If you are just starting to write papers for college or are a graduate student, your instructors will include the style that is required for assignments in the assignment guidelines. In addition, they may require additional preferences (e.g, a different style to the cover page). Pay attention to these requirements because instructors will remove grade points if a student does not follow the formatting for approved grammatical and citation requirements.

It is recommended (strongly) that students study and learn the requirements of the style early on in their education career and keep updated as different editions are released by MLA (currently 3^rd edition) and APA (currently 6^th edition). Having good knowledge of the style will help the student write more efficiently. Another recommendation is to have the style book by your computer as you work so that you can check punctuation and citations as you write. Highlight the most commonly used punctuation and other information with a highlighter and post-it notes, because the answer surely will come up again.

Both APA http://www.apastyle.org/ and MLA http://www.mla.org/ have Websites and search engines that can help if you have a tough style problem. Also, most colleges have Writing Centers or online tutorials to help you with ensuring that your use of the style guidelines in your academic paper are perfect.

Here are some major differences in the two styles.

Reference Examples:

APA Style

Jelfs, A., Richardson, J., & Price, L. (2009). Student and tutor perceptions of effective tutoring in distance education. Distance Education, 30(3), 419-441. doi:10.1080/01587910903236551.

Mellers, B.A. (2000). Choice and the relative pressure of consequences.  Psychological Bulletin, 126, 910-924.

MLA Style

Jelfs, Anne, John T. E. Richardson, and Linda Price. “Student and tutor perceptions of effective tutoring in distance education.” Distance Education 30.3 (2009): 419-441. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 16 Feb. 2010.

Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin’s, 1997. Print.

In-text Citation Examples:

APA Style This is the citation format when there is a quote:

According to Black (2009), “all clowns scare children to death” (p.3).

MLA Style

According to Kenneth Black, “all clowns scare children to death” (3).

Other Comparisons

Professional Editing

There is another option if you need help with academic writing, especially when you are writing a thesis or submitting a paper for publication.  Many editors, like the editors at FirstEditing.com, specialize in academic writing and will offer to edit a paper based on word count or pages and the type of editing required. Academic editing will cost more than a standard edit. These editors are professionals who have a lot of experience editing papers in different style formats. They can provide expertise for the difficult editing issues such as footnotes and endnotes, charts and tables, and citing references.

Most college essay questions are designed as a way for colleges to learn more about you.  So this is your chance to tell colleges about yourself.  The first step to writing a successful college essay is choosing the right topic.  Pick a topic that allows you to give colleges the best idea of who you are as a person.  What are your interests?  What are your dreams?  What is important to you?  These are all aspects of your personality that colleges are interested in.

Approach your college essay as you would any of your previous school essays.  Begin with an outline detailing the structure of your essay, as well as emphasizing the main points.  Think about your strengths and weaknesses, and then choose one or two positive aspects of your personality to demonstrate to the college committee.  You can structure your essay in several basic ways.  In your essay, you can focus on a single strength that you possess, elaborating on it in detail.  Or, you can choose two or three significant aspects of your personality to discuss, devoting only a paragraph to each aspect.  The narrative essay is also a common and effective format; in the narrative essay, begin with a short and engaging story about yourself, and then explain how that story relates to your personality. Illustrate your positive traits through the story, perhaps talking about an event that highlights your creativity, problem-solving skills, or your ability to help others.

When writing your essay, make sure to clarify the strengths of your personality, rather than simply stating things that you’ve done (ex. “I volunteered at an animal shelter”).  Go the extra step to demonstrate how your activities reveal your personality and values (ex. “All my life, I’ve been extremely passionate about animal welfare and animal rights.  While volunteering at the local animal shelter, I was able to put my passion into practice.”).  Talking about your strengths and values gives a much deeper insight into your personality than merely listing some of your activities.

Finally, proofread and edit your essay.  Make sure your writing reads smoothly, clearly, and is free from grammar and spelling errors.  It never hurts to send it to a professional editing service for polishing, such as FirstEditing.com.  Not only would a professional editor check for basic grammar errors, but an editor could also give you valuable feedback about the content of your essay.  Also, many college essays have word count requirements; a professional reduction edit could neatly trim your writing down to the required word count.

A college essay is a great chance for you to show colleges your strengths.  Approach it with confidence and dedication, and you’ll soon be off to a promising new future!

