test your knowledge" of a given subject. Want to see how up to snuff you are at commas? Scroll to the bottom of the "Using Commas" page and you'll find a link that will initiate a pop-up with a few example sentences to see if you can correctly identify the issues in the sentences. Though most of the other pages lack this feature, it could be a feature that's "in the works" that I would love to see in a more complete form some day.

The Writer's Handbook also features a section on reference citation that, though it lacks the thoroughness of the OWL, still recognizes the other systems outside of MLA and APA. At first, I thought that the page on Chicago style is a bare-bone description noting that "Chicago or Turabian style places bibliographic citations at the bottom of a page or at the end of a paper." On the far right side, however, they offered links to learn more about the documentation style. Aesthetically, it was a little confusing as their MLA page has a clear "Table of Contents" in the center of the page while on the Chicago/Turabian page there is no "Table of Contents," just a side menu. For the unobservant, this menu will elude the reader and cause the reader to go to a different, easier to navigate OWL.

Though not perfect, The Writer's Handbook at The University of Wisconsin - Madison has the potential to grow into a pOWLerhouse (worse pun), offering up great ideas yet not as thoroughly executing them. Some pages are a bit roughly designed, but for the most part it's an impressive alternative to the Purdue OWL.

Semicolons-Which Side Are You On?

What is something that you love to hate? I love to hate spiders. Absolutely love to hate them and frequently dream of ridding the world of them. All you Charlotte lovers out there can just be quiet.

Here's something else I love to hate: semicolons. What did a semicolon ever do to me? Well, first of all it can't decide how it wants to be spelled. Is it semicolon or semi-colon? Pick one, own it, and be it. Why be so two-sided?

Actually the true reason that I hate semicolons is that I have never quite understood how to use them and do so on mad punctuation whims. Not smart. I used one on of of those silly whims in a class last semester--resulting in spectacular failure. My professor, who is most beloved and kind, gently told me, "There are seven people in this country who know how to use semicolons, and you are not one of them." Boo-yah!

I could have chosen to run and hide from this particular semicolonic episode, but instead I have become a teeny bit intrigued about the use and reason for this type of punctuation. I have been doing some sleuthing, talking to professors in the English Department, observing students in the writing center, and have managed to gather a bit of information that I am dying to share with you--and also get off of my chest because this is some serious baggage! Who knew semicolons were so controversial?

It seems that people either love or hate semicolons. There is absolutely no middle ground. Kurt Vonnegut, a famous author, has been noted as saying (rather flagrantly and I'm gonna leave out some words because they're a bit on the risky side), "Do not use semicolons. They are (bleep bleep) representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.”

On the flip side of that in your face statement is the opinion of the President of EIU Bill Perry. President Perry, in the fourth part of an interview EIU Writes did with him last year, claims that the semicolon is his favorite punctuation mark.

So how exactly does one go about using a semicolon? Here is what the Purdue OWL tells me:

You can use a semi-colon to join two independent clauses. Joining two independent clauses this way implies that the two clauses are related and/or equal, or perhaps that one restates the other (see example below).

•Braveheart was definitely my favorite movie during the 1990s; in fact, it is my favorite movie of all time.

Use semi-colons between items in a list that already involve commas (example shown below).

•The sweaters I bought today were purple, blue, and green; yellow, white, and red; and pink, black, and grey.

The EIU Writing Center Webpage has a section entitled resources for writers with all sorts of excellent information. What else is on there?

A Punctuation Pattern Sheet (I really wish it said paper! Punctuation Pattern Paper, sigh I need that alliteration to continue) that gives more examples of semicolon use. If you click on this, Punctuation Pattern Sheet, you will link right to it!

Another of my most favorite professors, to remain nameless because the coolness level is already at 100% and I don't know if it can go any higher, says, "Writers should use semicolons sparingly since a writer's go-to sentence construction should be compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences. However, I enjoy the use of a semicolon when a writer connects balanced (in length) independent clauses that work together logically."

In the Writing Center we see all sorts of semicolon usage, and generally the students will tell us that they used it because it might impress their professor. This is when I say, "Don't do it!" A professor is more impressed when you have two strong sentences, not two combined kinda strong sentences.

In my opinion, one should use semicolons sparingly. This could be my experience talking, or it could be that they are unnecessary. Why not instead go with the dash? It's all personal preference and if you prefer the semicolon--make sure you really understand it before you use it. There is nothing worse than trying to appear smart to a professor and instead sinking into semicolon despair.

Love them or hate them the semicolon doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, perhaps it is time that I get over my fear and embrace them. How about you?

Pick me! I'm Awesome!

