STYLE GUIDE

Style Guide For Students

Students Year 9 —10

Message to Teachers. This document has been prepared as a suggested guide for teachers of Years 9 — 10 students, to assist in the correct presentation of handwritten, word processed and typewritten assignments.

It is meant only as a guide to be used by students under the teacher’s direction. The degree to which it is followed will vary according to subject areas and the student’s development.

Cover Page for Major Assignments
  1. Student's name
  2. Teacher's name
  3. Essay question, topic or focus clearly stated in full
  4. Due date of assignment
  5. Subject code and title
  6. Criteria to be assessed

Format of Major Assignments

Handwritten

The following format allows teachers to show correction easily and also allows for the binding and stapling of work.

  1. Use A4 paper
  2. Number every page
  3. Attach all pages together
  4. Draw margin of 2 - 3 cm
  5. Indent paragraphs from margin (1 cm)
  6. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs unless you wish to indicate division into sections.
  7. Underline titles of major works - novels, books, plays, films, newspapers, journals, collections of essays, poems etc and capitalize the initial letters of words in the title:

eg "My Brilliant Career" Macbeth The Age

Place quotation marks around the titles of small works, such as individual poems, essays, and television programmes:

eg "What Price Love?" "The Man from Snowy River"

Word Processed
  1. Use A4 Paper:
  • 16 cm line width
  • Left margin 3.5 cm
  • Right margin 1.5 cm
  1. Double spacing

  2. Number every page at the bottom (use footer)
  3. Attach pages together
  4. Main heading centred and bold
  5. Subheadings bold and blocked against left margin
  6. Leave a line between paragraphs
  7. Do not indent paragraphs
  8. Place in italics or bold titles of major works - novels, books, plays, films, newspapers, journals, collections of essays, poems etc and capitalize the initial letters of words in the title: My Brilliant Career

 Place quotation marks around the titles of small works, such as individual poems, essays, television programmes:

eg 'What Price Love?' ‘The Man from Snowy River'

How to Acknowledge Reference Material in your Assignments

General

Acknowledge the source of your information, whether a direct quotation or not, by giving the author's name, the year of publication and the page number/s, if appropriate, in brackets.

eg Graphic's applications are memory hungry (Kerr, 1990).

THIS IS NOT A DIRECT QUOTATION BUT AN IDEA TAKEN FROM SOMEONE ELSE.

eg Marshall said, 'as the twig is bent so the tree will grow' (Marshall, 1920 : 70).

 THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTATION SO THE PAGE NUMBER IS INCLUDED AND THE QUOTATION IS SHOWN BY USING SINGLE OR DOUBLE INVERTED COMMAS.

Presentation of Direct Quotations

Word Processed

1. Very short quotations may be included within sentences, placed in inverted commas and followed by author, date, and include page number/s in acknowledgement in brackets.

eg In the book Word Processing for a New Generation we are told, 'Word processing is the name given to the computerised handling of text' (Kerr, 1990 : 206).

2. When a quotation is longer, indent and show in single spacing (often is a smaller font). Quotation marks are not necessary.

eg Denis Edwards, author of the book Made From Stardust has this to say:

the ancient biblical principle of the dignity of the human person made in the image of God not only retains its relevance, but is given new force in the cosmic perspective ... being made in the image of God means being called to be in solidarity and companionship with the living God in this God's presence to, and care for all (Edwards, 1992 : 67).

 

3. Quotations should be selected carefully. Indicate words omitted with three dots …(see quotation above).

Handwritten

1. Very short quotations may be included within sentences, placed in double inverted commas and followed by author, date, and include page number/s in acknowledgement in brackets.

2. Longer quotations must be indented, placed in double inverted commas and have the author, date and page reference following in brackets.

3. Quotations should generally be no more that 3 - 4 lines handwritten. Select carefully. Indicate words omitted with three dots . . .

Presenting Your Bibliography/Reference Section

At the end of your assignment you must list details of all the works you have cited as used, in the order indicated:

Books

  1. Author's surname and initials
  2. Year of publication
  3. Title of publication with capitalised initial letters and bold (word processed) or underlined (handwritten)
  4. Volume number is applicable
  5. Publisher
  6. Place of publication

LIST AUTHORS ALPHABETICALLY

 eg Austen, J. (1967) Pride and Prejudice, Bancroft and Co., London.

 Lawrence, D. H. (1990) Sons and Lovers, Longman House, Hong Kong.

Nanney, R. and Abernethy, K. (1995) Exploring Microsoft Works, John Wiley and Sons Inc., New York.

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Reference Books

Begin with the title, then the date of publication, the volume number, page numbers, publisher and place of publication:

 eg Encyclopedia Britannica (1995) Vol. 5, University of Chicago, Chicago.

Journals, Magazines and Newspapers

Observe the following order: author, date, title of article in quotation marks, name of magazine or newspaper, volume and number (if appropriate), page/s:

eg Kissane, K. (1991) 'For Better and For Worse', Time, Australia, July 8, No. 27 : 40-46.

Human Resources

Within reference section A - Z under Interviewee

 eg Bacon, J., Secretary, Trades and Labour Council, 319 New Town Road, New Town, Tasmania 7008.

Phone: (03) 6234 3216 Interview: 14th June 1994, 3.00 pm.

CD ROM Referencing

Within reference section A - Z under 'title of author'

eg Johnson, M. (1994) Social Discrimination, Encarta on CD-Rom.

Film or Video

Within reference section A - Z under 'title of author'

eg Rogers, J. (1990) The Animals, J111, Hobart Media Centre , Tasmania.

The Internet

Within reference section A - Z under 'title of author'

eg Stearns, M. (1996) The Cyber Patrol Briefing Room, Cyber Patrol Microsystems Software, USA. <http://www.microsys.com/cyber/default.htm> [17/8/1999].

Graphing Style — in all subjects

Remember:
  1. A graph should be completed in a sharp, black lead pencil — a ruler used — rule each axis
  2. Move the graph in from the edge to fit labels on the axes
  3. Independent variable on the horizontal axis
  4. Graduations evenly spaced and numbered from zero unless a brokenline is indicated
  5. This applies to a line graph (ogive), all also apply to column (histogram) and bar graphs .

Download Example

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