There is no doubt that the internet has changed the writing world.  Not only does it provide a new means for writers to get published, but it also opens a new avenue for writers to promote and market themselves.  The creation of a successful website can enhance a writer’s reputation, resulting in an increase in sales.  It could also attract attention to the writing of an otherwise unpublished author, giving that author the exposure that he or she needs in order to secure an agent or publishing contract.

Blogging can be an excellent way to keep readers coming back to your website, and thus, to build a growing readership.  When choosing a host for your blog, there are many free blogging platforms, such as Blogger or WordPress.  These are ideal if you’re looking for a quick, cheap, and easy way to start your blog.  Alternatively, if you’re interested in having more control over your website, buying your own web address could be the right choice.  Either way, when choosing your web address, remember to keep it simple and logical, so that it’s easy for your readers to remember; simply using your pen name can be a good idea.

When it comes time to start uploading those all-important posts, remember to keep the content relevant.  If you created the writing blog to help promote your writing career, then stick to that subject.  This is what readers will come to your blog expecting and wanting to read more about:  you as a writer.  It’s best to keep any unrelated venting about your personal life on a separate blog.  Additionally, it’s always good to offer your readers something useful to take away with them, such as information about your latest published work and where to find it, advice on the writing process, any writer’s workshops that you’ve enjoyed, or editors and editorial services that you’ve found helpful (such as, First Editing).

Of course, as with any piece of writing, make sure your blog posts read smoothly and cleanly, free from any distracting spelling and grammatical errors that may undermine your credibility as a writer.  Remember to always proofread before you publish!  If in doubt, submit it to a professional editing service, such as FirstEditing.com. We’ll be happy to polish your blog posts for you.

Query first

Compile your list of potential recipients by selecting the editors and journalists who may be most interested in what you have to say. Now comes the hard part – the best way to get your press release seen is to query each media outlet via phone or snail mail to ensure that they accept emailed press releases, and to obtain the most up-to-date contact information on where to send them to avoid the dreaded spam folders.

Know your audience

Get the full name, position, and email for the appropriate contact for your release. Sending a press release without specific contact information is the equivalent to folding your press release into a paper airplane and throwing it out your window. Only send your press release to one person per news outlet. The biggest complaint from editors? Receiving press releases that have nothing to do with what they publish.

Fax is dead

Send your press release via email; a stressed editor is more likely to grab a story from a format that lends itself to cut-and-paste. If you can make it easy for them to print your story, why not do it?

Don’t get attached

Format your email carefully. Don’t send your full press release as an attachment; due to the prevalence of computer viruses it is becoming standard practice to delete unsolicited emails with attachments unopened. Instead, include a ‘teaser’ of your press release in the body of the email, with a link to the full press release as it appears on your website.

Timing is everything

Mid-week is usually the best time to send out your press release, as editors aren’t swamped after the weekend but still have time to follow up with you prior to the next weekend. Avoid sending out press releases in and around known holidays.

Think big, but don’t be afraid to start small

Begin by reading the news; the content of your press release may unexpectedly become a hot topic. Trade publications, regional or local newspapers, free weekly newspapers or magazines, e-zines, newsletters, or other niche-market publications are all good places to send your press releases, in addition to national papers and high-circulation magazines. Remember, any exposure is good exposure!

Your editor at FirstEditing.com can review your release to make sure it’s consistent, error-free, properly formatted, and ready for distribution.

Journalists receive truckloads of press releases every day and therefore have standards as to what they expect to be included in each release.

The best way to tackle the fearsome press release is by answering the most basic questions every journalist asks when covering a story:

Who – What – Where – When – Why

Once you’ve got all of that information nailed down, you’re ready to begin drafting your press release.

The Headline

The headline is your chance to grab the attention of the journalist – remember, with press releases, you only get one shot. Encapsulate the content of your press release in one sharp, concise, and catchy sentence. Bold and center your headline on the page.

The Body

Begin with the date and city in which the news item originated; this can be done in point form.

Now, pull together your “who – what – where – when – why” into short, concise sentences that explains in brief detail what your press release is about.

Use the third paragraph to give your press release a personal touch here – expose the ‘human interest’ side of your news item. Why will people care? Who will be affected? Explain in further detail why your item is newsworthy. Make it engaging and make it catchy. If it’s appealing, a journalist will bite.