It's that time of year again - when the weather is bi-polar, New Year's resolutions are still in effect, bank accounts are rebounding from Christmas shopping sprees, and Personal Statements are written. Many of you are graduating this semester and have started applying to Graduate Schools or perhaps you are wistfully applying for jobs in anticipation of graduation. Either way, the Statement of Purpose is something that you may find yourself writing in both situations.

What exactly is a Statement of Purpose? Is it different than a cover letter? According to the Purdue Owl, the Personal Statement is, "...your opportunity to sell yourself in the application process". A Personal Statement can be thought of a Cover Letter beefed up on steroids. They are generally two-three pages long, and they sing your praises.

Well, ok. This sounds doable and easy enough, right? You've been writing ten to twelve page papers lately. Two-three pages will be cake right? Also, this is your chance to tell future employers or universities how smart and great you are and how you would be a fantastic fit to their community. Simple, stuff...yeah? Surprisingly, no. The Personal Statement can be one of the hardest pieces of writing that you may ever produce. Why is that? Why is writing about yourself in a positive light so hard?

Well, for starters more than likely you have been writing about everything ASIDE from yourself for a very long time. Perhaps you wrote about yourself in a personal narrative in your first-year writing class or maybe used a life story as an anecdote to add emotion to a paper (I drop that bomb quite often), but actually writing about your strengths, education, and life history with depth is probably something you haven't done in a super long time and may not feel comfortable doing. After all, it seems that most of us aren't out there in the world wearing sandwich boards touting our awesomeness. Should we be? Sometimes...and most definitely in the Personal Statement.

So, then how in the world do we write a Personal Statement that "sells you" but is humble at the same time? Well, for starters don't go flying into it blind. Don't try to rough draft this thing and see what happens. More than likely you will end up with a piece of text that you feel is inadequate and awkward. Instead of rushing in and writing first spend some time asking yourself some questions about  ...  yourself. On a piece of paper take the time to answer the following questions that the Purdue Owl suggests are helpful:

• What is special and impressive about your life story?
• When did you become interested in this field?
• What are your career goals?
• Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships?
• What skills do you possess?
• What personal characteristics do you possess that make you a perfect fit?
• Why might you be a stronger candidate for grad school than other applicants?

Once you have answers to these questions, you may feel a bit more comfortable writing about yourself and may also have a good starting point. The first question--"What is special and impressive about your life story?"--could produce a funny or moving anecdote that would make for a fantastic introduction to your Personal Statement. After all, the first paragraph is the most important part of your Statement. In that very first paragraph, you will either snag your readers' attention or sadly lose it. The first paragraph sets the tone for the entire Personal Statement. So, really spend some time on your opener and make it something that your reader will understand and remember.

What do you do after a bad-ass opener? Easy. You simply tell them what you know! Which should be simple for you because your awesome, right? Isn't that what your sandwich board said? This is the place where you can get into the nitty-gritty of what you have learned about your area of expertise. Take some time to list classes that you have taken, conferences that you have presented at, work that you have done with other people in your field, or internships that you have been a part of at a school or organization. Just make sure that you are specific  ...  don't say something like, "I went to a conference in Florida, learned a lot and met a lot of people." Ugh. That's a bummer to read; plus it doesn't really tell me anything about you or the conference. How about instead saying something like, "I had the opportunity to present my research at the National I'm Awesome Conference in Florida in the spring of last year. During this time I met many people in the field and discovered that they too, are awesome." Although it may seem to you that you are padding your sentences or loading them up more than you need to do, don't think of it that way. Instead think of this as being extra specific in order to ensure that your reader knows and understands that you really know what you are talking about.

Some things NOT to do in your Personal Statement may seem obvious, but if I don't mention them I will worry all night long about it, and then I won't sleep--and I need my sleep. So, in order to ensure my future rest, please remember the following:

Not all subjects are Personal Statement appropriate. You should probably stay away from "hot button" or controversial topics. After all, you really don't know who might be reading your Personal Statement, and you don't want to offend them and then run the risk of your application being tossed to the side. Also, bringing up things that you accomplished in high school might not be appropriate for your personal statement. I know you're proud of being voted "Most Popular," but more than likely a college or future employer won't care about that.

Don't send off your Rough Draft. The Personal Statement needs to be as close to perfect as you can make it. Take the time to reread your draft, make changes, use spell check, and look closely for grammatical errors. Also, have a peer/parent/sibling/dog read over your Personal Statement for you and don't be afraid to make the changes that they suggest. Peer review is a powerful tool! If you don't have anyone close by that can help you, pop into your schools Writing Center. In the EIU Writing Center, we frequently assist people working on Personal Statements, and these clients recognize that sometimes writing needs a fresh set of eyes. And what better way to find out if you got the point of how awesome you are across by having someone who doesn't know you read your work?

Don't avoid researching your organization. Don't be afraid of research! Wait, what? Research for a Personal Statement? I know, it does seem silly because you should know all about you...right? However, it might help you to take the time to think about what sets your school of choice aside from other schools, or what is unique about your future place of employment. Do these unique factors relate to you? How? Write about it! This simple task may endear you to the reader of your Personal Statement because they will notice that you took some time to dig a little deeper about them, and that's love  ...  no?

Once in a while grad school or business applications ask specific questions for you to respond to in your Personal Statement. If this is the case, make sure that you know the format that the answers are required in. Sometimes the school or employer will simply want these answers woven into your statement, but once in a while these questions are considered supplemental to your Personal Statement and can be considered separate essays. It is always ok to call someone at the organization to clarify, and this ensures you will not make a silly mistake.

I know...this seems like a TON of writing....well, it is...but don't be discouraged! Slow down, think about the questions asked of you, and answer them as specifically as you can.

In short, what should you do while writing the Personal Statement? Talk to yourself, ask yourself questions, write responses  ...  several times if you have to so that you can get over that "I'm totally bragging about me!" feeling. Write an opening paragraph that the reader will remember you by; anecdotes or interesting stories about you are fantastic openers. Finally, remember to revise if needed! Find a peer and have them read your work, and take their suggestions.

Most importantly remember this, IT IS OK TO TALK ABOUT HOW AWESOME YOU ARE! The Personal Statement is your chance to brag about yourself and not have everyone think your an egotistical jerk! Get over the feeling of being a blow-hard bragger. The world won't know how great you are unless you tell them. Right?

Right.

A Message from the Ghost of Employment Future

Many of you will find yourselves graduating this semester and likely on the long arduous search for work. Some may have jobs that you held during the semesters while others might’ve focused solely on academics in lieu of a steady paycheck. Whatever the case, once you get your fancy-shmancy degree, you’re going to have to make it look like you’re a pro. I mean, you are a pro, but you gotta make them believe it. Your prospective employers.

Yeah, you got some wicked awesome grades. 3.5 GPA? Not everybody can boast that. Heck, it might even be just what your employer’s looking for. Your resume? It was pretty boss. It could just snag you that job.

But wait. I can see it now:

Mr. Future-Boss is thumbing through his latest wave of applications to position of Senior Fancy-Pants. He’s looking for a particular background with a particular set of skills, and, by George, you have all those particulars down like you’ve planned it all these years.

But you know what? He never sees your application. In fact, he tosses in the “Send to Incinerator” bin, the contents of which will be sent immediately to the incinerator where it will be converted into ashes and then returned to Mr. Future-Boss’s office where Mr. Future-Boss and his assistant will sip ginger ale and dance on the ashes.

I’ll answer your first question: I don’t know what kind of dance they’re doing, but if I had to guess I’d say the Charleston. To respond to your second query, I’d have to say that the reason why it got sent to the incinerator was because missing a key element. Not a crisp hundred-dollar bill paperclipped to the back of your application, but instead a cover letter.

Now I know nobody writes letters anymore except foppish dukes in powdered wigs, but that’s why this is called a cover letter. You don’t need to write a letter, but you sure as heck need a cover letter.

What does that entail? Well according to the Purdue OWL, you want to begin with a little bit of this:

• State the university you attend, your major, and what position you are applying for (if you are a student).
• Mention where you heard about the job.
• Mention the name of a professor or other contact who has a positive connection with the company.
• Bring up any previous conversations you have had with your reader (i.e., at a job fair).

Intros consist of some name dropping and fond reminiscence, or at least pretend fond reminiscence. Name dropping shows how connected you are and how enthusiastic you might be to get this job. Word of the wise: DO NOT GET WORDY. You want to be concise, to the point. It's fast paced world we live in folks and you don't want to get bogged down by wordy introductions and poorly-paced lead-ins that involve unnecessary information and--

Next, you want to kick it up a notch in the body, or the argument. This isn't where you argue that the one time you met your employer he was wearing two different color socks (it was a bad day for Mr. Future-Boss), but rather why you deserve this job, nay, why they deserve you. You're going to want to mention a few of these:

• Special projects
• Awards
• Accomplishments

Talk yourself up. Big time. But don't lie or exaggerate. Mr. Future-Boss might have a pretty good idea whether or not you're in Mensa because he's the secretary at their meetings. He takes darn good attendance.