Finally, don’t forget to include your contact information. The contact info you include should be specific to each press release, and should include the following:

Company name

Media department’s name and contact person (if applicable)

Business address

Telephone & fax numbers with proper country/city codes and extension numbers

Mobile phone number

Email addresses

Website address

Time of availability for contact

Final Tips

Use the Times New Roman font in size 12 to keep your press release clean and simple. Flashy fonts and layouts aren’t going to win you any points – they just mean more work for editors.

Keep it to one page. Once you’ve got a feel for writing press releases your goal should be to have your press releases published as-is. Papers today have shrinking page counts and are often short-staffed; if you can provide copy that’s publishable with little-to-no editing, you’re more likely to see your press release in print.

While creating a press release may need some practice, remember that you are not alone.  Having another pair of eyes reviewing your press release is a very good idea.  A professional editor, such as the editors at FirstEditing.com will review your press release for editing and formatting  to ensure your press release is perfected and ready for media submission.

Come back tomorrow when we explain “How to send your press release”

The em dash

Em Dash

The em dash is a longer dash that is similar to a hyphen. It is used to show a pause in a quote that is all one sentence, and it is also used to show when one sentence trails off and another begins.

For example,

“I hope that you have told me the truth – you don’t always.”  This quote is all one sentence, but there was a pause in between the words truth and you that are represented by the em dash.

OR

“He just walked right in through the – He didn’t even think to announce his presence!”  This shows that one sentence trailed off and another began – NOTE the capital letter to begin the second sentence.

When typing in Microsoft Word, you can prompt one of these dashes by placing a space after the last letter of the word, hitting the hyphen key (next to the zero) and then pressing your spacebar again before typing the next word. Most Microsoft Word applications use an auto format that will insert the em dash for you.

Ellipses

Ellipsis

In contrast, the ellipsis is used to show when a thought trails off and the sentence is incomplete. It is a series of three dots.

For example,

“I just couldn’t believe what he was…” she muttered, as if to herself.

These quotation marks most often trip up fiction writers, as they’re used often in dialogue. However, whether you are writing a fiction piece, or working on an academic submission, please remember that the professional editors at Firstediting.com are always here to assist you with your work.  Happy Writing!

1. Form the possessive of singular nouns by adding ’s, unless it is the possessive of an ancient proper name.

For example: James’s house      Moses’ law

2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. This is often referred to as the “serial comma.”

For example: apples, bananas, and oranges purple, yellow, and red

3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.

For example: My brother, John Smith, is a well-renowned police officer. While we were on our way to New York, a tiring drive, to say the least, we stopped many times to enjoy the scenery.

4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.

For example: The road was slippery, but we continued to drive to the movie theatre. The house was a beautiful sight, and the gardens were absolutely magnificent.

5. Do not break sentences in two. Basically, do not use periods for commas.

For example: Incorrect: She was an interesting talker. A woman who had traveled all over the world and lived in half a dozen countries. Correct: She was an interesting talker, a woman who traveled all over the world and lived in half a dozen countries.

6. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation.

For example: Lisa’s grocery list contained a mere three important items: bread, milk, and eggs.

7. Use a dash to set off an abrupt break of interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary.

For example: His first thought on getting out of bed—if he had any thought at all—was to get back in again.

By no means are these seven items an exhaustive list of things to look out for while writing and editing; however, they’re definitely a good place to start. I will be sure to revisit this topic again in a future blog to highlight more items to take note of during the editing process. Hiring a professional editor, such as the editors at FirstEditing.com can ensure that your document is perfect and ready for publication.

Gina
Editor Specializing in Business Editing Services for FirstEditing.com

Basic editing skills are a must for any writer or editor. Good writing is a hallmark of professionalism; unfortunately, it is also a chance to make a first impression upon a client, supervisor, or potential publisher. While not all of us are born excellent writers, basic grammar and punctuation rules can be learned. Please allow this article to be of assistance.

Capitalization is a necessary grammar skill that can tangle even the best writers.

Please allow this professional editor a few moments to provide you with a few basic rules of capitalization:

* Capitalize the first word in each sentence.

* Capitalize the first word in a quoted sentence.

* Always capitalize I, no matter where in the sentence it appears.

* Capitalize proper nouns.

Some easy ones to remember (and some examples):

* States and countries – Texas, Canada
* Brand names – Gucci, Dr. Pepper, Disneyland
* Religions – Judaism, Roman Catholic
* Days of the week, months, holidays – Thursday, March, Easter
* Magazines, newspapers – Martha Stewart, Detroit Free Press
* Movies, TV shows – New Moon, American Idol

When you have a question about when or when not to capitalize something, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “Is this specific?” For example, while you would not capitalize school (noun), you would capitalize “Parkside Elementary School.”

Directions are tricky- Do not capitalize north, south, east, or west, when referring to direction, such as “Go east along I-4.” Capitalize them when a part of the name of a specific location, such as “North Carolina.”

Names and titles can be difficult as well, but the following should help clarify when and when not to capitalize:

Titles are always capitalized when they precede a name or an organization. For example, “Inspector Lukas,” or “President of the United States of America.” A title should not be capitalized when it is referred to in text with no name, no organization, and it is not part of dialogue. For example, you would not capitalize mayor in the following sentence:

“Are you really the manager?”

Capitalize any title when used in a direct address, e.g.

“Are you ready, Inspector?”

I hope that this has been helpful. Please remember that having a professional editor, such as the editors at Firstediting.com, will ensure your document is perfected and ready for publication.

Alison
Editor Specializing in Fiction Editing Services for FirstEditing.com

The first step is to make sure your manuscript is in the best condition you can possibly make it. This means you have redrafted it, asked friends or a critique group to read it over, and finally given it to a professional editor, such as those at Firstediting.com, to repair any grammar problems, inconsistencies, or structural issues.

Now that your manuscript has been reshaped and in near perfect condition, the next step is to write a killer query letter and synopsis. Maybe you’ve been working on these alongside your manuscript, or maybe you will hire a professional to help you. These are vitally important – and they are the only way you will entice an agent to request a sample of your work. In addition, most agents have assistants who read the submissions for them, and only the best queries will actually get seen by the agent.

Begin your research for the perfect agent by creating a list of those who have worked with books that are a similar style to yours, and preferably books that you admire. Learn as much as you can about each agent, because finding the right person for this role means you will have someone who will fight to get your book into the marketplace and provide the vital link between you and the publishing house. If you send your work to a poor agent, your manuscript may never find its way to a publishing house.

Once you are satisfied with your list, check the agents’ submission guidelines very carefully. Like publishing houses, agents receive many manuscripts, and each may have specific requirements. While the merit of your story is the most important thing, don’t let yourself down by sending in your work in the wrong format or full of typos or awkward grammar.  Contact by the method they request (i.e., do they prefer phone, email, or post?), and then send them only what they have requested; no more, no less.

If your query letter, synopsis, and sample pages shine like a diamond in the slush pile, you may just find the literary agent you always dreamed of.

Examples of using consistency in writing include adopting:

• one font style and only a few font sizes (body font and title font)
• set margins, paragraph style, (e.g., justified), tabs, and bullets
• similar numbering, lettering and grammar for lists and bullet points
• terminology
• spelling style, (e.g., U.S. versus U.K.)

It is very difficult for a reader to look at multiple types of fonts, and mixed uses of italics, bold and underlined lettering. It is distracting, contributing to the view that the manuscript is disorganized and unclear. Headings, titles, and bullets or numbered lists should be consistent within the manuscript. The statements in these sections should be parallel (consistent in how they are presented in terms of the use of a verb tense or descriptive phrase). As an example, the list above uses a noun in each statement. The list below uses an action verb. The manuscript will appear to be well organized and readability and clarity will be improved.

What other steps should the writer include to ensure consistency?

• use an appropriate verb tense throughout the project
• incorporate one style for footnotes, citations and references
• develop spacing rules for sentences, paragraphs, and lines (single versus double-space)
• use one person style, (e.g., first versus third person)
• include a hierarchical system for titles and headings, (e.g., centered, flush left, capitalized, italic)

Being consistent in your writing and editing professionalizes the project whether it is a fiction or non-fiction manuscript. Two good references for font readability include: The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst and The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web. Italicizing book titles and putting a hyperlink in blue and underlining it are examples of a style that you would incorporate every time you include similar references.

The best way to ensure consistency is in the editing of the project. If you are using a style manual, most of the rules are outlined and the major task is to follow the guide. However, if the writing style is unique, the professional editor (or writer completing the editing) should keep a log as the project is reviewed to keep track of the different styles incorporated. The styles can be applied later on in the project. For example, note that your first use of a book title was underlined, and use this similar style each time a book title is used in the manuscript.

Style consistency is a characteristic of a serious and excellent writer. It also demonstrates to many of us who write and read and edit, a love of writing and the appreciation of a well-edited manuscript as an art form.

* APA is the American Psychological Association
MLA is the Modern Language Association