Feel ready to finish? Keep these things in mind:

• Close with a strong reminder of why you are a good match for the job position and the organization.
• Request an interview in some way.
• Provide contact information.
• Thank them!
• Sign your name and print it underneath.

Mr. Future-Boss has what they call the short-term memory loss. He swears he's like Guy Pearce in Memento, but his assistant (and most people know better). Regardless, he's going to forget why you're a top candidate for Senior Fancy-Pants after he gets done reading the body. You also want to talk to him in the future--you know, to convince him further why you'd be the best Senior Fancy-Pants to come through in the last twenty years. You'll want to leave your name, number, and address in case he wants to don his powdered wig and write you back, and while you're at it sign the bottom so he can see how good of penmanship you have. Or see how good the handwriting is of your close friend who has good handwriting. Again, he might forget your name so a signature should remind him of it.

And thank him because Mr. Future-Boss is a busy man with little time to dawdle.

Need some visuals? Check 'em.

Citation Spotlight: CBE Style

In my experience, the two major players in the world of citation styles have always been those of the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). With my background as an English major, MLA is what you could call "my jam"; it's the style I'm most comfortable with and it makes a far more sense than that rage-inducer APA. But APA is far more widely used than MLA, as MLA is used solely in the field of English and literary studies, unlike APA which is used in basically everything else.

There are other styles, of course. You have Chicago and Turabian, two styles that if you showed me examples of the two I would have no clue which was which. And then there's the Council of Biology Editors (CBE) citation style, which up until the last couple months I had no idea existed.

Ten points to the person who guesses what disciplines it's used for.

Being the inquisitive type, I looked into this mysterious citation style. I began my search on the Purdue OWL website, but I found my search fruitless; the OWL focuses primarily on MLA and APA, the two most commonly used citation styles in the United States.

A Google search, however, yielded far more results. Google compiled 1.6 million results (in an astonishing .17 seconds!) for "cbe citation style," the first ten of which all were websites containing the ".edu" domain suffix. What does that mean? Well, for starters, it means it's legit--".edu" screams credibility.

Further research into CBE showed similarities between CBE and APA, not terribly surprising considering the pervasiveness of APA among science writers. An example provided by the Frederick Douglass Library at University of Maryland Eastern Shore gives the example for citing a book by a single author:

Li TSC. 2000. Medicinal plants: culture, utilization and

phytopharmacology. Lancaster (PA): Technomic. 517p.


Those familiar with APA will notice that certain APA conventions are followed. For example, the title of the book is listed in a similar manner as APA as only the first word of the title has its first letter capitalized. Additionally, first names are initialed as opposed to MLA, which requires the full name of the author. Structurally, the two styles follow the same order of author-to-year-to-title, sharing an emphasis on dates in which the works are published.

Curiously, however, CBE diverges from APA in that it abandons the punctuation following the author's last name, as well as after each initial of her first name. Also, CBE places an importance on where the book was published.

Citation styles continue to evolve and separate like single-cell organisms. Though you may have memorized a particular style a couple of years ago, the moment a new edition comes out all you knew may be torn asunder. Keeping updated with stylebooks can get to be expensive, however, so the most ideal way to keep in touch with the latest changes in your favorite citation style is to pay attention to Purdue's OWL or do a simple Google search.

Further reading and citations:

"How to Cite Using CBE" from the University of Maryland - Eastern Shore

"CBE Citation Style" from the University of Maine at Farmington

"Council of Biology Editors Citation Style" from the University of Wisconsin - Madison

Comma Police

Comma police, arrest this man

He talks so fast

He introduces me

Without using punctuation

Comma police, arrest this girl

She doesn’t see

Her introductory phrase

Sets the stage

For the rest of the sentence

This is what you get

This is what you get

This is what you get

When you use less of us

Comma police, I’ve done it once or twice

I may have left one out

But commas are important

I see that now

This is what you get

This is what you get

This is what you get

When you use less of us

When introducing you, I use a comma

In an introductory phrase, I use a comma

And now for your listening pleasure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZHoci2Wjs0

This is what The Purdue OWL says about introductory phrases:

• Introductory clauses are dependent clauses that provide background information or "set the stage" for the main part of the sentence, the independent clause. For example: 
• If they want to win, athletes must exercise every day. (introductory dependent clause, main clause) 
• Because he kept barking insistently, we threw the ball for Smokey. (introductory dependent clause, main clause)

NOTE: We see this type of sentence in the Radiohead song.

Also, if you are introducing a person, use a comma.

Example: My neighbor, Barack Obama, sings in the shower.

If he didn't sing off key, I wouldn't mind so much...